5 Tips For Hiking the Kalalau Trail

1. Avoid this hike during times of heavy rain as the Hanakapiai River is subject to flash flooding and the trail conditions will be too difficult.
2. Be prepared for a strong sun. Wear sunscreen, a good hat, and drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.
3. Wear sturdy footwear. Exposed roots and rocks along the trail can be dif-ficult to navigate. Shoes with ankle support are recommended.
4. There is no potable water along the trail. All stream water must be boiled or treated before drinking.
5. Camping is allowed, but you will need a state permit from the DLNR. Because of the popularity of Na Pali, permits run out fast so get yours well in advance (we recommend at least 1 year ahead of time).

Located on Maui’s south-central coastline, this scenic wetland area encompasses about 700 acres and is home to a variety of Hawaiian waterbirds including the black-necked stilt and Hawaiian coot. The Refuge is the site of habitat restoration projects as well as local environmental education, bird watching, photography, and other wildlife-oriented activities.

This scenic wetland area encompasses about 700 acres and is home to a variety of Hawaiian waterbirds

The Reserve was established in 1992 and is a natural basin for the 56-mile watershed in the West Maui Mountains. A boardwalk over ponded areas allows close-up viewing of native Hawaiian waterbird species as well as migratory waterbirds who come from as far away as Asia, Canada, and Alaska. The ponds were initially created by entrepreneurs beginning an aquaculture catfish venture which closed in 1995. Subsequently the ponds were restored by the Fishand Wildlife Service.

Need To Know

The public is allowed to visit the Reserve for wildlife observation from Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4 pm. Visitors are allowed access along the Kanuimanu Ponds levees providing a leisurely walk that will also accommodate wheelchairs though it is a bit bumpy. Mornings are best to avoid strong sun and winds. Due to the lack of shade it is recommended you bring sunglasses
sunscreen, and water.

Access

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve is located about one mile north of Kihei on Mokulele Hwy. (Hwy. 311) at the junction of Piilani Hwy. (Hwy. 31) & Mokulele Highway. Look for the entrance road at Milepost 6. Phone: 808-875-1582.

Remote and beautiful, this cool and misty high-country park provides wonderful mountain hikes through forests of cypress, ash, eucalyptus, sequoia, redwood, cedar, and pine trees with many scenic views. Located upland of Kula, Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area is set an an elevation of 6,200 feet and includes the ten acres of planned forest in the Kula Forest Reserve on the western slope of Haleakala Volcano. This whole area was extensively planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s as part of a Depression era work program.

This cool and misty high-country park provides wonderful mountain hikes through forests

Need To Know

Temperatures at Polipoli are usually about 20 degrees lower than at sea level so make sure and bring a good jacket and other clothing to stay warm, especially if you stay the night. Temperatures often dip below freezing at night during the winter months. Camping is allowed at Polipoli with a permit, and there is one cabin available for rent which sleep ten and has a wood stove although there is no electricity or drinking water and you need to bring your own bedding. Facilities at Polipoli include restrooms and picnic tables. Call 808-984-8109. For camping permits contact Maui District of Hawaii State Parks.

Access

From Kula follow Kekaulike Avenue (Hawai‘i 377) to Waipoli Road and drive up to the park.

Kaanapali is a posh resort area in West Maui.

Just a couple of miles up the coast from Lahaina is the posh resort area of Kaanapali with upscale high-rise hotels bordering a pristine, white-sand beach.

The waters offshore of Kaanapali Beach are a favorite swimming area for humpback whales which are often seen during the winter months breaching up from the sea and blowing up spouts of mist. The beach looks out across the Auau Channel also providing views of Lanai and Molokai.

Places To Stay

Kaanapali is the posh resort area with upscale high-rise hotels bordering a pristine, white-sand beach

Beachfront condos and hotels provide many accommodation choices. Major resort hotels include the Hyatt Regency Maui, Sheraton, Maui Marriott, Westin, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Royal Lahaina, and Maui Kaanapali Villas.

America’s Best Beach

Dividing Kaanapali Beach in two is Black Rock, Maui’s westernmost point. Snorkeling around the rock is fantastic, and thrill seekers also like to jump from the rock into the sea. In ancient times this rock was known as Kekaa and is said to have been a place where spirits departed to go their ancestral homelands. Kekaa means “The rumble,” and refers to the sounds produced by the rock during storms.

Kaanapali Activities

Adding to the luxurious setting of Kaanapali are two championship golf courses as well as dozens of tennis courts and even a 3,500-seat tennis stadium court at the Royal Lahaina Resort Tennis Ranch. Fronting the hotels are numerous swimming pools, and beach activities abound including sunbathing, windsurfing, parasailing, and ocean cruises. Plenty of shops and concessions are located nearby in case you are hungry or thirsty.

Nearby is the Whalers Village Shopping Center with lots of shopping opportunities as well as great places to eat. On the mezzanine level is the Whalers Village Museum displays various exhibits related to Maui’s whaling days from 1825 to 1860. Items on display at Whalers Village Museum include scrimshaw, harpoons, and whale models and the recreated forecastle of an actual whaling ship, and a 40-foot skeleton of a sperm whale hanging above the Museum’s entrance.

Access

Kaanapali is accessed by three different exits off the Honoapiilani Highway. Kaanapali is served by the small Kapalua-West Maui Airport.

Set in the shadow of the Haleakala Volcano and the West Maui Mountains, this lovely wildlife sanctuary in Kahului between the harbor and the airport was formerly a fishpond for the Hawaiian monarchy. According to legend the stone for the walls of Kanaha Pond were passed from hand-to-hand all the way to the site. Kanaha Pond now serves as an important breeding area for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds including the tall and pink-legged Hawaiian black-necked stilt, the brown koloa duck, and the white-billed Hawaiian coot. Migratory waterbirds such as Canadian geese also stop here during their annual journeys south each winter. In all more than 90 bird species are seen at Kanaha Pond including teals, wigeons, dowitchers, sandpipers, plovers and more.

Kanaha Pond now serves as an important breeding area for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds

History

Kanaha Pond is thought to have been built in the 1700s by the island’s ruler Kapiiohookalani to raise and fatten fish. The pond produced large quantities of mullet until the early 1900s though in the following decades the whole area was severely degraded by surrounding industries and development including the dredging of Kahului Harbor.Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary was formally designated as a bird refuge in 1951 and then became a registered national natural landmark in 1971.

Need To Know

Admission to the Pond is free. No swimming or fishing is allowed. Near the main gate to Kanaha Pond is a small birdwatching platform.

Access

Near Kahului Airport, take Amala Road which fronts the ocean near Kahului Harbor. Near the entrance gate to the Sanctuary is a small, paved parking lot. See map.

The Sugar Museum includes a gift shop, library, many artifacts and exhibits, and picnic areas

The museum also tells the story of sugar barons Samuel Alexander and Henry Baldwin including huge irrigation ditch projects and political battles involving the Hawaii’s sugarcane industry. Alexander & Baldwin was one of Hawaii’s “Big Five” companies that controlled virtually all of the sugarcane industry in the Hawaiian Islands.

Today they are still one of Hawaii’s biggest companies and own Matson Navigation as well as many real estate holdings. Across the street from the Sugar Museum is the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company sugar mill which opened in 1902 and at one time was the largest sugar mill in the world. The town of Puunene housed more than 10,000 sugarcane workers by 1930.

The Sugar Museum includes a gift shop, library, many artifacts and exhibits, and picnic areas. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. From February to April, and in July and August, the Museum is also open on Sundays. Call (808) 871-8058 for more information.

Access

Follow the Mokulele Hwy. (Hwy. 350) south from Kahului Harbor and then turn left on Hansen Road. You will see the Sugar Mill Museum on the right.

Hawaii Nature Center

The Hawaii Nature Center offers educational programs and hikes. Open daily from 10 to 4, the Nature Center (located within Iao Valley) features an Interactive Nature Museum with more than 30 hands-on exhibits about Hawaii’s plants, animals and natural history. A lookout atop the ridge has great views of the valley as well as Kahului Harbor.

Iao Needle

The 1,200-foot-tall Iao Needle stands at an elevation of 2,250 feet above sea level. Iao means “Cloud Supreme,” and ancient rituals were practiced at this prominent rock pinnacle in the sacred valley that was also the burial place of chiefs.

The impressive stone pillar of the Iao Needle is just one of the wonders of this historic valley

History

King Kamehameha won a famous battle in 1790 leading to the ruler’s ability to unite all of the Hawaiian Islands under a single ruler. The battle of Kamehameha’s forces against the Maui army began in Wailuku and proceeded deep into Iao Valley where the Maui army was prevented from escaping by the steep valley walls and a cliff at the head of the valley. Dead warriors from both sides were said to be so numerous they blocked the river and gave the battle its name, Battle of Kepaniwai (“The Water Dam”). Kamehameha was victorious and Maui came under his rule.

Access

Directions to Iao Valley State Park: Follow Kaahumanu Road (Hwy. 32) west from Wailuku where it turns into Hwy. 320 leading directly to the park.

King Kamehameha I’s sacred wife Queen Keopuolani was born at this site, and it was also the residence of Kahekili, a famous warrior who was also the last ruling chief of Maui. Pihanakalani was a luakini heiau where human sacrifices were performed, and the rising warrior who would become King Kamehameha came to Pihanakalani after a major battle and made an offering to his war god Ku.

Need To Know

The heiaus are now are listed on the State and National Registry of Historic Places. A 1/2-mile walk around the site takes about 20 minutes. These sites are among Maui’s most accessible cultural sites, which also provide great views of central Maui including Wailuku and Kahului. Halekii-Pihana State Monument is an important Hawaiian cultural site and should not be disrupted in any way. Please do not climb on or remove any stones. Admission if free. There are no facilities on the site.

Access

Directions to Halekii-Pihana State Monument: In the town of Wailuku take Waiehu Beach Road (Hwy. 340) to Kuhio Place and go left, then turn left onto Hea Place where you will see an entrance sign.

Lava rock and native woods including koa were used in the construction of the building

This was Maui’s first Hawaiian girls school and later it was the Baileys’ home. Now known as the Bailey House Museum, the site is run by the Maui Historical Society and also goes by the Hawaiian name Hale Hoikeike, meaning House of Display. Bailey House Museum displays a variety of missionary artifacts as well as Hawaiian artifacts and 19th century paintings by Edward Bailey. Historic gardens on the grounds contain native Hawaiian plants as well as plants typical of the missionary era. The Museum Gift Shop sells books and Hawaiian handicrafts.

Access

Bailey House Museum (808-244-3326) is located at 2375 Main Street in Wailuku and is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 to 4. From Kahului follow Kaahumanu Hwy. (Hwy. 32) west from Kahului toward Wailuku. The road becomes Hwy. 320 and you will see Bailey House Museum on the left just after Kehalani Parkway.

Description

This secluded Marine Preserve about 7 miles south of Wailea spans from La Perouse Bay to Ahihi Bay and includes great snorkeling and scuba diving areas featuring some of Maui’s clearest blue waters. The rocky shoreline gives way to underwater coral and lava formations that make for interesting exploring. No fishing is allowed, and you are not allowed to take any coral or other items from the area.

History

La Perouse Bay was created in 1790 by Haleakala Volcano when the lava flows formed the Cape Kinau Peninsula and changed the shape of Maui’s seacoast. La Perouse Bay was named in honor of a 1786 visit by the French admiral Jean Francois de La Perouse who, for King Louis XVI, commanded two 500-ton armed frigates, the Astrolabe and the Boussole. Perouse landed at the bay, then known by the Hawaiian name Kalepolepo, and exchanged gifts with the Hawaiians.

Lifegaurd

No. There is no lifeguard and no facilities in this area so remember to always use extreme caution in and around the ocean and never go in the water during times of high surf or rough water.

Need To Know

Limited roadside parking allows access to the beach. Water shoes are recommended due to the rocky seafloor. While this is an excellent snorkeling beach area it is not so good for swimming due to the lack of sand. The winds can get strong in the afternoon here so it is best to come early.

Access

Ahihi-Kinau Marine Preserve is located at the end of Makena Alanui Road in south Maui. Ahihi Bay is located about 1.5 miles south of the Maui Prince Hotel, and then another 2 miles south is La Perouse Bay.