by Stuart_Green

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Hiking

Moderate: 1-3 hours

Overview: A favorite Maui hike, yet for some people the drive to the trailhead alone is excitement enough. The journey along the Hana Highway is sixty miles of scenic but curvy coastal road reportedly featuring six hundred and twenty curves and many single bridges. If you relish your driving experiences then the Hana Highway alone is a "must-do".

The trail begins at the rugged and remote eastern Maui coastline, following the Pipiwai stream inland. Immediately you’ll be surrounded by dense jungle as you head towards a series of waterfalls each increasingly more impressive than the last. En route you'll cross bridges and streams, and negotiate an unforgettable boardwalk journey through a bamboo forest so tall and so dense that daylight struggles to penetrate. And since the Hawaiian islands are some of the wettest places on earth, you're sure to be impressed with the towering 400 foot wall of water at the end of the trail that is Waimoku Falls.

The most adventurous hikers will be tempted to cool off in the pool on the edge Makahiku Falls overlooking a 180 foot drop to the rocks below. We chose instead to visit the Oheo Pools near the trailhead where you can take a freshwater dip among smaller waterfalls and listen to the Pacific Ocean crash against the rocks nearby. Near the park entrance you'll also find a great interpretive center and buildings reconstructed to illustrate how native Hawaiians once lived.