The Guide · Hikes
Boots on: the hikes that earn their miles.
One great half-day hike, one dramatic coastal walk, and a handful of short legs — the road is a driving day with hiking punctuation.
The headliner: Pipiwai Trail
Four miles round trip inside the national park (MM 42, Rt 31; the $30 vehicle pass covers it): the Makahiku overlook, a century-old banyan, the bamboo cathedral, and 400-foot Waimoku Falls as the finale. Two to three hours, muddy after rain — which is often — and flatly the best hike on the route. Real shoes, stay on the boardwalk, admire the falls from the viewing area.
The coastal walk: Waiʻanapanapa
Inside your reservation window, the shoreline trail out of the black sand beach runs along lava cliffs, past blowholes and sea arches, with the ocean detonating below — dramatic scenery per step that rivals anything on the island. Go as far as time allows and turn around; even twenty minutes out-and-back earns the postcard.
The short legs
Twin Falls is a flat family stroll. Keʻanae is a wander, not a hike. The Garden of Eden is paths with handrails and peacocks. That’s the honest inventory — the road is a driving day with walking breaks, and stringing the two real hikes above into one trip means either the overnight in Hana or very disciplined clock management.
Keep planning
- Pipiwai Trail — the full guide →
- The coastal trail + reservation →
- The waterfalls, ranked →
- All the guides →
Written and shot on the route by Shane Perry, Maui resident.
Straight answers
Take the whole plan with you.
The Glovebox Copy — every stop, marker, and fee on printable paper. Free.