Our trip to Hawaii included many grand plans to hike all around Maui but we were thwarted by a combination of bad weather (Haleakala) and cleanup from the remnants Hurricane Iselle that swept through Maui back in August 2014. Our original plan was to hike the forests in Polipoli State Park. Unfortunately the entire set of parks on the western flanks of Haleakala are closed due to downed trees. I didn’t figure this out until early in the morning before we were to leave for the hike. So we changed plans and decided to drive the “Road to Hana (aka Hell)” and on to the “Seven Sacred Pools”. At the pools there is a nice 4 mile hike up a canyon with a bamboo forest and it ends in a nice cascading waterfall.
The Road to Hana is not for the faint of heart. It’s 40+ miles of narrow winding roads with many sections squeezing into barely 1 lane along with numerous 1 lane bridges. The posted speed limit is 15MPH in many sections. It’s spectacularly lush as Hana is on the wet side of Maui and consistently gets loads of rain. There was a vague sign posting about road construction but it didn’t give much detail and we paid it no heed (much to our chagrin later…).
The Seven Sacred Pools (also referred to as Ohe’o Pools) are another 30 minutes beyond Hana on a bumpy 1.5 lane road. The pools are stacked in a staircase fashion and end up emptying right into the ocean. They are especially beautiful and if the conditions are right you are free to swim in a freshwater pool with a sweet view of the ocean. The hike starts right from the parking lot and is part of Haleakala National Park. We decided the pools could wait and set out for Waimoko Falls. The trail climbs moderately through the forest, we were completely over dressed in pants and we were sweltering after a few minutes and had to convert back to shorts. It was an atypical day for this side of Maui and it was hot with only a slight hint of the tradewinds through the forest. After the initial climb you get a few glimpses into the canyon that you will be following the entire time. It’s quite a steep drop into the canyon with many signs warning you to stay back to prevent a precipitous fall into the canyon.
About a 1.5 miles in the scenery changes dramatically. You cross a bridge and immediately enter a dense bamboo forest that nearly blots out the sky. It almost has the feel of a tunnel. Soon after you enter the forest the trail becomes a boardwalk and the bamboo forest appears even denser as the plants reach over 50 feet into the sky. It reminded me a lot of “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” with the lush and tall bamboo trees. I’ve seen patches of bamboo but never a forest of such magnitude it’s really unique or it was for me. The pictures don’t quite do it justice.
At about 2 miles you reach the end of the line Waimoko Falls a 400 ft waterfall that cascades nearly vertical down into the canyon. To reach the falls you do have to bypass a sign that suggests you don’t proceed (we saw numerous people walk by so we did the same). The last stream crossing could be very tricky and potentially dangerous if the water level is high. It hadn’t rained for a few days when we hiked so the water level was at a trickle. The falls unfortunately were also at a trickle due to the lack of rain. Your mileage may vary based on the recent rains. It’s still a very beautiful waterfall and well worth the 4 mile roundtrip hike.
At the end of the hike I felt the urge to clean up so I donned my swimsuit to swim in a “Sacred” pool. I had wanted to do the same 20 years ago when I was a wee young lad but my dad had insisted it wasn’t safe and we didn’t have the time. So I choose to strike one from my bucket list and swim in a tropical pool. I chose the closest deep pool which was a simple hop and a jump due to the low water levels. Be careful if it’s raining or just rained as the pools can rapidly flood and sweep you out to sea. The water was pleasantly warm and it was a great way to get rid of the gunk and grime.
After I toweled off we made the long drive back to Kihei on the Road to Hana. This is where it would have paid off to read the poor signage more closely. About halfway back the road was closed as in completely closed. The road was closed from 8pm until 530am the next morning. Our only option to get back that night was to attempt to drive the unpaved route around the southern tip of Maui. We decided to try the other road (which varies in description from “not bad” to “teeth rattling”) to see if we could make it back. This required a 1.5hr drive back to the Seven Sacred Pools before we even got to the southern route. After about 3 miles south of the Pools the road becomes a complete mess of potholes and quickly slims down to barely a lane wide. After about 2 minutes of being shook to pieces we regained our senses and decided to “camp” in the car back at the park. So we spent a restless night sleeping in our fantastic Chevy Sonic. Thankfully we had extra food and water from hiking. In the end it was an all day adventure: driving, hiking, swimming, and an unexpected gift of car camping. Lesson learned – read Hawaiian road signs very very carefully.
Distance: 3.8 miles
Elevation: 700 feet