Hike Maui: The Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park was AMAZING!To hike Maui with a guide, find tours, rates, and bookings on the "Barefoot Tours" site. (Link will open in new window.)We wanted to hike Maui and the Pipiwai Trail in the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park was the perfect place to experience hiking in Maui for the very first time! This Kipahulu area hike would be a full day 4.5 mile guided trek - it took us through some of the most beautiful and magical scenery we have ever seen! And, to make this perfect hike along the Haleakala National Park Pipiwai Trail even better, we had the most amazing hiking companion EVER! But I'll get to that in a minute.... We met our Hike Maui guide in central Maui early in the morning, and were excited to get going on this adventure. We had a 2 hour drive ahead of us, but since our guide was doing the driving, we could sit back, relax, and enjoy the Maui scenery! What was the best thing about this drive? We were being taken on a country road through south east Maui that was BANNED by the rental car companies and were therefore getting a look at a part of the island that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. (This route is also commonly referred to as "driving the southern route to Hana"... click here to read more...) At last, we made it to the end of the road and the Pipiwai Trail head for our hiking adventure! We couldn't wait to hike Maui here in the beautiful Kipahulu region of Haleakala National Park! Didn't Expect to See THIS in the Jungle...
To our surprise, we ended up hiking through a pasture that bordered the jungle - luckily this cow didn't seem to mind our presence!Near the pasture here, there were some wild fruits that our guide picked for us - this made for a delightful snack! We eventually made our way to a mountain stream, where we got to swim to a hidden waterfall. Out of all the things we'd see and do on our Pipiwai Trail hike in Haleakala National Park, this was the thing I'd been looking forward to the MOST! First, though, we had to stash our backpacks somewhere safe so that they couldn't be stolen during our swim. Where did our guide suggest that we hide them? In a hidden lava tube! How cool is THAT? We had to climb a bit to get to it, but it was all part of the fun! The fantasy...My husband and I would lazily swim up the WARM river to a hidden Maui waterfall... how romantic! Then we'd swim and relax in the pool below the waterfall... Ahhh... life doesn't get any better than this! and... The reality...The water was ICE COLD!! I suppose I should have guessed that the water would be cold, since it WAS flowing down a mountain after all! And, did I mention the risk of flash floods? Yup, you heard correctly! Our guide warned us that it would be a good idea to plan an escape route up the vine-covered cliffs just in case! She said the risk was low today, but you can't be too careful! I now had images swirling in my brain of a flash flood washing us down the river and over that ginormous waterfall behind us!! EEK!! So... We plunged into the icy water... Swam as FAST as we could to the hidden waterfall... Took a quick look around... Then headed back down the river to get changed into some warm, dry clothes! Don't get me wrong, this was still a totally cool experience, but just not in the way I'd envisioned it! Flash Flood VideoSince I mentioned the risk of flash floods, I thought you might be interested in seeing what one can actually look like: The Bamboo Forest Along the Pipiwai Trail Was Amazing!After getting changed into dry clothes, we continued up the Haleakala National Park Pipiwai Trail heading towards the bamboo forest. When we got there, it was incredible! And to my delight, the bamboo forest seemed to go on forever! We were happy to have our knowledgeable Hike Maui guide with us. She told us a lot about the history of the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park that we were hiking in, identified various native plants and trees, and, my favourite, since I LOVE to eat, found us edible wild fruits along the way! Waimoku Falls In Haleakala National Park...
Haleakala National Park's Pipiwai Trail ended at the 400' Waimoku Falls. When we arrived, we found a comfortable seat on the rocks, and enjoyed a nice rest as we ate our picnic lunch. I didn't think a hike Maui experience could get any better than this!On the way back, we enjoyed more of the lush scenery, taking pictures along the way of course! The Most Amazing Hiking Companion Ever!Are you still wondering about our most AMAZING HIKING COMPANION EVER? Well here's the story. When we met our guide early that morning, we were totally shocked when we saw the other hiker who had signed up for this hike in Maui. He was an elderly gentleman who was BLIND!! When we saw him, we assumed that he would slow down our hike, and have difficulty with the trail. Well, we couldn't have been more WRONG! As it turned out, this blind, elderly gentleman was a phenomenal hiker who had no difficulty whatsoever keeping up with us on the trail. He kept one hand on our guide's backpack for guidance, and hiked the Haleakala National Park Pipiwai Trail better than most sighted people would! Who would have thought that a blind man in his late sixties would be able to go on this full day hike Maui adventure over rough terrain, in the jungle, seemingly effortlessly! This man completely wow'd me! This trek with Hike Maui along the Pipiwai Trail in the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park was truly our favourite out of any of our previous (much shorter) hikes on the island. Not only did we see some phenomenal sights, but our companions along the way were wonderful too! What more could you ask for if you wanted to hike Maui? Does This Sound Like Something YOU'D Like to Do?If so, I highly recommend that you check out Hike Maui's "Hana Full Day Waterfall/Rainforest Hike on the Barefoot Tours site." (Link will open in new window.) Barefoot Tours will have all the information you'll need on pricing, reservations etc. There are several reasons why I feel comfortable recommending the Barefoot Tours site:
More on why I recommend Barefoot Tours for your Maui, Hawaii activities bookings... You may also be interested in checking out the reviews of Hike Maui on TripAdvisor... More articles of interest: 1) You may also be interested in reading about more things to do and places to stay in the Hana area. (If you end up hiking the Pipiwai Trail, you'll be very close to the town of Hana... might as well check out more of the area while you're there, right?) 2) For more Maui adventure ideas and stories, check out our top 10 things to do in Maui for adventure! Go to Homepage from Hiking Maui: The Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
Now THIS is where reality SEVERELY departed from my fantasy of the way things should be...
