Kipahulu and Oheo Gulch - The End of the Road

Photo: PhotoSurch, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Maui: The Road to Hana, a free self-guided tour.

You have reached the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park, where the mountain's rainforest runs all the way down to the sea. The star attraction is Oheo Gulch, a series of tiered pools and waterfalls where the stream tumbles into the ocean.

You may hear these called the Seven Sacred Pools. That name was a tourism invention from the mid-1900s. There are more than seven pools, and they were not considered especially sacred. Oheo is the proper Hawaiian name.

A short loop trail from the visitor center leads down to the pools. For a bigger adventure, the Pipiwai Trail climbs about two miles each way, past a giant banyan tree and through a towering bamboo forest, to Waimoku Falls, which drops about 400 feet down a lava cliff.

Swimming in the pools is often closed because of flash floods and rockfall, so check the park's notices. Water can surge suddenly here even on a sunny day. Rest, then turn back toward Hana while the daylight lasts.

Getting here: Continue south on Route 31 about 3 miles from Wailua Falls. The Kipahulu entrance to Haleakala National Park is on the ocean side; park at the visitor center lot.

Did you know?: Aviator Charles Lindbergh spent his last days near here and is buried at Palapala Hoomau Church, just past the park.

Photo op: From the Kuloa Point loop trail, frame the pools stepping down toward the ocean with the highway bridge above them.

Nearby: National park visitor center with restrooms and drinking water, plus a campground. Park entrance fees apply; check the National Park Service website.

More on Wikipedia: Haleakala National Park · Kipahulu, Hawaii · Charles Lindbergh

Kipahulu and Oheo Gulch - The End of the Road

Stops on this tour