Pipiwai Trail at Haleakala National Park in Maui, Hawaii

I know it's odd to start off a blog about hiking the nw with a hike in Hawaii, but I don't want to neglect other beautiful hikes we encounter outside the nw. Plus with the craziness of the last month, it's our most recent hike, and too fantastic to pass up blogging about. Please note that since this was before I had even considered starting a blog, it is lacking on the more specific details that I will be accumulating and providing with future hikes.

We spent 12 {GLORIOUS} days in Maui over Christmas break. It was the most relaxing vacation we've ever been on as a family. Every morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, packed a lunch, and headed to the beach for the rest of the day. Ahhhhh- it was heavenly to be outdoors all day, every day. We did take a break from the beach one day, and instead tackled the long "Road to Hana". We decided to follow the back roads, which were just as long and windy {don't forget your motion sickness meds!}, but infinitely more beautiful. After the 2 1/2 hour drive, we finally arrived, stretched our legs, then perused the park store a bit before charging up the Pipiwai Trail. This trail is 4 miles round trip, and ends at the spectacular 400 ft. Waimoku Falls. On the way, we encountered a huge prehistoric looking banyan tree, overgrown stone stairways, breathtaking viewpoints, bridges, boardwalks, lush greenery, multiple waterfalls, creek crossings, a pool cove {wish we'd been able to swim around in there}, and my personal favorite- a dense bamboo forest. We took our time on the trail, enjoying every aspect of it, and breaking for lunch at the top. There was so much variety on the trail to keep everyone enthralled, that the despite the 2 mile up hill climb, our children never tired or even asked to slow down. This was one of the best hikes I've ever been on, and was easily worth those long windy roads to get there.


Total Distance: 4 miles
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Dirt, gravel, boardwalk, rocky, creek crossing
Trail Elevation: Gradual incline there, gradual decline return
Atmosphere: Secluded, water roaring
View: Trees, bamboo, creek, waterfalls, valley, ocean
Extras: Bamboo forest, picnic at 400 ft waterfall

Difficulty: Moderate
My Rating: *****
Kid Ratings: *****;*****;*****