Hiking the Lahaina-Pali Trail in Maui

Info on this trail conflicts wildly in the web. Here is the latest info as of December, 2012.

This is an excellent hiking choice for a cloudy day on Maui - if it's not nice enough for the beach, it's a great day for THIS hike! Overcast skies are certainly welcome here.....

Trail head entrances

  The first trail head is at (about) mile marker 11 on the Lahaina side of Hwy. 30 (just north of the tunnel), which is a good sized shaded parking lot, and even has handicapped parking (WTF?).

  I recommend hiking from the Pali (Kihei) end of the trail, so you can reward yourself with an ocean swim at the end. That trail head is just past the parking lot at about mile marker 5 on the Maalea side. The entrance to it is on the southbound side of Hwy. 30,  just south of where N. Kihei Road ends. Stay in the right lane, go slow, and look for the little brown trail sign with yellow letters. Pull into the dirt road slowly and stop. You have to open a gate, pull thru, and close the gate to get in, then drive up just a bit to the parking lot.

  If you have a small or low car, go VERY slow or it will bottom out on this "road". The parking lot is a little tricky to find. As you come up the dirt road you reach an intersection that looks like it just goes left and right, go AHEAD up to the locked gate, and then make a left before the gate. The lot is up a bit on the right, and the trail head is right there.

Trail Details

Plan on going in the morning, before it gets too hot. This is a very dry trail, with no shade - but it's not too long, so 2 small bottles of water should be enough. The mile markers seem wildly inaccurate, so I have no idea of the trail's actual length. Although most guides say this is a 4 hour hike, I made it easily in a little over 3 hours - and I'm middle-aged and took my time, including a short lunch break. I had someone pick me up on the Lahaina side, after taking in an ocean dip.

Wear a bathing suit under your clothes. Sneakers will do for this hike, but boots are preferred and a hiking stick is highly recommended. Bring a windbreaker, it can get chilly up on there with the breeze blowing. Don't forget a beach towel and sunscreen!

From either end, the trail is rough going for the first mile or so, as it is very steep and rocky. Take your time to catch your breath and enjoy the views. After the first mile or so, it gets easier. As you approach the windmills, remove your hat and put it away (if you are wearing one), or it will blow right out to sea!

As you approach the Lahaina end of the trail you can see the old Lahaina road as you look down to the incredibly blue ocean. The closer you get, the better that ocean looks. You did wear a bathing suit, right?

You will find numerous markers with numbers on them on the trail, besides the mile markers. Before you leave, print out the guide from this link (http://mauiguidebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Tales_From_The_Trail.pdf) . It explains what the markers are pointing out. Wish I had done that!

As always, please don't litter or go off the trail. Enjoy!

Mick Seeley