Waimoku Falls

Waimoku Falls is a majestic 400ft tall waterfall situated at the head of Ohe'o Gulch.

During our first trip back in September 2003, I remembered approaching the waterfall and having a lady (who was walking the other way) smile broadly and tell me that it was a spiritual experience. And when Julie and I first laid eyes on it, we were oo-ing and ah-ing, especially after seeing how most of the waterfalls on this side of the island had either low flow or were diminutive in size. In fact, I believe this is probably the tallest legitimate waterfall that you can see without a helicopter.

But in addition to the falls making for the ultimate reward of a 4-mile Pipiwai Trail hike, this trail had so much more to offer. In addition to the other Oheo Gulch Waterfalls, there was also a long section of an eerie bamboo forest where sometimes the grove was thick enough to block out most of the sunlight. There were also mysterious knocking sounds (I still couldn't figure out if there were bamboo trunks knocking on each other with the tradewinds or what) as we meandered through the grove.

And there was even a big banyan tree a short distance past Makahiku Falls.

Indeed, this was probably our favorite waterfall in Hawaii, and the overall experience on this trail made it an excellent way for us to spend a whole afternoon (note: it took us around 2.5 hours of walking round trip, but that doesn't include photos and just chilling out).

Finally, we have one last note about Waimoku Falls.

The boulders strewn about the base of the falls appeared to be evidence of the constant danger of rock falls. That probably explained why not many people wanted to swim here (or maybe the Lower Pools were better swimming holes). But given the potential for such rock falls, I certainly hope this trail doesn't close permanently the way the Sacred Falls trail on O'ahu did.

The Pipiwai Trail starts just across Hwy 31 from the car park for the Lower Pools, and then heads east just past the 42-mile post alongside Hwy 31. The trail then climbs 650ft while following the Pipiwai Stream. On all of our visits here, there was always the scent of guava filling the humid air.

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TRIP REPORTS

• September 3, 2003
• February 23, 2007

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Makahiku Falls
• Lower Pools of Oheo
• Wailua Falls
• Other Hana Highway Waterfalls
• Other Oheo Gulch Waterfalls

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