About Waimoku Falls
Waimoku Falls is a majestic said-to-be 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 with such reverence and awe that I knew it had to be special.
And when Julie and I first laid eyes on it, we were ooh-ing and ah-ing, especially after seeing how most of the waterfalls on this side of the island had either low typical flow or were diminutive in size.
In fact, I believe this is probably the tallest legitimate waterfall on the Hawaiian Islands outside of Akaka Falls that you can see without a helicopter.
But in addition to the falls making for the ultimate reward of a 4-mile round trip Pipiwai Trail hike, this trail had so much more to offer.
In addition to the other waterfalls in the Oheo Gulch, there was also a long section of an eerie bamboo forest as well as swimming holes (when the conditions are calm, of course).
We even encountered a banyan tree mid way through the whole trail.
Julie and I agree that this is probably our favorite waterfall in the Hawaiian Islands (see our Top 10 Hawaii Waterfalls List).
The journey to get there just has that diversity of attractions and diversions in addition to one of the best of the most accessible waterfalls to be found.
Below, we give a words-eye view of how we experienced the out-and-back Pipiwai Trail.
Starting on the Pipiwai Trail
From the well-signed and large car park area (which requires a National Parks fee and can still be full if you’re not here early enough), we had to cross the Hwy 31 then walk east (back in the direction of Hana) towards the actual signposted Trailhead for the Pipiwai Trail.
This trail was just past the 42-mile post alongside Hwy 31 (see directions below).
Next, the trail headed inland (the sign indicated it was 1.8 miles one-way to the falls at this point) as it meandered gradually uphill high up alongside the Pipiwai Stream.
In the Summer, I recalled the scent of guava filling the air as I suspected that was when the fruits ripened and fell from the trees to allow the wildlife (including the insects) to get at the sweet nectars.
At roughly a half-mile into the hike, we were at the overlook for Makahiku Falls. We devoted a separate page for it because we have a bit more to say about this waterfall.
Beyond the falls, the trail went through a gate flanked by a long fence.
I believe the intent of this fence was to keep out pests (i.e. introduced species like domestic animals, wild boar, and goats, etc.) threatening to eat away at the native vegetation that remains in the National Park.
So please leave the gate closed as you pass through them.
I recalled the trail could get confusing here as there were a plethora of false trails. However, I believe they all tended to head in the same direction.
At the end of this little interlude, the trail then passes before a large banyan tree. I’m not sure if it was native or if someone planted it here, but it made for a good landmark to help keep us oriented as we were continuing with the hike.
The Bamboo Forest
Next, there was a fork in the trail where a sign indicated “Stream Overlook.”
It wasn’t necessary to take this fork to get to Waimoku Falls, but we talk more about the falls here as well as another one that seemed to spill over a dilapidated manmade wall further along the Pipiwai Trail on a separate page.
Eventually, the trail then hit a series of bridges crossing high up above the Pipiwai Stream. There were more waterfalls tumbling below these bridges, and it made for another interesting break in scenery on this hike.
Beyond the bridges was the bamboo forest. This forest was particularly memorable because I swore there were times 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 trade winds or what) as we meandered through the grove.
In some of the muddier sections, the park service put in boardwalks to ensure the walking remained as easy as possible.
Eventually, after the bamboo forest ended, Waimoku Falls (as well as some surprise smaller waterfalls high up the cliffs) could be seen above the trees.
The Base of Waimoku Falls
I recalled there were some stream crossings we had to negotiate in order to get right up to the base of the falls.
Depending on how much the falls would be flowing, some of these stream crossings could get your feet wet (and maybe as high as knee-deep or thigh-deep in high flow; as it was in our 2007 visit).
While the trail ultimately went right to the very bottom of Waimoku Falls, we do have to warn that the presence of boulders strewn about everywhere seemed to suggest the everpresent danger of rock falls.
As the tragedy at Sacred Falls on Oahu could attest, this would be a threat to take very seriously.
Thus, swimming here and lingering close to the cliffs beneath the falls would incur quite a bit of risk.
Finally, to give you an idea of how much time to budget for this excursion (especially since the Hana Highway is so full of diversions to eat away at all the time you have in a day), the last time Julie and I did this trail in 2007, it took us around 2.5 hours round trip to do the whole hike plus take photos.
Since it was raining at the time, we didn’t linger for long or spend much time at the other side attractions. Otherwise, we could’ve easily spend 3-4 hours here!
If you add this amount of time with the time spent checking out the Lower Pools of ‘Ohe’o, then it’s not hard to see how even making a beeline for Oheo Gulch from the resorts in West or South Maui and back could easily consume an entire day!
Therefore, something that might be worth a consideration (though it’s a far cry from the luxury you may be accustomed to in leeward Maui) is to spend a night in laid back and sleepy Hana town.
We did just that on our 2007 trip and found the entire Hana Highway and Kipahulu experience to be far more relaxing than to fit it all in a day.
Authorities
Waimoku Falls resides in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui, Hawaii. It is administered by the National Park Service. For information or inquiries about the park as well as current conditions, visit their website.
The car park for the Pipiwai Trail is the same as that of the Lower Pools of ‘Ohe’o so see that page for detailed driving directions.
As mentioned earlier, this car park can get pretty busy, especially on a good weather day. So an early start could certainly reduce the likelihood and stress of such a circumstance.
For a bit of context, we generally stay on the west side of Maui in either Lahaina or Ka’anapali. The drive from say Lahaina would require us to take Route 30 to Route 380 (taking roughly an hour without traffic). Once we’re near the town of Pa’ia, we’d then be on Hwy 36 (becoming the Road to Hana or Hwy 360). Getting to Hana would take at least 2 hours drive (45 miles) east of Pa’ia. It would take another half-hour to continue driving 10 miles to ‘Oheo Gulch.
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