North Face Honolulu HI

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Hawaii
Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Length: Round Trip: 1 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Trail Surface: Paved
Best Season: Year-Round
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Heavy

Description: The Earthquake (Waldron Ledge) Trail leads to a section of road that was cracked and destroyed in 1983 by a magnitude 6.6 Mauna Loa earthquake. Sights of interest on the trail are plants, birds, insects, cracks in the earth, views of Kilauea Caldera and Mauna Loa. This trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible on a paved surface.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Hawaii
Location: Haleakala National Park
Length: Round Trip: 0.3 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Best Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Heavy

Description: Leleiwi Overlook is reached by an easy .25 mile round trip trail. The views at the end of the trail encompass a colorful volcanic landscape of cinder cones within the Wilderness Area.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Hawaii
Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Length: Round Trip: 1 miles
Trail type: Loop
Best Season: Year-Round
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Moderate

Description: The Kipuka Puaulu Trail takes you on a stroll through an upland mesic forest oasis surrounded by more recent lava flows from Mauna Loa. This trail follows a gentle incline. Sights of interest along this trail are Kipuka, old-growth forest of koa and ‘ohi’a, birds and insects.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Hawaii
Location: Haleakala National Park
Length: One-Way: 8.4 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 0 feet
Maximum Elevation: 6380 feet
Elevation Change: 6960 feet
Best Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Most Difficult
Usage: Moderate

Description: The Kaupo Trail is an extremely challenging hike that leads southward from Paliku Campground to the small town of Kaupo on the Maui coast. From the top of Kaupo Gap, at Paliku cabin and campsite, the trail descends 6,100 feet in 8.4 miles. The hike begins at the top of Kaupo Gap near Paliku campsite (el. 6,380 feet). Steep switchbacks descend for 3.7 miles through native shrubland and mesic koa forest to the park boundary. The trail crosses onto private land at 3,880 feet. The trail turns into a jeep road and drops steeply for two miles. This stretch of the trail can be hot and treacherous. At about mile six, the trail turns left off of the jeep road and meanders steeply down through thickets of alien guava and christmas berry before reaching Kaupo Ranch (at mile 7.2 around 1,040 feet). The trail ends here. A jeep road continues 1.5 miles to the village of Kaupo. Kaupo Store is about eight miles away from the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park and about 16.3 miles from Hana. The trail can be extremely hot and there is very little shade or shelter. There is no water along this trail. Plan this trip carefully, logistics are difficult because at the end of the hike you will be at least a two-hour drive from where you started; no public transportation is available. For more information on planning this hike please speak with park staff. Caution: For the unprepared hiker, Kaupo Trail can be an experience in misery: blistered feet, tortured knees, intense sun or torrential rain and no available drinking water. The steep, rocky terrain in Kaupo Gap makes it essential that you be in good physical condition. Weak knees, bad backs and new boots are not compatible with this trail. You should bring a first aid kit that includes moleskin for treating potential blisters. Plan on carrying at least 1.5 quarts of water per person. Allowing extra time to rest and take in the scenery will make this a more enjoyable trip.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Hawaii
Location: Haleakala National Park
Length: Round Trip: 0.5 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Best Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Heavy

Description: The Pa Kaoao Trail is a short trail of less than 0.5 miles that leads to the top of Pa Kaoao, a small cinder cone. This is one of the highest vantage points in the park and this trail offers excellent views of the Wilderness Area. Stone shelters built by the early Hawaiians that explored Haleakala long ago are still visible from the trail.