Hiking the Pipiwai Trail to the bamboo forest including the Seven Sacred Pools is an absolute must adventure when you visit Maui! This post shares what to bring, what to expect, with the most spectacular photos of every step along the entire way!

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Road to Hana Day 3 – hiking the incredible Pipiwai Trail to the bamboo forest and 7 Sacred Pools

 

For years… YEARS, I had envisioned walking the Pipiwai trail, however the mere thought of it flat out frightened me.

From the reading I did, it sounded so aggressive. 2.5ish hours in? One way? Uphill? Crazy talk, we’re on vacation after all.

However, once my sister Wendy encouraged me, I covered all those ‘gruelling details with a disclaimer… “Let’s just see how we do…” It gave us permission to at least try rather than say no way.

All I can say is, I am so grateful for all my bike trail rides because every leg muscle I owned was needed and then some!

However, it was one of those experiences you will never forget, in a very good way.

Visit the entire Road to Hana Series
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If you’re new here, you may wish to read these first…

Road to Hana Day 1 with tips

Road to Hana Day 2 – our quaint cottage stay

Road to Hana Day 3 – you are here! Let’s hike.
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So… we left off with having a wonderful, relaxing night at our jungle cottage in Nahiku. Being that we were near the Pipiwai Trail in the morning at this point, we didn’t have to fight the roads with much traffic nor was parking an issue at all since we got there first thing.

To get to this area was a little intense. It’s a beautiful paved drive to and through Hana, however after Hana, the road really narrows and it feels like FOREVER. Maybe because we were so anxious?

All I can say is, once we reached the main parking lot, I was SO GRATEFUL to get out and walk.

I just didn’t have any idea what exactly that meant yet…

Entry to the Pipiwai Trail

 

The Pipiwai Trail and 7 Sacred Pools share the same parking lot, which is so convenient! You pay to park, then cross the road to go up towards the Pipiwai Trail towards the bamboo forest, then cross the road to go down to the 7 Sacred Pools.

Sounds easy enough, right? Heh.

When we asked for advice on which one to do first, and the guide suggested we do the Pipiwai Trail to ‘get it out of the way’, it confirmed that we were indeed heading for ‘quite the adventure.’

The above photo shows what the trail looks like once we crossed the main road, then embarked into the first leg of the Pipiwai trail entry, with the footing basically dirt covered roots.

There is an entrance fee which includes parking and combines the Pipiwai Trail and Seven Sacred Pools.

 

More on Pipiwai Trail

 

Mile marker #42 along the Hana Highway (after Hana town, mile markers count back down)

Phone: 808-572-4400

You will pay an entrance fee for both Pipiwai Trail and parking at the parking lot. Bring a credit card.

Learn more from their government website HERE

 

Conditions to expect on this hike

 

Incline-wise 

 

The hike is pretty much mostly uphill going in, although it levels out here and there along the way. You will have moments to catch your breath going in. 

Foot-wise

 

Various pathways are ever changing from rocks, roots, flat packed dirt and finally a planked boardwalk walkway at the end. This is not a wheelchair friendly walk whatsoever.

Overhead

 

You will venture through open fields in direct sun, walk through shaded meadow-type trees, enter a shady bamboo forest, then at the end, enter the most epic, shady and cool rainforest area ever.

And changing scenery that is hard to beat!

 

The best time to do this hike

 

• a morning hike would be best / less people / lots of parking
• do it in all daylight
• take the hike on a sunny day (to avoid any flash floods and slipping on mud)

I suggest to start this hike in the morning if you can swing it. There was lots of room for parking and not many people on the roads nor on the trail since most venture through this trail in the afternoon after the long Hana drive.

Make sure dark doesn’t approach while still on this hike. The footing is very bumpy and would be a total tripping hazard in the dark. Plus you’d miss the views!

Choose a dry day if you can. I couldn’t imagine walking on what we did with the potential of mud and flash-flooding.

How long the hike takes

 

Round trip, I’d allow 4 hours during daylight for this hike.

We took 2.5 hours to go up, and 1 hour to come back down = 3.5 hours. That included a little break in between at the falls after the bamboo forest walk.

I’d say we were both beginner to intermediate fitness level being generally active. We took our time and didn’t hustle although we were steady.

Some take all day when going with guides that include swimming. So time will greatly vary depending what you do.

What gear to bring

 

Have your hands free if you can. I wore my camera bag and carried a bottle of water. Many wore backpacks however I didn’t want the added weight. My sister Wendy wore a shoulder strap small bag that held her camera AND water which was the best thing ever.

Bring extra water. I had 1 water bottle. 2 would have been nice.

Pack along some protein bars or ?. I carried beef jerky purchased from their onsite store.

Bring a lunch or snack to reward yourself with at the final destination if you don’t mind carrying it. You will need the rest and quite frankly, the view will blow your mind!

Wear good supportive quality walking shoes or hiking boots. I don’t recommend flip flops but if you risk it, at least get quality flip flops.

Since we walked on a hot day, we didn’t require any rain jacket nor lightweight windbreaker.

Sunglasses could be good too.

Bug repellent is a must. 

A small lightweight backpack or cross body travel bag to carry your water.

Pack a quality point and shoot travel camera. My past Canon cost around $800 Canadian and found it took way nicer pictures than a phone will. Just get a good one.

Tip: For the entire Road to Hana trip, we carried a very large cooler and big jugs of water in our vehicle and kept topping up our personal water bottles during this entire adventure.

Fitness level required

 

Be a relatively fit hiker. There are LOTS of stairs. This trail is not wheelchair accessible at all.

And be steady on your feet with good balance. There is LOTS of uneven footing. 

Consider some walking poles like THESE.

Early in the hike – stairs

 

Right off the bat, we came upon rock stairs.

And then more stairs. And then those stairs curved into more stairs.

Oh my. Is this a stair-filled hike?!

At least we were super fortunate to have a beautiful, dry day.

Mid range – path levels out

 

And just when I didn’t think I could climb even one more step, the path levels out and offers  a beautiful flat walk through the tallest grassy area. It felt like we were walking through a meadow!

This was the hottest part of the walk. The heat really beats down on you since there’s no overhead shade, leaving you drenched from every single pore.

I reasoned I’d better ration my water sooner than later.

The ground turns to uneven roots

 

And then THIS. Crazy beautiful root-filled trail with plenty of shade. However, effort was required.

The roots really made footing tricky. Especially when you get tired. You just really have to remain mindful where you are stepping.

However the shade was such a great relief.

The surroundings were so beautiful, like walking through this winding meadow in some foreign land. (ok, I guess that’s where we were).

However the challenging roots really made you stop walking in order to appreciate where you were. That’s a good thing.

This was actually such a lovely part of the trail. I had NO idea how many groves of trees we’d embark on. It was like walking into a new little valley because all the trees were the same, then you’d exit that valley only to enter another realm.

Approaching the famous banyan tree

 

And then there she was… the famous Pipiwai Trail banyan tree. It was pretty spectacular.

When you reach landmarks you read about, you know you’re on the right track.

This ‘meadow type walk’ went on for about an hour and a half.

View of the approaching bamboo forest

 

Along the way, there were so many places where you can overlook the cliffs and bamboo forests surrounding you. Stunning!

The view above is the top of a bamboo forest.

It was then I started to feel the excitement build…

Entry into the bamboo forest

Then BOOM! The entry to the bamboo forest at your service!

A bridge guides you right into it, instantly changing the world around you.

View of a Sacred Pool from the bridge

 

This was the view from the bridge. It’s said to be part of the 7 Sacred Pools. With two waterfalls, the sights and sounds are just stunning!

The start of the bamboo forest

 

And then we were inside the start of the promised bamboo forest! It’s real!

Giddy to finally be here, we dashed right over to a bunch of bamboo to take pictures!

A rocky path to start

 

However… the path turned to rocks. All the places showed planked walkways. What’s with the rocks?!

I was hoping the planks would come soon. Because I wanted to look at the forest, not my feet.

Although the rocks went on and on and on, the hike really was so spectacular. There was no wind so we didn’t hear the bamboo clink against each other, however I’ve heard it sounds like wind chimes when it does.

Can you imagine trying to walk all this in wet conditions? I can’t even… definitely do this hike when it’s dry, folks!

And just when I found myself verbally complaining about said rocks…

Flat planks through the bamboo forest

 

… the planks appeared! 

Oh thank goodness, what a breath of fresh air.

It looked as if they were updating a previous pathway to these newer improved planks. How in the world did they even haul this stuff up here?!

The sound of the bamboo forest

 

During this hike, we didn’t get even a breeze, so we didn’t get to listen to the iconic sound of the bamboo bonking against each other. However during a future trip, I did this hike again and got the full effect. The bamboo during wind sounds like clinking wooden wind chimes. It’s spectacular!

On a non windy day, you hear wildlife, birds, and the rustling of bamboo leaves. Still exquisite.

Just insert whatever magical word you’d like to right here because we said them all. Such a stunning, surreal walk. It was hard to believe you were in a jungle. It really felt like a pace through a Disneyland attraction.

The bamboo walk went on for about another hour which was so cool. I didn’t want this part to end. I mean, we worked so hard to get here.

I had read there was a waterfall at the end of the bamboo trail, so hey, we came this far, by golly we are gonna do it all! Honestly, once you get to the flat path, you’re pretty much homefree.

And then, just like that…

The jungle end of the path

 

… the bamboo forest overhead ended and we entered this deep jungle walk.

My goodness. I honestly think this area was my all time fav part. True jungle right here, planked for your tired-walking convenience.

I will never forget the feeling I felt in this movie-like setting. It was like we entered Avatar.

Crossing a creek using stones

 

We eventually came to a creek that needed to be crossed if we wished to get a little closer to the falls.

Everyone else appeared to carefully walked on top of the stones to stay dry without issue.

Then what do I do? PLUNGE right in 2nd step!

Fabulous. Just fabulous. My other pair of shoes were back in the car 2.5 hours away.

Oh well. My feet certainly wouldn’t sweat on the way back now, would they?

Just a tiny bit more…

The end of the Pipiwai Trail at the falls

 

And we were there! This is the safe of the path. Some were walking past the warning signs that mentioned fatalities from potential rocks falling from the falls, so we played it safe and stayed put. Plus we were too tired to even try.

The setting was just so surreal. This is the part where I wish we had a packed lunch with us. However, not carrying extra weight was appreciated. My beef jerky sufficed just fine.

A view of Waimoku Falls, Maui

 

WE MADE IT!

Welcome to Jurassic Park. Or Gilligan’s Island. Or just paradise will do.

Do Not Pass Sign at the falls

 

This is the official end of the trail. SUCH a highlight!

And of course we both had to do the mandatory DIE shot before the Do Not Pass This Point sign.

Just know, when laying on a rock feels good, you know you’re done for the day.

On the way back

 

However… now we got to do it alllllll over again on the way back.

The bonus? We got spectacular views x2.

Going back was pretty much going downhill all the way and was SO much easier. We no longer broke into any sweat, and we were down from top to bottom in 1 hour vs. 2.5 going up!

It was rather funny… those that were climbing up were huffing and puffing just like we were. Those going down wore big effortless smiles. Big difference.

Once we reached the bottom, we crossed the road and followed the paths down to the 7 Sacred Pools.

Apparently back in the day, you could drive down to them, however the area now consists of walking paths and fences to keep you safe.

Visiting the Seven Sacred Pools

 

The walk down to the pools was relatively easy with lots of twists and turns, however we were very tired so every step kinda felt like a lot still. But this is an iconic stop so it’s a must add-on.

Once we reached the bottom, what a spectacular coastline view it was!

I don’t even remember getting here. All I remember was being completely numb from tired and encouraging each. and. every. step. more.

However, the added effort was so worth it. Lava hills line the coast topped with tropical vegetation along with the sounds of crashing waves.

A distant view of the Seven Sacred Pools

 

The walking paths took us down towards the ocean to a lookout where you could spin inland to see the pools. Then choose a looping trail to walk back up along the ravine.

Time to get a little closer. I just thought this was a pretty view. You can see two waterfalls from here.

And then…

Seven Sacred Pools view

 

… the big reward.

This money shot of a waterfall underneath a bridge pouring into one of the Seven Sacred Pools is magnificent! The view took my breath away.

The perfect ending to a most incredibly perfect day!

The day wasn’t quite over yet. We still had the 3+ish hour drive  back to Kihei as we didn’t stay another night in the area. Honestly? I’d suggest to stay another night after this hike and enjoy the rest of Hana,  It was so hard to drive back being this tired. I just can’t even imagine driving to Hana and back including this trail in one day. You just wouldn’t see nearly as much as we did!

Read all 3 parts of the Hana series HERE

We then stopped to gas up in Hana then toured down Nahiku Road which was slated to be amazing, which it was! Very jungle like. However if we wanted to get home before nightfall, we had to get in some serious milage fast. So we drove straight through after that.

And I must have been tired, because I was actually looking forward to driving that crazy road all the way back! Any excuse to sit…

Summary of this adventure

 

In all, the Pipiwai Hike through the bamboo forest a must-do worthwhile adventure, however the only thing we could have done differently to make it truly epic would have been to stay at least 2 nights.

It would have been lovely to head back to Hana for lunch, then to a beach, then an early night in our incredible jungle cottage haven, and start back home the next day totally refreshed. And maybe catch a few things on the way back we missed.

Next time. Update: Which is exactly what I did in another future trip I’ve yet to share, and I was right, it was perfection!

Have you hiked the Pipiwai Trail? What did you think?
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Read all 3 parts of the Hana series HERE

Read about all our other Maui adventures HERE

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