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Dense enchanting bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail

Pipiwai Trail Directions

How to Get to Pipiwai Trail?

Located in the lush, coastal rainforest Kipahulu District of the Haleakala National Park, the Pipiwai Trail is in a somewhat remote southern part of Maui.

Lush rainforest coast of Kipahulu District, home to the Pipiwai Trail
Lush rainforest coast of Kipahulu District, home to the Pipiwai Trail

Staying in one of the west coast tourist hubs? The driving directions are straightforward.

Drive to Kahului and take Route 36 towards Hana, which will become Route 360 or the Hana Highway.

The Hana Highway, also called the Road to Hana, is one of the most scenic drives in all of Hawaii, and a Maui bucket list item!

Scenic road to Hana, winding along the coast, towards the Halaekala National Park
Scenic road to Hana, winding along the coast, towards the Halaekala National Park

You will cross Hana, and continue driving along the highway until you reach the park.

You can use “pipiwai trail hawaii 96713” or simply “pipiwai trail maui” for Google maps or GPS.

Pro Tip

Due to its popularity, traffic can get crazy on the road to Hana, so your best bet is to leave very early, drive straight through and complete the Pipiwai Trail hike as one of the first items on your drive.

On your way back, you can enjoy the scenic drive, skipping by the much smaller waterfalls that everyone else stops for. After all, you’ve just seen two of the best!

Both your Pipiwai Trail experience and the scenic road to Hana experience will be a lot better!

Even better, see if you can devote two days, one day for the Road to Hana stops, stay overnight in Hana, and spend the second day hiking the Pipiwai Trail and the Kipahulu District of the Haleakala National Park.

Way better than trying to cram everything into one day!

Map of the Pipiwai Trail

Expand the below map of Pipiwai Trail for driving and parking directions.