Pets allowed
Allowed with Restrictions
Elevation Gain
400.00 ft (121.92 m)
Trail type
Loop
Distance
2.00 mi (3.22 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

If you're looking for something different on the island of Maui, take a drive to the upcountry and be transported to an unusual forest filled with trees and birds from the mainland!

The Waihou Spring Forest Reserve encompasses an experimental pine forest and a natural spring in upcountry Maui. A couple of pleasant trails leading through the trees are popular places for local residents and the occasional visitor to take a walk. The Waihou Spring Trail follows an old forest road through pine, cyprus and eucalyptus trees planted in the 1920s. Keep an eye out for native trees such as koa and halapepe, which are also scattered throughout the reserve.

As you explore the forest, listen for pheasants and roosters scratching around in the underbrush. Look for introduced birds, like the northern cardinal, as well as native birds like the 'apapane.

The trail makes a lollipop-loop past a very brushy overlook before returning back to the trailhead. Another trail leads down a couple of switchbacks to a viewpoint of the Waihou Spring, but it is often closed due to poor trail conditions. Check the signs before heading down there. The spring is just a wet seep trickling down a rocky cliff face, so you won't be missing too much if the trail is closed.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Diversity of native and non-native trees along the trail.

Cons

Long drive from anywhere.

Trailhead Elevation

3,900.00 ft (1,188.72 m)

Features

Bird watching
Wildlife
Wildflowers
Geologically significant

Location

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