Waihou Spring Trail

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.