In shortTo walk through the bamboo you need the Pipiwai Trail, reached at Mile Marker 41 in the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park, 12 miles beyond Hana town. Boardwalks enter the bamboo about a mile in. Carry on to the end and the walk comes to 4 miles round trip with 800 feet of climbing, which the park service rates moderately strenuous, finishing at the 400-foot Waimoku Falls.
4 milesPipiwai round trip
800 feetElevation change
1 mileTo the bamboo boardwalks
400 feetWaimoku Falls drop
Where the bamboo forest on the Road to Hana actually is
The bamboo corridor with the boardwalks belongs to the Pipiwai Trail inside the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park. The park service places that district 12 miles past the town of Hana, gives the GPS address as Mile Marker 41 Hana Hwy, and lists the driving route from Kahului as Route 36 to 360 to 31. None of the roadside stops in the first 30-odd mile markers will get you there.
Kipahulu has no closing hour; the district is open 24 hours a day. What governs your afternoon is the drive back. The park service puts Kahului to Kipahulu at about 4 hours, and the trail has no lighting.
The Pipiwai Trail on Maui, mile by mile
The park service rates the trail moderately strenuous: 4 miles round trip with 800 feet of climbing, heading inland away from the coast. Most of the elevation comes early, which is why the Makahiku Falls overlook at about half a mile is a good place to decide whether to keep going.
Past the overlook the gradient eases and the trail works along the gulch. The boardwalks reach the bamboo at roughly the one-mile mark, and the far end at two miles one way is the viewing area for Waimoku Falls, 400 feet high. If you turn back at the bamboo, you have walked about two miles and seen the thing you came for.
| Point on the trail | Distance from the trailhead | What it is |
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| Makahiku Falls overlook | About 0.5 miles | First viewpoint, reached early in the climb |
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| Bamboo forest boardwalks | About 1 mile | Where the trail enters the bamboo |
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| Waimoku Falls viewing area | 2 miles one way | The 400-foot fall at the far end |
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| Pipiwai Trail, full walk | 4 miles round trip | 800 feet of climbing, rated moderately strenuous |
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| Kuloa Point Trail, the short option | 0.5 miles total | 80 feet of climbing from the Kipahulu Visitor Center |
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Full day, smallest group
A day of 8 to 10 hours with 6 to 8 passengers, hotel pickup and drop-off, breakfast, a hot plate lunch and fees and taxes already settled, long enough to take in the Kipahulu end of the road.
★ 4.6/5 · 1,092 reviews
Mud, roots and what rain does to the trail
The surface is not a groomed path. The park service describes the trails to the pools and the forest as muddy, steep and rocky, difficult in a wheelchair, and says sturdy hiking shoes are highly recommended because East Maui trails can be steep with loose cinders or rocks. Roots cross the tread, a broad banyan stands beside the route on the way up, and a stream crossing sits between the overlook and the bamboo. Inside the bamboo the boardwalks do the work for you; either side of them, you are on dirt.
Rain is the normal condition on this side of the island, with 82.28 inches a year at the Hana gauge and no month under 4 inches, and the park service tells visitors to plan for rain at any time of year. Wet days make the dirt sections slick and the bamboo dark. They also close the water: the park service does not recommend entering or wading in Kipahulu streams and asks visitors to stay out of closed areas, and East Maui streams have been measured rising 4 feet in 10 minutes. Leptospirosis, E. coli and rock falls below waterfalls are the hazards it lists.
The pass, the hours and how far help is
The bamboo stands inside a national park, so a pass is part of the walk: $30 per private vehicle, good for three days and valid in the Summit district as well as Kipahulu. Payment is by credit or debit card; the park does not take cash. If the Haleakala summit or Hawaii Island is also on your trip, the $55 Hawaii Tri-Park Annual Pass covers Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes and Puuhonua o Honaunau for twelve months. Several of the day tours on this site cover admissions and fees, which takes the card-only rule off your list.
Nothing is sold inside the park. Fuel and charge in Paia, which the park service names as the last station on the Hana Highway before Hana, because the park itself has no gas pump, no EV charging and no food. Drinking water is available at the visitor centers, including Kipahulu, so refill bottles there. Public transport does not reach either district. The park service also notes that emergency medical assistance at Kipahulu is at least one hour away, which is worth knowing before you start up the trail.
- Carry your own food for the day; the park sells none.
- Fill water bottles at the Kipahulu Visitor Center before the trail.
- Pay the entrance fee by card; the park takes no cash.
- Sturdy hiking shoes, and a layer for rain at any time of year.
Why this stop takes a full day
Hana sits 52 miles from Kahului on the tourism authority's figures, and that same authority allows two to four hours one way for them, because the stretch packs in 620 curves and 59 bridges. Kipahulu is another 12 miles beyond that, and the park service's own estimate from Kahului is about 4 hours. Double that for the return and the day is gone before you count the time on the trail.
A half-day turnaround does not reach this trail. Half-day formats work the opening mile markers near Paia and come home; the bamboo, Waimoku and the national park are at the other end of the road. Hawaii's official tourism page encourages visitors to do the road as a permitted guided tour, and on a Kipahulu day that means somebody else drives the 620 curves back while your legs recover.
Pick by hours first and pickup point second, and check the stop list when you check availability, because not every full-day itinerary goes past Hana town.
- Maui: Small Group Road to Hana Tour, 6 to 8 passengers: from $282, 4.6 ★ (1092 reviews), 8 to 10 hours door to door with hotel pickup and drop-off, all fees and taxes settled, continental breakfast and a hot made-to-order Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch, water all day. Bags must fit under the seat, and the operator lists no wheelchairs, scooters, walkers or crutches on board.
- Maui: Famous Road to Hana Waterfalls and Lunch by Mercedes Van: from $250, 4.8 ★ (1278 reviews), 9 to 10 hours in a Mercedes van capped at 14 people. Pickups run 6:00 a.m. at Cannery Mall Lahaina, 6:30 a.m. at the Maalaea Park & Ride and 6:40 a.m. at the Kahului Park & Ride, while Napili-Honokowai, Kahana, Kapalua, Makawao, Kula and Paia are not served.
- Maui Tour: Road to Hana Day Trip from Kahului with Lunch, Water, Chips: from $200, 4.7 ★ (159 reviews), 7 to 8 hours in an air-conditioned vehicle, with spam musubi or yogurt for breakfast, a 6-inch sub or a gluten-free vegan veggie wrap for lunch, chips and water. There is no minimum party size, so one person can travel; island guests meet in Kahului at 7:20 a.m.
Questions people ask
Is the bamboo forest the same walk as Waimoku Falls?
Yes, they are two points on the same trail. The boardwalks run through the bamboo about a mile from the trailhead, and Waimoku Falls, 400 feet high, is the viewing area at two miles one way. Walking only as far as the bamboo and turning back is a reasonable plan if time or legs are short.
Can I swim at the pools and streams here?
The Pools of Oheo are closed to entry on safety grounds, and the park service says the only safe look at them is from the Kuloa Point Trail. The park service also does not recommend entering or wading in Kipahulu streams and asks visitors to keep out of closed areas. It lists leptospirosis and E. coli in the water and rock falls below waterfalls among the hazards.
What should I wear and carry for the hike?
Sturdy hiking shoes are highly recommended by the park service, since the trail is muddy, steep and rocky in places and can carry loose rock. Plan for rain whatever the month. Carry food, because none is sold in the park, and fill bottles at the Kipahulu Visitor Center.
What if I arrive too late for the four-mile trail?
Take the Kuloa Point Trail instead. That one runs 0.5 miles in total from the Kipahulu Visitor Center with 80 feet of climbing, taking in the coast, archaeological sites and the overlook above the pools. The district has no closing time, but the drive back from Kipahulu is long and unlit, so set a turn-around time before you leave.
Can I reach the trail without a car?
Public transport does not serve either district of Haleakala National Park, including Kipahulu, according to the park service. That leaves driving yourself or a guided day trip. The full-day tours on this site run 7 to 10 hours with pickups in Kahului and, on one of them, Lahaina and Maalaea.
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