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Waihee
Ridge 2nd Hike
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Trip Date: 08/01/2013
Distance: 4.3 Miles
Vertical Gain:
1600'
Group Size:
3
Hike Rating: Easy
Moderate
Hard
Strenuous |
GPX for
this trip
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Start Coordinates: |
N 20 57.190 W 156
31.933 |
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End Coordinates: |
Same as starting coordinates |
Car Shuttle
Req'd: |
No |
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Parking
Directions: |
Take
Highway 340 7 miles north (Kahekili Highway) from Wailuku toward
Waihee. Turn left at Maluhia road signed for Camp
Maluhia
BSA. The parking area is about 9/10 a mile up that windy road. |
Hazards of
Note: |
Sheer dropoffs from
the trail into Waihee Valley. Keep children
with you.
Stay on the marked trail as volcanic rock can be crumbly near edges. |
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Crowd Factor: |
Busy. This is a very
popular hike and often considered on a clear day to be one of the best
on all of Maui. |
General Notes:
Try
to attempt this hike early in the morning, because typically after
10-11am the top is shrouded in clouds for most of the rest of the day.
From
the parking at the trailhead, you will climb a steep concrete covered
road for a good 400-500 yards. At the top you will have nice
panoramas of the ocean to the west. Turn to the left on the
trail, and follow it up into the forest past a gate to keep out bikes.
The first mile has a steady climb, and at one point there is
a sharp switchback with a bench that has a great view to the northwest
of Maka'maka'ole falls, the same falls that can be hiked to from
another pullout on the Kahekili Highway called "13 Crossings."
Continue
up until you pass through a second gate, and now the Waihee valley will
drop sharply off to your left and you will be hiking along the spine of
the ridge for awhile.
2/3 of the way up you will pass through a
grove of trees, which is a nice spot for a break. After this
point the trail heads to the Northwest, and crosses a small ravine
before making the final climb to the end of the trail. At
about 2
1/2 miles you will reach a picnic table, and a sign behind it
indicating that this is the end of the hike. Do not venture
past
this as the dropoffs are significant and if cloudy you will not be able
to see the sheer cliffs which lay beyond.
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Lots of fog early on in the
hike. |
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Still pretty foggy about half
way up the mountain. |
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A look back toward the
trailhead area as we climb the mountain. |
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A glimpse at Kahului far below
through a break in the fog. |
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The boys with Kahului below. |
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Starting to see some clearing
on the trail. |
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View in to Waihee Valley from
along the ridgeline. |
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Dustin and Tristan at the
Waihee Valley overlook. |
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The upper part of Makamakaole
falls. |
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GPS track of the hike. |
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