Pīpīwai Trail & Waimoku Falls
Hāna Highway, East Maui
A Bamboo-Forest Hike to a 400-Foot Waterfall — With Real Flash-Flood Risk
The Pīpīwai Trail, in the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park, is a roughly 4-mile out-and-back hike through a genuinely striking bamboo forest to the base of 400-foot Waimoku Falls, with about 800 feet of elevation gain along the way.
It's one of Maui's most rewarding hikes, but it carries real hazards most casual Road to Hāna stops don't: flash floods can turn the stream crossing dangerous within minutes, rockfall is an ongoing risk near the falls, and past incidents have genuinely swept hikers away. This isn't hazard language for effect — treat the conditions seriously.
Why Roamwise recommends this
One of Maui's best hikes — genuinely worth the detour to Kīpahulu, with real respect for the flash-flood and rockfall risk.
Best for: capable hikers wanting a dramatic bamboo-forest-to-waterfall payoff, travelers already making the full drive to Hāna and beyond.
Insider tip: check recent rainfall before you go — the danger here is what's happening upstream, not necessarily the weather right where you're standing.
- Hazards / conditions:
- Flash floods can rip through the stream crossing in minutes after heavy rain higher up the valley — do not cross if water is high or moving fast. Rockfall and falling debris are an ongoing hazard at the cliff base near Waimoku Falls. Hawaiian stream water carries real leptospirosis risk through open cuts. Hikers have been swept away or trapped here in past incidents — this is a real, not theoretical, hazard.
- Safety notes:
- In the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park. No separate reservation is needed for this district (unlike the summit's sunrise window) — it's covered under the same Haleakalā NP entrance fee, valid 3 days.
- Weather sensitivity:
- Check recent rainfall in the upper valley before going — the stream crossing can turn dangerous fast even if it's not currently raining where you are.
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Local tips
- •Covered under the same Haleakalā NP entrance fee as the summit (valid 3 days) — no separate reservation needed here.
- •Do not cross the stream if water is high or moving fast — this is a real flash-flood area.
- •Budget 2.5–5 hours round trip.
- •Stay back from the cliff base near Waimoku Falls — rockfall is an ongoing hazard there.
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