Makahiku Falls

As we mentioned in this post about the  large banyan tree on the Pīpīwai Trail, Maui is one of our favorite places. If you've been, you know just how beautiful it is. And if you haven't, chances are good that you want to go. Among the many things to experience is the famous Road to Hana. Past Hana, at mile marker 42, you can hike the Pīpīwai Trail, a beautiful trail in Haleakala National Park, where you will find Makahiku Falls.

Although the trail receives half a million visitors per year, it is surprisingly easy to find one's self alone for more than a few minutes, especially if you get an early start. This is one of your rewards, a 200-foot tall waterfall dropping through an ethereal, lush forest.

Makahiku Falls
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Makahiku Falls

Makahiku Falls drops 200 feet from a basalt ledge on the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park — past Hana, past the tourists, past the first waterfall, up the second mile of the trail to a pool that most people never reach. Greg arrived alone at first light before the trail opened, after an overnight rain had brought the falls to full flow, the roar audible from the trailhead. In the clean light that arrives before direct sun reaches the falls, the image holds both the white water and the deep green of the surrounding forest in a single frame. Maui's east-facing valleys receive the trade winds and their moisture first; this is why the waterfalls exist and why this light is brief.