Hana, Hawaii
Pipiwai Trail
A Maui rainforest hike through a towering bamboo canyon to a 400-foot waterfall.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Length
- 4 mi
- Elevation Gain
- 600 ft
- Duration
- 2–3
- Best Season
- Year-round
- Permit
- Not required
- Dogs
- Not allowed
- Features
- Bamboo forest, Waterfall
About the trail
Pipiwai Trail runs from the Kipahulu District of Haleakalā National Park up the Wailua Stream through one of Hawaii's most unlikely forests — a canyon of bamboo 60 feet tall that groans and rattles in the wind. Along the way you pass a grove of banyans, a Koolau forest of native plants, and finally Wailua Falls, a 400-foot cascade dropping from the rim of the Kipahulu Valley.
Trailhead map & directions
Trailhead: 20.7220, -156.1560Get directions →
Turn-by-turn route
- Park at the Kipahulu District lot off the Road to Hana.
- Pay the park entry fee at the Kipahulu visitor center.
- Cross the Wailua Stream bridge and follow the trail upstream.
- Pass the banyan grove and enter the bamboo canyon.
- Continue to Wailua Falls and return. Total: 4.0 miles.
Parking
Kipahulu District lot off the Road to Hana — fills by 9 a.m., and the drive in from Hana takes 45 minutes on a narrow road.
Tips from the trail
- The stream crossing can be impassable after heavy rain.
- The bamboo forest is slippery — wear real shoes, not sandals.
- Kipahulu is a separate district; your Haleakalā summit reservation does not cover it.
- Bring rain gear; the valley gets more than 300 inches a year.