Hands-down, the best hike I have ever went on in my life and I have been on plenty of hikes…read more There's a waterfall somewhere along the way and there are beautiful views of the ocean and beaches all around. Gorgeous is an understatement, but please make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. You will need it. Enjoy!

One of my fave hikes, if you can get through the first 150 feet of vertical incline from the…read moreparking lot, well worth it. And I live in SoCal and get to do some pretty awesome hikes here. It was my type of hike, a bit of jungle, epic views of the water, the hike to the top was worth it when you have those insane views along the way...

The full Kapalua Coastal Trail is about 1.76 miles and can be divided into four sections (see map I…read moremarked : 1. Blue 2. Yellow 3. Red 4. Green). We stayed on the west side of Maui, only about a 10-minute drive to the trail's north end. Left around 11:30am but had to detour a bit due to road work. 1. Kapalua Coastal Trail - Kapalua Bay Public Beach Parking You can plug in Kapalua Bay Public Beach Parking on Google Maps, but free parking is very limited. We drove in circles around 11:50am and couldn't find a single spot! Paid parking nearby was $20, and some restaurants had valet for $10. A little pricey just for a short hike, so we kept looking for other options. 2. Free Parking - Cliff House This lot is inside the Montage Kapalua Bay resort, but only about 10 spaces are actually free. We got lucky after waiting 10+ minutes and snagged a spot. From here, heading left takes you toward the Kapalua Bay side, passing Cliff House, Namalu Bay viewpoint, and Kapalua Bay Beach. After looping back, we continued right toward the Dragon's Teeth Trail. 3. Dragon's Teeth Trail The entrance has a small free parking lot right next to the Ritz-Carlton. Again, spots are super limited, and by the time we got there around 2pm, it was completely full. The trail takes you past Ironwood Cliffs and Oneloa Beach before reaching Dragon's Teeth. 4. Makaluapuna Ridge Trail This section continues further past Dragon's Teeth, but we didn't do this part. **Tips from our walk (123): * Switch Google Maps to satellite view to spot small parking lots. * Free parking is scarce, just come earlier if you can. * Kapalua Bay Beach & Oneloa Beach sections are sandy and flat, good for swimming and easy walking. * Dragon's Teeth is rocky, sneakers are way better than sandals. * Bring water, hat, and sunglasses. Even though it was only mid-70s (F), there's zero shade, and I ended up with a sunburned scalp after 2+ hours because I skipped my hat. Overall, this trail is short and easy, but because it runs through luxury resorts and golf courses, expect crowds. Still, the coastal views are stunning and definitely worth adding to your Maui itinerary.

Easy hike, magnificent views , some well maintained paths, going thru expensive resorts,…read morespectacular snorkeling beaches, jagged rocky shores.... Love to hike every morning. Free Parking is hard to find, even $30 pay parking is limited.

Twin Falls Trail is the perfect first stop on the Road to Hana and such a great, easy…read moreadventure--especially with kids. The hike is short, well-marked, and manageable, but still gives you that lush, tropical Maui feel right away. The waterfalls are beautiful and accessible, with plenty of spots to stop, explore, and even dip your feet in. It never feels too crowded if you go early, and the whole area has a peaceful, relaxing vibe. What we really loved was how family-friendly it is. You still get the full experience of Maui's natural beauty without a long or difficult hike, which makes it a win for everyone. Great way to kick off the journey to Hana and definitely worth the stop.

Twin Falls Trail is a nice stop if you are beginning the Toad to Hana or of you are just looking…read morefor a waterfall experience on your trip. It's $10 to park but if the lot is full they will just waive you away until a spot opens up. There are three falls areas in you can visit. The farthest and best is about 25 min up the hill.

Lava Fields is more of a scenic beach walk than a traditional hike, and it's such a beautiful way…read moreto spend time outdoors. You're walking alongside the water with nonstop ocean views, and the contrast of the lava rock and blue water is stunning the entire way. What's great about this walk is how flexible it is. You can go for miles or turn around whenever you want, which makes it accessible for all levels. It's very close to Wailea and some gorgeous beaches, so it's easy to fit into your day. Be sure to wear good footwear since the lava rock can be uneven and unstable in areas. Seeing the wild goats along the way was an added bonus and made the experience feel extra special. Peaceful, scenic, and a must-do if you're in the area.

Once you come to the Bay you can walk an established trail along the lava fields…read more There are remnants of lava rock houses from long ago. Now you see wild goats.

This lovely trail to a cross and beyond is shaded most of the way and feels very wild with dense…read morevegetation including huge agave century plants. It does get slippery when wet and is very steep in many places, and quite close to shear cliff drop offs, so good boots are most helpful. Due to daily rains, it was a bit muddy but we were fine with boots on and did make it to the boundary fence which is about 10 minutes past the cross. There is limited parking and watch out for afternoon rains.

Also called St Anthony Cross Hike. Great shaded cardio hike to get your heart pumping…read more Easy assessability in Central Maui. Safe parking. Good trail conditions, unless wet. Beautiful ocean, valley, harbor, airport and mountain views. 2.5 miles RT to the very top at the West Maui Watershed fence. Bring at least 1 liter of drinking water.

Be smart and safe, bring a telephoto lens and view this from a safe distance. If there is a swell…read more(waves breaking against the cliff) don't go down there, a large wave could break over the cliff and pull you out to sea. The blowhole can trick you into thinking it's not doing much and then a huge explosion out of it will soak you and knock you down. Watch for a while from a distance to get a good idea of what is going on and if after 30 minutes you have an idea of the level it's going to go at and you can determine how close you can get safely. Still recommend keeping a good 50 yard distance at a minimum.

Beautiful but a very difficult to climb. Crazy that they now…read morecharge $17 to park! What a ripoff!

The Kapalua Coastal Trail is a beautiful little path along the west side of Maui. There are…read morenumerous meanderings of the trail to take you to hidden gems including olivine pools, heart rocks, coastal views, nesting birds, etc. there is a labyrinth to the north end Napili Bay to the south. It is an easy walk which can be started and stopped in numerous locations depending upon one's interests and exploration inclinations.

I loved being right next to the access of this trail. I could walk this every day at any time of…read morethe day. Having the beach as your view makes the walk/hike even more enjoyable. Walking one way leads you to Kapalua Bay and walking the other way leads you to D.T. Fleming Park (Beach).

All the books and sites I checked on Maui said that Kapalua resort had a ton of hiking and lots of…read moretrails. My husband said I should have been wary that I hadn't found any reviews, just the comment that there were over "100 miles of trails." That's because that literally IS the only selling point. Still, this was the closest hiking to our hotel in Lahaina so we decided to try it. You head over to Honolua village (where you go to start the ziplining) and there is a free shuttle offered at 4 times throughout the day. If you miss it you have to wait as you aren't able to just walk to the trailhead. They were out of maps that day (freaky!) so we bought an iphone app online and looked at their maps on the wall. We also had to sign a waiver. After a 15 minute drive you arrive at the arboretum. At first there are fun flowers and plants, beautiful vistas and views and you feel a bit like you're in LOST as the trails aren't totally clear and you have to tread lightly through the tall weeds. However, once you are in there for a good hour there isn't much else to see. There are no birds, no frogs, no random unnameable bugs...It's the same thing over and over again. It gets very very rainy and wet (it's a rainforest but again, no wildlife). It gets cold and dark. The weeds become tall painful over-grown beasts that slice your legs as you try and walk. You find yourself walking on trails that run right next to roads. You see plastic from the vegetation that was installed! There is hardly any wildlife whatsoever. We saw far more of that on the hiking we did off the Road to Hana. We didn't want to sit around waiting for the shuttle which was so many hours out so we opted to take the trail that gets you back to where you parked your car. It was about 8 miles and we did it fast because we were super bored. If you do go, it's definitely good for the workout! I was sore the next day. Oh and fair warning...the ground is orange clay so definitely best to wear hiking boots, my sneakers are still red and they were soaked! Truly, I think there's better hiking elsewhere! One local told us a place called Swinging Bridges that is supposed to be amazing...Think it's on private property but maybe worth checking out! Definitely a miss! I am kinda pissed at my fodor's book for even mentioning it. I had to concede my husband a "told you so" and I really hate that most of all!

We did the 8-mile Arboretum to Mahana Ridge Trail and it was the best hike we've ever done in…read moreHawaii! A bit about us: we love the rain, bush whacking, overgrown trails and the challenge of figuring out if we're on the right trail or not. And getting muddy is part of the fun. So if you like all of that, you will love this hike. Note that it is WET and muddy at the top of the hike, so it's slippery in some parts. The abundance of fruit trees was pretty amazing - we were eating guava and lilikoi for the first couple of miles, it was hard to keep walking because we kept finding more fruit to eat. Further down, we found pineapples growing in the wild, how cool is that? The views were outstanding in some parts, and as we descended we kept entering different micro-climates which meant different plant life in each stage (did I mention that we are botanists at heart?). The smell of eucalyptus trees and seeing the huge banyan trees totally makes this hike. About 3/4 of this hike is under shady forest. I will mention that the last mile was the part I didn't like because all of a sudden we lost our shade and hiked in the blasting sun through the golf course, but we still had great views of the ocean. We took a right instead of a left at the overpass and ended up at DT Fleming beach, which isn't all bad because a dip in the ocean is just what we needed. Even though it's mostly downhill, this hike is a bit of a workout. Highly recommended for people who love to hike and don't mind getting dirty. We used the Kapalua free shuttle in the morning and this service is great (must call to reserve, we called at 8:45am and got on the 9:30am shuttle). Make sure to tip the driver!