Hiking the Beautiful Waihe’e Ridge Trail in Maui, Hawaii

If you’re looking for a scenic, heart-pumping hike in Maui, Waihe’e Ridge Trail will surely take your breath away. This moderate, 5-mile roundtrip trail sends you weaving up and down steep inclines. You’ll be rewarded with jaw-dropping views of the lush, green West Maui Mountains. 

I hiked Waihe’e Ridge Trail in June 2021. The trail was dry and moderate, taking me 2.5 hours to complete roundtrip with 15-20 minutes to take pictures and breaks. Online reviews warn about the trail difficulty when it rains, and I can 100% agree that the trail would get muddy, slippery, and dangerous. I’d imagine that on a wet day, the trail could take anywhere between 4-5 hours to complete (watch out for flash flood warnings and avoid the trail during downpours)! Take your time, be mindful of your steps, and soak in the views.

This post covers:

  1. What to pack and wear
  2. Tips to get to the trail
  3. Where to find parking
  4. What to expect on the trail

What to pack and wear

It’s important to stay hydrated, protected from the sun, and wear shoes with good traction.

At bare minimum, pack lots of drinking water, some food, sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, and a waterproof or light jacket. Make sure to bring your camera and phone to capture the views. There isn’t much shade on the trail. Dress accordingly in active wear, shorts or leggings, shoes with good traction, sunglasses, and a cap or sun hat. If you’re prone to getting very hot, use a cooling towel around your neck.

I stored my water in a 2-liter water bladder (and drank it all by the end of the hike) and carried all the things mentioned above in my small hiking backpack. For food, I brought a high calorie protein bar and an apple. I left backup snacks in the car in case I was hungry after the hike. I wore shorts, trail shoes, a wet-wick tank top, light t-shirt, and a headband wrap. I ended up hanging my UPF long-sleeve around my neck to wipe away my never-ending sweat and cover my neck from the sun.

You can be spending anywhere between 1.5 to 5+ hours on the trail. Sip your water throughout the hike instead of taking big gulps at a time. Try eating some carbs and protein before starting the hike no matter how early it is in the morning. I do not like to eat first thing in the morning, but I ate instant oatmeal before leaving my hotel just to have some food in my stomach.

Tips to get to the trail

Waihe’e Ridge Trail is located in West Maui. The simple answer on how to get to the trail is to follow directions on Google Maps, or your navigation app of choice. Here are three tips I think are most important for getting to the trail.

TIP #1: KEEP GOOGLE MAPS RUNNING

You’ll lose cellular reception nearly everywhere in Maui. Make sure to start the navigation in Google Maps. You will get real-time, step-by-step directions even when you lose reception AS LONG AS you don’t exit the app and don’t add destinations. If you close or restart Google Maps when you’re in an area with no reception, you won’t be able to get back the step-by-step directions.

TIP #2: DON’T MISS THE LAST TURN

I missed the turn to the last road (Maluhia Road) getting to the trailhead, and added 8 minutes to my commute. The turn is easily missed because it honestly did not look like a road that led anywhere, so making a turn felt wrong. 

The last turn is on the road only 10-15 feet after you see the Mendes Ranch sign. The front of the road has a stop sign and a short, brown post with a pathetically small sign saying WAIHEE RIDGE TRAIL in yellow letters. I don’t remember if I saw a street sign for Maluhia Road. Eventually you will pass by the beautiful horses and cows grazing in the fenced-off fields. If you miss the last turn, find a safe, wide spot to carefully do a K-turn.

TIP #3: AVOID THE BACK ROADS

If you’re staying in the Lahaina, Kaanapali, Napili-Honokawai, or Kapalua areas, avoid taking the back roads (HI-30 W, Honoapiilani Hwy) to Waihe’e Ridge Trail. It is extremely curvy, cliff-side driving, and the two-directional road becomes so narrow and DANGEROUS at one point that it fits only one car.

My boyfriend and I took the back road going to Braddah’s Chic Shop a few days before going to Waihe’e. We got stuck for a few minutes at the narrow area when out of nowhere a girl in a 4×4 came from the other direction. We were stuck in a nook, and tried to hug our car as close to the wall as possible. The girl in the 4×4, whose face read “f***, I hope I make it out alive”, made several small maneuvers before she successfully passed us. We were terrified for her – one wrong maneuver would have sent her car falling off the cliff. This experience taught us to avoid that road when going to Waihe’e.

Parking

There are two free parking areas: the main lot and the overflow lot. You do not need permits for either lot. The main lot is at the start of the trail and can hold 30 to 35 parking spots. Gates to the main lot open at 7am and close at 7pm. Arrive early in the morning for a better chance at getting a spot in the main lot (for reference, there were maybe 8 available parking spots when I arrived at 7:10am on a Wednesday in June). 

Wait a few minutes for a spot to open up in the main lot, but if you have no luck you can drive back down about 0.8 miles to the overflow lot. You will also have to park in the overflow lot if you arrive before 7am because the gates will be closed. Keep in mind that if you park in the overflow lot, you will have to walk 0.8 miles to get to the trailhead.

Before you start and after you finish

Station to brush off shoes before and after hike at entrance of main lot

Before and after your hike, please clean off the soles of your shoes at the shoe scrub station near the main lot entrance. According to the signs, this is important for preventing the contamination of disease and invasive plant seeds in and from the trail. Be respectful of the land and make sure to do this (it’ll take less than 15 seconds).

What to expect on the trail

ABOUT THE TRAIL

Waihe’e Ridge Trail is a cliff trail with a direct, single path varying in width between 2 to 5 feet throughout the 2.5-mile, 1,500-feet elevation gain. You can’t get lost, but you can fall off the cliff if you go off trail. The terrain is dirt, has many inclines, and has multiple sets of stairs. When the path becomes too narrow for more than one person to pass, take turns hugging the inside of the trail to let people through.

Don’t let the inclines deter you from this beautiful hike. This hike seems to be for able-bodied people of all ages as long as they are capable of taking their time and using caution. Those with knee arthritis and knee pain should probably avoid this steep trail. When I was here, I passed by children as young as 8-years-old with their parents, adults in their 50s, fit-looking people, not-so-fit looking people, and a parent carrying his baby in a child backpack carrier. I’m not sure if all of them completed the trail though. I’m a casual hiker in mediocre shape, and the hike was doable for me – the views are well worth it!

BEGINNING

Trail starts with a quarter-mile, steep concrete path (I already look defeated)

Get ready to get your heart pumping! The trail starts on a very steep, 0.25 mile concrete path. This felt like the most difficult part of the hike because I sat in a car for 50 minutes and all of a sudden had to walk up this incline. You have another 2.25 miles before summiting, so pace yourself on this concrete path. Take a short break if you need. 

15-20 minutes into the hike
Path through a wooded area

There’s a short bout of wooded area at the end of the concrete path. You will get the most shade here, but it’s for only 10 minutes. After that, you will be soaking up that Hawaiian sun so make sure to wear sunscreen and sun protection gear!

Views of West Maui Mountains

Within the first 30 minutes, you’re going to see amazing views of Maui. Once you hit this point, you will continuously see this view, meaning there are plenty of other opportunities to take pictures.

HALFWAY (GOING UP)

Lookout around the halfway point going up

You’ll come across a second lookout almost halfway up. There’s not much to this lookout. Take a break here or keep on trekking.

SUMMITING

Depending on how dry or muddy the trail is on the day you go, it’ll take about 1 to 2 hours to summit. It’s actually underwhelming as you near the top, but hey, you endured and made it! The view from the top lookout is very good but similar to the views from the rest of the hike going up. Before heading back down, take a break, drink some water, take some pictures, and reapply sunscreen.

Summiting
Lookout at the top of trail

ON THE WAY DOWN

I unexpectedly found that going back down offered the best views. The views on the way down made it feel as if I was walking into the vivid green mountains. It was very stunning to see the Pacific Ocean complimenting the rolling Maui valleys.

Final thoughts

I highly recommend the Waihe’e Ridge Trail to anyone wanting a quintessential Hawaiian hike. It was my favorite activity that I did in Maui.

Enjoy the trail and be safe. Bring plenty of water, high protein snacks, and sun protection gear.

While the hike was scenic and good for pictures, take the opportunity to immerse yourself in the nature; listen to the wind, feel the sun’s rays, and breathe in Maui.