Hiking the Waikamoi Ridge Trail on Maui, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 1.0 miles / 1.6 km
The Waikamoi Ridge Trail, also called the Waikamoi Loop Trail, is one of the easiest day hikes off the famous Road to Hāna, and best of all, it’s free!
I emphasize this because many things to do off the Hāna Highway, including Twin Falls, the Garden of Eden, a number of tours, and Hawaiʻi State Parks for out-of-state residents, are not free.
All that being said, I feel that it’s important to highlight the adventures that people can enjoy without having to spend money, and the Waikamoi Ridge Trail is truly just that, as the easy 1.0-mile (1.6 km) loop is a great place to get out of the car and enjoy a short, easy day hike before continuing further down the Road to Hāna.
Waikamoi Ridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Waikamoi Ridge Trail is located directly off the right-hand side of the Hāna Highway when driving east out of Kahului.
The Waikamoi parking area is small, meaning that it’s not uncommon for all the spots to be taken—especially during the mid-morning hours when the trail is at its busiest.
In any case, consider the Waikamoi Ridge Trailhead, or any trailhead off the Hāna Highway, to be a high-crime area for petty theft, meaning you should never leave visible bags or anything valuable in your car.
Google Maps Directions: Waikamoi Ridge Trailhead
Hiking the Waikamoi Ridge Trail
Regardless of whether you decide to hike the loop only or continue further up the ridge, the Waikamoi Ridge Trail is almost an entirely uphill trail.
With that in mind, the incline isn’t overly strenuous, but the trail can be muddy and slippery, even if the area hasn’t seen rain in a few days.
Waikamoi Loop Trail
Immediately after the picnic shelter, the Waikamoi Ridge Trail splits into a lower loop before it continues further up the ridge, where both sides come together further up the trail.
That being said, I chose to go right, but it truly makes no difference in terms of difficulty which direction you choose to hike.
Along the Waikamoi Ridge Trail, there are a number of different placards indicating the various species that can be found along the hike.
However, in my experience, many are inaccurate, and unless your Hawaiian plant ID is exceptionally good, you may be deceived into thinking that what it’s pointing to is the correct species when, in fact, it’s a plant that is much more difficult to pick out amongst all the weeds.
This Kukui placard is a great example of what I was talking about above because the plants surrounding the placard located on the ground are all non-native/ invasive Golden Pothos and Shoebutton, not Kukui.
However, the Polynesian introduction that it’s referring to is actually the highest overstory tree in the center of the photo below.
This is why I think these placards can be very deceptive, unless you know what to look for.
Waikamoi Loop-Waikamoi Ridge Junction
After 0.2 miles (0.3 km), both sides of the Waikamoi Loop Trail come together, with the other half being roughly the same distance.
That being said, go right to continue further up Waikamoi Ridge, or go straight (left) to return to the trailhead.
Waikamoi Ridge Trail
I chose to continue further up the ridge, which is only another 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to reach the upper picnic shelter.
This endemic Hāpuʻu fern is another great example of how hard these placards can be to trust, as the native fern is inundated by invasive species on all sides.
This also likely means that native plants, like this Hāpuʻu fern, will be harder and harder to find on Waikamoi Ridge, unless aggressive management efforts are implemented.
This section of the Waikamoi Ridge Trail through the bamboo can be particularly muddy.
After the bamboo section, the Waikamoi Ridge Trail makes a hard right turn to continue further, with the upper picnic shelter located a short distance away.
Waikamoi Upper Picnic Area
The top of the Waikamoi Ridge Trail is this open clearing and picnic area.
However, most will notice that the path continues further, but it is not maintained past this picnic shelter.
That being said, I highly recommend turning back if you are unfamiliar with what’s ahead, as the trail that continues further only gets more difficult and more confusing than anything up to this point.
Waikamoi Loop-Waikamoi Ridge Junction
Once back at the Waikamoi Loop Trail, I went right to continue down the east side of the loop back to the trailhead.
Waikamoi Loop Trail
The east side of the Waikamoi Loop Trail descends a steep trail at first, but it quickly levels off where the loop meets the bench shown below.
This is the bench that I was referring to above.
Waikamoi Loop Junction
Overall, the Waikamoi Ridge Trail isn’t one for the views, but it is a nice trail to get out and go for a nice day hike off the Hāna Highway.
I say this because only a small number of trails off the Road to Hāna are easily accessible, as the vast majority are little hidden secrets that can be a challenge for most to even notice!
Native Plants on the Waikamoi Ridge Trail
As previously mentioned, the vast majority of plants along the Waikamoi Ridge Trail are non-native/ invasive species. This is why picking out the few native plants that the placards allude to can be a challenge.
However, if you feel good about your Hawaiian plant ID, hikers can expect to see Hāpuʻu, Palaʻā, Kōpiko, ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Hala, and Hau, to truly only name a few.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
