Makawao Forest Reserve is a 2,093 acres (847 ha) reserve located in upcountry Maui in Maui County, Hawaiʻi, United States on the northwest slope of Haleakala. It is located 2.7 miles (4.3 km) from the town of Makawao and 15 miles (24 km) from Kahului Airport.Use our Makawao trip planner to add Makawao Forest Reserve and other attractions to your Makawao vacation plans.
Many indigenous and foreign plants, shrubs and trees grow in the forest. They include tropical ash, Cook pine, hala pepe, eucalyptus, leʻle, mamaki, pilo and kupukupu. It is also the home and origin of Hyposmocoma makawao which is a species of moth in the family Cosmopterigidae.
There are seven developed trails including Kahakapao Loop, Pineapple Express, Renegade Trail, Ravine Trail, Secret Trail and Tweener Trail. The Kahakapao Loop is the main trail which is 6.2 miles (10 km) long.
Admission is free and walking and mountain-bike trails are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. There are two portable toilets available for visitors and one is suitable for wheelchairs.
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Makawao Forest Reserve reviews
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An hour away from the beach you can find a dense forest up in the mountains from Maui. Bumpy road but good parking. A couple of portable lavatories at the start. Several different hikes or mountain..... more »
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Nice trails to follow but scenery can become fairly monotonous after a while. Nice walk and exercise. more »
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Nice hike. It can be muddy sometimes after a rainy week. No views. But it has that Northwest woods feel.
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Amazing mountain biking on Maui! Beautiful forests and a unique perspective of the island.
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