maha'ulepu heritage trail

This was a wonderful hike that I took my 3 kids on (ages 13, 11 and 8). It was a beautiful walk, shady when you are on the trail, but sunny when you take the outcroppings to the rocks and coast. Every little stop on the way brings and even more incredible view. Start the trail by parking at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Poipu at the far end of the parking lot. Walk down the road and you're at Shipwreck beach (which is beautiful). There are a few parking spots on this road, but it fills pretty quickly. Hike to your left and stop as often as possible! All views are stunning.

If coming from the Lihue airport direction, take Kaumualii Hwy/HI-50W. Turn left onto Maluhia Road/HI-520 (sign to Koloa and Poipu). After 5 min, turn right at the stop sign onto Koloa Rd. Shortly thereafter turn left at Poipu Rd (Chevron station on the left). At the round about, take Poipu Road.The Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail is ~ 4 miles long (one way) but it can be split into two hikes. Hike #1: Drive East on Poipu Road and make a right turn between the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Poipu Bay Golf Course onto Ainako St. This road leads to a small public parking lot where there are bathrooms and showers. There is also some street parking. Walk to Shipwreck Beach and take the trail to your left (facing East) through the ironwood trees. The trail has almost no signs but you can recognize the paths; you sometimes have the choice of walking along the edge of the cliff or walking more inland. At one point you will find yourself walking along the golf course. After 2.4 miles (~1 hr leisurely walk with stops to take pictures) you end up looking below at Maha’ulepu Beach (also known as Gillian Beach). This hike takes around 2 hr (round trip), it is not strenuous and the views of the cliffs are very dramatic. Make sure you bring lots of water, hat, sunglasses, and walking shoes. Hike #2: Drive East on Poipu Road past the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It soon becomes an unpaved road with lots of potholes (some may call them craters). Since there are not many cars on the road, it is easy to maneuver but you must drive very slowly. The first part on the unpaved road takes ~16 min; you then come to a T, turn right: drive another 7 min. There are gates on the unpaved road that close at 6 pm. At the end there is a beach parking lot and as you walk to the Ocean you see Maha’ulepu Beach (#A, Gillian Beach). If you walk West along the ocean, you come to a stream that is polluted, so don’t go wading in it, walk inland and you will see a bridge that goes over the stream, take that and you will find signs to the Makauwahi Cave. On Wed., Fri. & Sat from 10am– 2pm; Sun. 9am-2pm; there are guides at the Cave. At other times the cave is closed. It is definitely worth visiting the largest limestone cave in Hawai’i. There is no entrance fee but you can give a donation.After visiting the cave, go back to the parking lot and drive down the unpaved road a little further East and park your car. The beach at this point is called Ka-wai-loa Bay (#B) where you can have a picnic (we were entertained by frolicking humpback whales). From there you can hike to Ha’ula Beach and Bay (#C), gorgeous bay with beautiful sand where you may want to go for a swim. The lithified cliff views from this hike are fantastic.This is not a strenuous hike and it may take a total of 2 hr (includes a picnic and a quick dip). All three Bays/Beaches (A, B, C) are beautiful and stunning, especially C.You can combine both hikes. At the end of Hike #1 you can hike down to Gillian Beach and follow the rest of Hike #2. The two combined hikes may take 4 hours or more (round trip). If I only had time to do one hike I would choose Hike #2.

We started this walk from Shipwreck beach near the Hyatt and turned back at the cave near the end. Great walk, scenic all the way. Bring water and wear walking shoes or trainers as it's a little steep in places.

Very easy and sandy path with gorgeous views along the coast. Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring water because trail is very exposed. Don't follow GPS just go to the hotel parking area near the beach and go to the left.

We hiked this trail in the morning and, while it is an easy, fairly level hike, there are still some rocky uphill sections. The view is supremely wonderful and you can see whales spouting if you are lucky. You can gaze miles out over the ocean and see breakers and neighboring coves. We also returned in the afternoon to Shipwreck Beach which is at the trailhead which was very pleasant. The waves are a bit high but after you get out past the breakers it is fun.

If I could, I would take a tent on this trail. I could spend days in each cove just exploring my surroundings. By far my favorite hike and views on the south side! Take water if it's day time, it may be cool on the ground but when the sun is beating down and reflecting off the cliffs, it gets hot! If your going at night, take some cocktails. It's so peaceful and romantic.

While there is not much elevation, we still got our sweat on! And the views were amazing! Whales abound and the cliffs were magnificent...be careful on the edges as the roots and lava rock can create a tripping hazard so look down when you walk and enjoy the scenery when stopped. Take the full 3 1/2 mile one way trip for an amazing 1/2 day but bring water and sunscreen and camera!Take the 1st right after the entrance to the grand Hyatt to get to public parking

Great little walk if staying near Poipu. Some really beautiful vistas and secluded beaches. Pleasantly surprised.

This is an amazing hike with the best views! You can choose to go close to the cliffs or farther back in the trees. We did this hike several times during our stay in Kauai.

Enjoyed the trail much much more than famous Kalalau trail. Views are spectacular, its dry, you get to see marine life and the cave , as well as swimming Gillian's beach and gorgeous Secret beach at the very end. Start at Shipwreck beach and try to make it to the Secret beach , so worth extra 15 min or so. We saw family of wales, monk seal and ( lucky us!) a family of black boars un the bushes! The cave was open for public, and the tour was quite amazing! We were there on Sunday, but I think the guide mentioned he is there three days a week now on the weekend. Watch your steps since the lava ricks might be sharp, and enjoy! Wear suncreen, its sunny out there, and a bathing suite to refresh at the beach there. Pack some lunch and water too.

My wife and I can no longer visit Poipu without getting on this trail at least once. On this trip we jogged the 3 miles from our house to Shipwreck beach past the golf course and horse stables, down the hill across the river and along the sandy beach (Gillin's beach I believe) and back. We saw the spectacular full double rainbow (picture 1), all of which wouldn't fit in the picture, just after passing the golf course, stayed a few minutes on the beach (picture 2) and then jogged back. Later in our trip we walked back to that same beach with a couple other family members while a few others drove over to the parking lot and we spent several hours snorkeling and just laying in the sun. The beaches are just the bookends of the trail so you could definitely spend an entire day on the trail either searching for shells and watching fish swim or relaxing on the high cliffs overlooking the crashing waves. There are many quiet, isolated areas to just sit and relax and none that we found have anything less than a spectacular view.

This is an easy walk with beautiful vistas,the views along the cliff are spectacular and being whale season we spotted many in the distance

pack water and lunch from the koloa grocery store and make a day of it. The concierge can supply you with a brochure so you can easily see the highlights. In September we saw sea turtles, and if I hadn't been so preoccupied with watching my boys on the cliff's edge, I may have seen a whale.

excellent hike, especially because we were staying at the Hyatt. It is about 3 miles each way from the trailhead to the cave, but it is totally worth it.

We were at the Koa Kea so it was a short drive. The sunrise is awesome and the trail is quite easy. After the golf course there was a diversion to visit one of the caves which was quite nice. We did this three times on our short stay. Good way to get your day started if you are an early riser.