The trail up Waihee Ridge starts on a side road off the Kahekili “Highway” (at mile 6.9) on the north side of the West Maui Mountain Range.  A good road leads to a parking area and a signed trail.   The trail is in good shape, well-signed, and brushed out.   There were a couple of muddy spots on north-facing slopes, but the upper areas were dry and good hiking.   The trail climbs 1500 feet over 2.5 miles, ending at a viewpoint on the Lani-ili Ridge.

The trail starts up a concrete ramp to a reservoir, then turns into the fores nd up the ridge.   As the hiker climbs, many types of trees flank the trail – eucalyptus, mango, Cook pines, kukui, Queensland maple, tree ferns, and ohia .   Many ferns cover the slopes, especially uluhe.

Makamakaole Falls

The trails stays on top of the ridge, providing views up into the mountains and down the valleys to the North coast.

the view down Waihee River Valley	looking up the Waihee River Valley into the Forest Reserve
tree ferns	trail through an ohia grove

Even in November, there were wildflowers all along the trail.

pink fringe	Kosters curse
Philippine orchid	bamboo orchid

The Waihee Ridge Trail is an up-and-back route so hikers can enjoy 2.5 miles of downhill back to the vehicle.

the trail on the ridge	this way…
breakers at Waihee	on the ridge

After rejoining the main road, we chose to drive around the Kahekili Highway which averages 1.5 lanes for 20 miles,  with rock faces on the upper (mauka) side and sheer drop-offs on the lower (makai) side.  This was a slow drive requiring a steady hand on narrow, tight curves with two-way traffic ,  but it is also a scenic drive around the  mountains to Kapalua.