Best Easy Hikes on Maui

What We Mean by Easy

Easy should mean under roughly two miles, modest elevation, straightforward footing and a turnaround you can take at any point — not simply short on paper. Footing and exposure count as much as distance. By that measure the two best walks on Maui are the Wailea Beach Path and the Kapalua Coastal Trail — the easiest and the most scenic on the island, and both genuinely doable in flip flops. Pīpīwai is not an easy hike just because thousands of visitors do it, and Hoapili is not easy just because it is flat.

Wailea Beach Path

The path runs along the shoreline through Wailea's resort area, connecting beaches and hotels rather than climbing into wilderness. A full Andaz-to-Fairmont-and-back walk is roughly 3.2 miles. You can also do twenty minutes and turn around.

The Wailea Beach Path links the hotels and beaches end to end — paved, flat and the easiest walk in South Maui. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)

Morning is best if you want a brisk walk or jog. Sunset is better if the point is the view. Because Ulua/Mōkapu, Wailea Beach and Polo are along the broader route, the walk works beautifully as the spine of a beach-and-dinner day.

Kapalua Coastal Trail

A relatively easy West Maui coastal walk with lava, cliffs and ocean views. It feels wilder than Wailea without requiring a backcountry plan.

Beach Walks Are the Easiest Hikes on Maui

If the point is a long, flat, beautiful walk with no trailhead and no planning, the beach is the trail.

• South Maui — Keawakapu, Chang's Beach, Big Beach, Sugar Beach
• West Maui — Kāʻanapali Beach, with the resort strip alongside it
• North Shore — Baldwin Beach, the longest of them, though North Shore water is for looking at more often than entering

Keawakapu is our favourite South Maui walk — long enough to be a real one, and it ends wherever you decide it does. Photo: Olivier Koning

ʻĪao Valley

ʻĪao Valley State Monument now requires nonresidents to book entry and parking in advance, and the park is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Book before you drive over — see the official state parks page. Allow 60–90 minutes for the visit itself once you have parked. Mostly paved walking, stairs and a huge scenery-to-effort ratio. This is our pick for families, older travelers and anyone who wants nature without a serious hiking day.

Maui Tropical Plantation

An easy shaded stroll through working plantation grounds in Waikapū, and the closest thing on this list to a hidden gem for families. There is no trail to commit to and no weather to gamble on: you walk as far as the kids last, there is food and shade, and it fills an hour or a morning equally well. It is the answer when someone in the group wants greenery and someone else wants to sit down.

Twin Falls

Twin Falls sits on private land at Wailele Farm at the start of the Hāna Highway, on a well-maintained dirt farm path with jungle foliage either side and a farm stand near the entrance. The lower falls are very close to the parking lot and easy to reach, and they are the ones worth your time — the upper falls are over a mile round trip over slippery riverbed sections and are not the reason to come. Get there early; the lot fills and the road behind it does not get easier as the morning goes on.

Treat it as the first stop of a North Shore day rather than a destination on its own: pair it with Pāʻia and Hoʻokipa, or time it around a meal. Gates open at 7:10 a.m., last entry is 4:30 p.m. and everyone is out by 5:00 — and it is closed the first Saturday of every month, which is the detail that ruins an otherwise well-planned morning. Check the farm's own page before you go.

Hoapili Trail

Hoapili starts at La Pérouse Bay at the end of Mākena Road and follows historic trail across rough lava from one of Maui's last eruptions. The modern trail follows portions of the old King's Trail/Ala Loa and was improved under Governor Hoapili in the 1800s.

The full out-and-back route commonly described to Kanaio Beach is about 5.5 miles with only modest elevation gain, but the low elevation number is misleading: rough lava and exposed heat make it harder than a flat beach walk. Sturdy shoes, a lot of water and sun protection are not optional. Many visitors are better served walking a shorter section, taking in the lava coast and turning back before the heat becomes the whole story. For a normal visitor, the coastal lava section and the first meaningful viewpoints are enough; the full route is for people who specifically want a hot, exposed hike.

Pair the Hike With the Region You Are Already In

The mistake is crossing the island for an hour on a trail. Waihou and other Upcountry forest walks belong to an Upcountry day; Twin Falls belongs to the start of a Hāna or North Shore day; the short coastal walks belong to whichever of South or West Maui you are staying in. Forest and plantation walks like Waihou and Maui Tropical Plantation stay comfortable later into the morning, while the lava, coastal and summit trails are materially better early.

Practical Tips

Hoapili is hot and exposed; go early and carry more water than you think you need.

Stay on the established Hoapili route and off archaeological rock structures; land beyond Kanaio becomes private.

ʻĪao requires an advance nonresident entry and parking reservation; book before you drive over.

Closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended on lava.

Forest and streamside trails can go muddy and slippery within hours of rain, even when the distance is short.

What is the easiest South Maui hike?

Wailea Beach Path, though it is really a coastal promenade rather than a trail.

Is Hoapili easy because it is flat?

No. Rough lava, sun and heat make it more demanding than the elevation profile suggests.

Can I do a short Hoapili walk?

Yes. You do not need to complete the full route to enjoy the lava coast and history.

Is Pīpīwai an easy hike?

No. It is a real hike and one of Maui's best, but it does not belong on an easy-hikes list.