Best Waterfalls on Maui

Maui’s Eight Best Legal Waterfall Experiences

1. Waimoku Falls via the Pīpīwai Trail — Kīpahulu

Maui’s best waterfall hike: approximately four miles round trip, about 800 feet of climbing and 3–4 hours, through bamboo to the designated viewpoint.

Swim verdict: no water entry.

Full guide: Pīpīwai Trail and Kīpahulu guide →

The bamboo section is the part of the Pīpīwai Trail people remember, and it comes before the falls. Photo: Pexels

2. Twin Falls — Huelo

The easiest complete waterfall outing, with a maintained visitor operation and multiple pools. $10 per vehicle, about 55 first-come spaces, the first Saturday of each month for Hawaiʻi residents only, last entry about 4:30 p.m. (checked Oct 2026). The lower falls are about 0.3 mile round trip, 20–40 minutes.

Farm path to Twin Falls. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)

Swim verdict: conditional; stay out during or after heavy rain and obey closures.

Full guide: North Shore hikes →

3. Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside — Road to Hāna

The simplest legal Road to Hāna waterfall stop, with parking, restrooms and no major hike.

Swim verdict: conditional in the lower pool only when water is clear and calm.

Full guide: Best Road to Hāna stops →

Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside, East Maui. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)

4. Makahiku Falls overlook — Pīpīwai Trail

An impressive waterfall reached before the bamboo forest, allowing tired groups to see a major fall without completing the full trail.

Swim verdict: view only.

Full guide: Pīpīwai Trail and Kīpahulu guide →

5. Wailua Falls — beyond Hāna

One of the best roadside waterfall views when legal parking is available. View from the road; keep driving if the pullout is full.

Swim verdict: view only; do not treat the roadside area as a swimming stop.

Full guide: Best Road to Hāna stops →

6. Puohokamoa Falls viewpoint — Garden of Eden

A legal, maintained overlook on private visitor grounds.

Swim verdict: view only; admission required.

Full guide: Best Road to Hāna stops →

7. Upper Waikani Falls / Three Bears — Hāna Highway

A classic passenger-side view, but limited legal pullout space makes stopping unreliable.

Swim verdict: view from the road only; keep driving if the pullout is full.

Full guide: Best Road to Hāna stops →

8. Honokōhau Falls — helicopter view

The most dramatic waterfall on Maui, hidden in the West Maui Mountains and realistically seen from the air.

Inside a Maui tour helicopter. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)

Swim verdict: aerial viewing only.

Helicopter tours →

The Rain Rule

More rain does not create a better waterfall day. If a stream turns brown, rises, carries debris or rain is falling heavily upstream, leave the water and move to higher ground. Wait for multiple dry days after substantial East Maui rain rather than assuming a clearing sky means the stream is safe.

Waterfalls run on rain. The same fall can be a trickle one week and this the next. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)

Never go in because other people are swimming; conditions change faster than the crowd realizes.

Best Waterfall Day Without Driving to Hāna

Start at Twin Falls when it opens, then continue to Hoʻokipa and Pāʻia for lunch. You get a real waterfall outing, North Shore scenery and a good meal without committing to the full Road to Hāna.

Hoʻokipa: Hoʻokipa guide → The whole drive: Ultimate Road to Hāna guide →

Waterfalls to Leave Off the Visitor List

• Commando Hike: Unofficial access, serious flash-flood exposure and private-property concerns.
• Blue Pool: Public access is closed and reaching it requires crossing or parking on private property.
• Alelele Falls: Treat it as closed. The access has been fenced and it is not a maintained public attraction.
• ʻOheʻo Gulch pools: View from the designated park trail; water entry remains closed because of flash floods, rockfall and other hazards.
• Random bridge-side waterfalls: No photograph is worth blocking Hāna Highway, trespassing or stepping into traffic.

If swimming or getting farther off the beaten path matters, take a guided tour with legal access rather than exploring random falls on your own.

Why the pools are out: Hāna beaches and swimming → The trails: Best hikes on the Road to Hāna →

Before You Go

How the Mile Markers Work

Mile markers on the Road to Hāna start over at zero where Highway 360 begins, just past Pāʻia, and climb as you drive toward Hāna. After Hāna the road becomes Highway 31 and the numbers run backward. That is why Koki and Hāmoa are near mile marker 50 while Kīpahulu, farther along, is near mile marker 42. Past Hāna, follow the named turns and the map pins rather than the markers.

One Last Tip

Stay safe and enjoy the view. A brown stream is a closed stream.

Check before you go: Hāna Highway status (HDOT) · Waiʻānapanapa reservations (State Parks) · Flood and surf warnings (NWS)

What is the best waterfall on Maui?

Waimoku Falls at the end of the Pīpīwai Trail in Kīpahulu: about four miles round trip through bamboo to the viewpoint. For the easiest complete waterfall outing, Twin Falls near the start of the Road to Hāna.

Can you swim in Maui’s waterfalls?

Only at Twin Falls and Puaʻa Kaʻa, and only when conditions allow: at Twin Falls stay out during or after heavy rain and obey closures; at Puaʻa Kaʻa use the lower pool only when the water is clear and calm. Everywhere else is view-only.

Is Blue Pool open?

No. Public access is closed and reaching it means crossing or parking on private property. Don’t go.