Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.
I did an unpopular route listed in Maui Trails by Kathy Morey, but not in any other hiking guidebook.
She calls this the “ Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary “, an awkward moniker it seemed to me.
A far more common use of this trail is as the Kaupo Gap exit from the volcanic crater above. I was walking it backwards, uphill rather than downhill.
On the bright side, it’s well signed.
I suspect many hikers in the past arrived at remote Kaupō Ranch in rough shape from the 6000ft+ descent.
From GORP:
… Kaupo Trail can be an experience in misery: blistered feet, tortured knees, intense sun or torrential rain, and no available drinking water. The steep, rocky terrain in Kaupo Gap makes it essential that you be in good physical condition. Weak knees, bad backs, and new boots are not compatible with this trail. …
Actually, crossing a working cattle ranch was interesting.
Wild pigs are a bit of a pest. I saw many.
wild piglet
Here’s a working trap, set to capture the bacon.
I stepped on over ripe avocados.
There were no signs any other hikers had ever been on this trail. Only myself, a few farm hands, and these onlookers.
Views back to the wild Kahikinui coast were nice.
But for me the biggest attraction of this walk was that it felt an authentic Hawaiian experience, not a standard tourist cattle trail.
I recommend it.
See the rest of my Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary pics.
Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.
I did an unpopular route listed in Maui Trails by Kathy Morey, but not in any other hiking guidebook.
She calls this the “ Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary “, an awkward moniker it seemed to me.
A far more common use of this trail is as the Kaupo Gap exit from the volcanic crater above. I was walking it backwards, uphill rather than downhill.
On the bright side, it’s well signed.
I suspect many hikers in the past arrived at remote Kaupō Ranch in rough shape from the 6000ft+ descent.
From GORP:
Actually, crossing a working cattle ranch was interesting.
Wild pigs are a bit of a pest. I saw many.
wild piglet
Here’s a working trap, set to capture the bacon.
I stepped on over ripe avocados.
There were no signs any other hikers had ever been on this trail. Only myself, a few farm hands, and these onlookers.
Views back to the wild Kahikinui coast were nice.
But for me the biggest attraction of this walk was that it felt an authentic Hawaiian experience, not a standard tourist cattle trail.
I recommend it.
See the rest of my Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary pics.