By Nandor Szotak - January 10th 2025
In my opinion, the West Maui Mountains (Mount Kahālāwai) are among the most underrated mountains in Hawaii. When you ask someone about Maui, they often mention their visit to Hāna and Hāleakala National Park. However, the West Maui Mountains offer some of the most breathtaking views in all of Hawaii, accessible only by helicopter (we'll discuss that later), such as the “Wall of Tears,” a lush cliff face adorned with numerous waterfalls. Mauna Kahālāwai is an eroded volcano known for its narrow knife-edge ridges, steep slopes, and deep valleys.
Featuring a significant elevation range and diverse terrain, Mauna Kahālāwai hosts a variety of microclimates and plant life.
Known as the West Maui Mountains, the relatively recent Hawaiian name “Kahālāwai” translates to the House of Water.
If you look at these mountains it might remind you of the Nā Pali Coast on Kauai or the Koʻolau Mountains on Oʻahu.
In this part of Maui, hiking trails are limited. The majority of hiking takes place in Hāleakala National Park. In West Maui, popular trails include the Waiheʻe Ridge Trail (Lanilili), the Lahaina Pali Trail, the Mahana Ridge Trail, and some coastal trails. However, only the Waiheʻe Ridge Trail leads to a true mountain peak.
You're reading this blog to learn more about Kapilau Ridge Highpoint. As noted on the ListOfJohns website, Kapilau Ridge stands at 4,421 feet with a prominence exceeding 1,500 feet, ranking it 31st among Hawaii's 100 Highest Peaks and 18th in prominence among peaks in Hawaii. So yes, it's considered a significant mountain by Hawaiian standards.
Now, let's get into the story of my climb.
We had planned a weekend trip to Maui with some friends back in December, but eventually, only three of us were ready to go. When the time arrived, I was the only one who could fly in early on Friday, while Stacy and Cinja joined later that evening. The day before my Kapilau adventure, I was in Hilo, which meant no direct flight to Kahului, Maui. I woke up at 4:45 am to catch the earliest flight from Hilo to Honolulu, then continued to Kahului. By the time I reached Maui, it was already 8:30 am. The West Maui Mountains were clear, making it a perfect day for hiking. However, I didn't realize the rental car office was outside the airport, and their shuttle arrived every 30-45 minutes. They gave me a pretty rundown car, but it was great for hiking trail parking, right? Less chance of a break-in with a beat-up rental compared to a shiny one. I intended to pick up camping gas for the next two days at Ace Hardware, the only place selling this type of fuel. But guess what? The store was temporarily closed... What a day!
It was already past 10 am, and I started feeling the time crunch since the other shop closed at 5 pm, and the girls were arriving at 7 pm. I had to make sure that I was on time for everything.
After driving around the Wailuku Cross trailhead, where my trail began, I realized there were no parking spots, just some pull-over areas on the side. I knew if I parked there, I'd better take all my valuables with me up the mountain. I loaded my Hyperlite 45L pack with my camera gear, drone, 3 liters of water, snacks, and headed out. It was almost 11 am, the sun was hot, and the forest was humid. The perfect time to start a hike...
The trail began steep and hot. All I knew about this ridge was that over a decade ago, Bob Burd (a hiker/peak bagger) had climbed it. He mentioned it was more challenging than he anticipated, despite having climbed many high peaks in Hawaii before. I aimed to match his time, which was about half an hour to the cross and approximately 6.5 hours roundtrip to Kapilau Ridge.
"Well, he didn't have to carry all his gear plus 3 liters of water," I thought to myself.
Reaching the cross in 20 minutes, about 0.7 miles, I felt confident, thinking, "Okay, I got this!"
After taking a sip of water, I continued hiking through this dry forest with red dirt.
The trail remained quite good until I reached a fence with a gate. A sign warned to be cautious of pig traps and to ensure clean shoes when entering this protected area. I checked my shoes and clothes; since it was extremely dry, there wasn't any mud on my shoe soles or any hitchhiking vegetation on my clothes.
I felt like I was in the desert. It was dusty, super dry with all kinds of cactus plants around me. The views were pretty amazing already.
If I looked right I was looking into Iʻao Valley, if I turned left I looked into Waikapū Valley.
Looking at the map I knew I would have some false peaks to climb before the actual highpoint on the mountain.
On the way, there was a "smaller" peak named Puʻu Lio at 3130 feet. I considered flying my drone from there since the weather was ideal with no wind—perfect for the drone, though not as perfect for me hiking this steep ridge :D
As shown in the picture, as I got closer to this elevation, the uluhe fern began to appear, making the trail much narrower. It felt just like being in the Koʻolau Mountains on Oʻahu. Lush green vegetation and narrow, almost disappearing trails made me feel at home!
By the way, I referred to Puʻu Lio as a "smaller" peak, but it's only 20 feet lower than the highest peak in the Koʻolaus on Oʻahu, Konahuanui's K1 peak, which stands at 3150 feet.
In this vicinity, I came across the initial pig trap along the trail. From that point forward, I carefully watched each step to avoid stepping into one. It seems that these traps were set up in a more overgrown, steep area where pigs can quickly run downhill, leading them into the traps.
After 1 hour and 20 minutes, 1.5 miles of hiking, and 2,600 feet of elevation gain, I reached the top of Puʻu Lio. It was not much of a peak, so my drone flying plan was off.
I was getting the hang of the trail, the sweat, and the heat, so I continued without taking much of a break. I anticipated that the final puʻu (hill) before Kapilau Highpoint would be an ideal spot for a longer rest and a drone flying session.
The 0.4 miles to the next hill passed quickly. Surprisingly, there was still a trail to follow until I reached this stunning flat clearing. It felt like arriving in Heaven :D
I was thrilled to fly my drone at this location. Typically, people need to pay for a helicopter tour to get great photos of these mountains. But now, with perfectly clear weather and my new drone, I'm ready to take off.
I was flying for at least 20-25 minutes until some clouds rolled in. I was very lucky to capture some amazing shots and videos. I felt like a new person after this break, I ate a RX bar and some sunflower seed butter to get some calories in, drank some water with electrolytes and I was ready to go. To lighten my load, I left a 1-liter bottle of water at the clearing. I put on my gloves and with some new energy, I was ready for the next 0.7 miles of bushwhack.
Yes, I forgot to mention that the trail I followed ended at the clearing. Beyond this point, it became more of a narrow ridge traverse through thick vegetation. I aimed to walk on top of the uluhe fern as much as possible. Staying above the uluhe allows for quicker movement, while the deeper you go, the harder it becomes to progress.
I knew that this climb would be a longer, slower journey since I couldn't move quickly, nor did I want to rush through the dense native vegetation. I moved like a chameleon, smooth and slow. In many areas, I had to choose which side of the ridge to advance on. The left (west) side was always deeper and more difficult to navigate, while the right side (east) was more exposed but offered a better surface for walking. I relied on uki grass, a shiny, long-leafed, bushy vegetation that I could hold onto while balancing on the mountain's edge. There were some spots where I hesitated about how to cross because they seemed a bit precarious, but they weren't as challenging as some other ridge traverses I've done before.
Out of nowhere I saw a pretty new looking blue webbing while climbing up the ridge. That was a surprise for sure beacuse I didnʻt see any broken vegetation what would suggest people on the ridge. But at the same time I knew, if that person made it to the top, I can make it too.
At 4000 feet, there was a noticeable change in both the vegetation and the weather.
Clouds moved in, bringing cooler temperatures. Initially, the coolness was refreshing after enduring the day's scorching sun, but it became quite chilly once I stopped hiking.
I felt as though I was simultaneously in the Koʻolaus and Mt Kaʻala (Waianaʻe Mountains), traversing a green, narrow ridge filled with native vegetation and a cool breeze.
I had never seen so many Kanawao plants in my life; they were everywhere!
As I climbed higher, more moss-covered trees appeared. They were challenging to to go around, I had to climb over or duck under them, giving me quite a workout.
The final 0.1 mile was the toughest. I repeatedly stumbled into deep spots between the trees and uluhe. Escaping those areas was challenging. I believe I lost focus on the trail and mistakenly followed the wrong path forward.
I continually checked my map to see my distance from the actual summit. Although it seemed like I was nearly there, I wasn't.
After hiking for an hour and a half and covering just 0.7 miles, I finally made it.
I reached the top!
It took me 3 hours and 20 minutes, covering 2.6 miles of hiking with a 4000-foot elevation gain. It was a short but intense hike, without a doubt, and it was absolutely worth it. This was my first solo climb of a real high peak in the West Maui Mountains. Previously, I hiked the Waiheʻe Ridge Trail to Lanilili peak, which is part of Hawaii's 100 Highest Peaks, but that felt like a walk in the park compared to Kapilau.
Time-wise, I was still in good shape. The return to the flat plateau took me less than an hour. I retrieved my bottle that I had left there earlier and headed down. I was moving quickly downhill on the steep terrain until... you remember those pig tracks... Yes, I encountered one! I fell straight to the ground like a piece of wood. Both of my legs got caught, and I was down in an instant. Thankfully, it's quite easy to get out of those traps, but I slowed down afterward to avoid another incident.
I was cruising on the way down, hoping that no one had broken into my rental car. After 5 hours and 30 minutes, I stopped my watch and happily found my rental untouched.
I made it to Ace Hardware to pick up camping gas, stopped at Whole Foods to eat and drink. I picked up the girls from the airport, prepared for camping and anticipating another adventurous climb up Hanaʻula Peak the following day, but this time with company.
Team: Nandor (Me)
Distance: Total 5.2 miles
Elevation gain: 4200 feet
Hiking Time: 5.5h
Tags: #westmauimountains #hawaiihiking #westmaui #maui