Haleakala National Park, located on Maui, has some amazing hikes that are just right for families. Perhaps most amazing of all is the variety of hikes, from high alpine volcano, to a bamboo forest, Haleakala has a lot to offer for hikers of all ages. We put together our list of family-friendly trails in Haleakala. These are the best kid hikes in Haleakala. If you’d like a printable list of these hikes that you can save to your phone, or screenshot for reference, just enter your email below and it will come to your inbox.
SUMMIT AREA HIKES
The summit area of Haleakala is straight up from the airport in Kailua. This area of the volcano has a lot of short hikes that are easy for kids. By advised that the top of the mountain is 10,000 feet, so be prepared for the cold and wind, and potentially, altitude sickness.
Pa Ka‘oao Trail
This short trail from the summit Visitor Center takes you just a 1/4 mile to the top of the hill to look down into the volcano. You can see the ancient cinder cones. This hike is very easy.
Keonehe‘ehe‘e or Sliding Sands Trail
This trail runs for a long distance. It’s main advantage is to get you below the rim of the volcano. You can go just a half mile to the first overlook, which is what we recommend for kids.
Leleiwi Overlook Trail
Located below the rim, this short, easy trail allows you to cross the highway and walk up to a look into the crater. This trail is relatively flat and very easy, but doesn’t offer too much more than you see from the top of the mountain.
Hosmer Grove Trail
This is our favorite hike in the summit area. It is near the lower Visitor Center on the way up to the summit. This is a short double loop that takes you through prime birding area where you can spot the scarlet honeycreeper, or I’iwi, which is a symbol of Hawaii.
KIPAHULU AREA
The Kipahulu Area is located just south of Hana and is entirely different from the summit. This area is more of a rain forest, and has a few amazing hikes that are nothing like those at the summit. Kipahulu and the Summit are three hours apart, so they shouldn’t be visited on the same day.
Pipiwai Trail & Waimoku Falls
This was our favorite trail in Haleakala. It leads through an amazing bamboo forest to the 400 ft Waimoku Waterfall. It runs a full four miles, and the trail goes uphill all the way to the waterfall. We give it a moderate rating for families. But it is definitely worth it!
Kuloa Point or The Seven Sacred Pools
This trail is only a half mile roundtrip. You can see the ocean and view seven pools along the river. These pools are striking because they are connected by a series of small waterfalls. We rate this hike very easy.
