Pools of ʻOheʻo

Pools of ʻOheʻo is a chain of stream pools and waterfalls in a lush gulch on Haleakalā's Kīpahulu coast. Keep it on your list if you're already making the long drive this far: a short walk gives you waterfall views, green gorge walls, and a look out to the ocean. The pools are closed to entry, so this is a viewing stop, not a bathing hole. Water levels vary, too; don't count on the falls looking exactly the same each time.

The marked Kūloa Point loop starts at the Kīpahulu Visitor Center and is 0.5 mile long, with about 80 feet of elevation change. It passes a Hawaiian cultural demonstration area and reaches Kuloa Point at the mouth of the gulch. Pause at the pools viewpoints, then continue to the coast for a very different ocean view. For photos, frame the stepped falls from the trail, then turn toward the Pacific at Kuloa Point.

Kīpahulu was a settled coastal district long before it became a park destination. Radiocarbon dating places settlement between A.D. 1161 and 1384, and coastal surveys have recorded at least 300 archaeological features. Rain-fed gardens grew kalo (taro) and ʻuala (sweet potato), while the shore and reef supplied fish. You'll pass a cultural demonstration area on the loop; the wider coastal trail network also reveals evidence of the old village and its changing uses.

When French explorer La Pérouse sailed past in 1786, he described cascades and so many inhabitants along the coast that several miles appeared to him like one village. It was his impression from the water, not a count of the population, but it gives a sense of how lived-in this coast was.

Kīpahulu's streams support endemic gobies and other fish descended from ancient saltwater ancestors. The famous falls are part of a larger stream system reaching from the wet uplands to the coast, and those native fish are one of its less visible wonders.

Rain in the mountains can send flash floods down the stream even when the coast is sunny. Falling rocks are common around the falls, and the roar of the water can hide their sound. Stay on marked trails and respect closures; the closed pools are not a safe place to test the current.

Kīpahulu is 12 miles beyond Hāna on Hāna Highway. This is a remote district, so fill the tank and bring food before you set out; the park has no gas or food service. Drinking water is available at park visitor centers, including the Kīpahulu Visitor Center at the trail start. Give yourself enough time for the winding approach, the loop, and the drive back.