Olivine Pools

Olivine Pools is a cluster of natural tide pools in a dark lava shelf on West Maui’s northwest coast. The roadside pullout near mile marker 16 gives you a high-ground look at the pools and open surf. Make this an overlook stop only: don’t climb down to the shelf or swim. Rogue waves can sweep across the pools without warning, even when the ocean looks calm. If you came for a swim, skip it.

Use the unmarked roadside pullout on Kahekili Highway as your destination; the mapped pools are farther out on the exposed shelf. This is a rough roadside stop, not a developed visitor site. The highway is narrow and exposed through this stretch, so have the location ready before you reach it. No public facilities are documented here, so plan for restrooms and water elsewhere.

Olivine is a green mineral found in volcanic rock, and the pools’ name is commonly tied to it. The idea that olivine gives these exact pools their color hasn’t been confirmed by a site-specific study. The striking contrast is easy to see: pale greenish water against black lava, with the open ocean beyond.

From the high ground, frame the dark lava shelf with the white surf behind it; that shows both the pools and the exposed coast. Don’t step onto the lava for a closer angle.