Honolua Ridge Trail

Honolua Ridge Trail is a roughly 2-mile out-and-back on an unpaved ridge path in the Maunalei Arboretum network. From the upper trail start by Mokupeʻa Lookout, it climbs to Puʻu Kaʻeo Lookout and descends toward the Sugi Pine Grove. It suits hikers looking for a planted upland forest and who are already at the upper network; reaching that start from public resort access is a much bigger walk.

The mapped corridor is just under a mile each way; older trail information lists 1.25 miles one way, so treat this section as roughly 2 to 2.5 miles total. Allow about two hours once you reach the upper start. The path climbs to a ridge high point near 1,650 feet, then drops toward the grove; turn around and retrace it. The marked payoff is the lookout and the planted trees, not a long summit traverse.

D.T. Fleming, Honolua Ranch’s plantation manager, created the arboretum after collecting trees. Its plant guide identifies native maile and ʻamakū alongside introduced Sugi (Japanese cedar), Cook pine and other species. At the Sugi Grove, frame the narrow tread between the trunks; it is the clearest defining view on this short ridge route.

Do not drive into the gated upper neighborhood. Public access is listed from Kapalua Village Center or D.T. Fleming Beach, on foot via Mahana Ridge. Current access information describes the walk to the upper trailhead as a strenuous 20-plus-mile round trip; older maps and hiking accounts give materially shorter distances. Confirm the current route before setting out. No drinking-water source is confirmed on the upper segment, so carry enough for the full walk-in and return.