Wailuku Heights Cross Trail

Wailuku Heights Cross Trail is a roughly 1.0-mile out-and-back from W Alu Road up Kapilau Ridge to the large cross above Wailuku. It climbs about 770 feet in just over half a mile. Short doesn't mean easy here: this is a hard, direct climb, and a steady visitor should allow 1.5 to 2 hours. The cross and partial views over Wailuku and Kahului are the payoff.

The lower path is an informal use trail. I couldn't verify who owns it or whether public access has been formally granted, so check local access signs before setting out.

From the roadside start, a small path heads almost straight up the ridge spine, with no switchbacks. Expect roots, dirt and loose rock; the eroded tread can be slippery when wet, and some visitors report branching lines. Trees shade much of the climb. Gaps give you glimpses of Wailuku and Kahului, though the view is partly screened.

The large white cross sits in a small dirt clearing and is the turnaround for this route. The ridge continues farther beyond it, but older accounts place keep-out signs at the West Maui Forest Reserve boundary higher up. Stop at the cross and stay out of any signed restricted area. If the trees allow, frame the cross with the town below; it makes the short summit stop feel like the point of the climb.

Local accounts credit students and faculty from St. Anthony's with carrying the cross up the ridge; one dates it to the 1950s. I couldn't find a primary record to confirm the date, so treat that timing as a local story rather than settled history.