Oheo Gulch

Oheo Gulch Review

One branch of Haleakala National Park runs down the mountain from the crater and reaches the sea here, 10 miles past Hana at mile marker 42, where a basalt-lined stream cascades from one pool to the next. Some tour guides still call this area "Seven Sacred Pools," but in truth there are more than seven, and they've never been considered sacred. You can park here and walk to the lowest pools for a cool swim. The place gets crowded, though, because most people who drive the Hana Highway make this their last stop. If you enjoy hiking, go up the stream on the 2-mile hike to Waimoku Falls. The trail crosses a spectacular gorge, then turns into a boardwalk that takes you through an amazing bamboo forest. You can pitch a tent in the grassy campground down by the sea.

Grave of Charles Lindbergh. Many people travel the mile past Oheo Gulch to see the Grave of Charles Lindbergh. The world-renowned aviator chose to be buried here because he and his wife, writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, spent a lot of time living in the area in a home they'd built. He was buried here in 1974, next to Palapala Hoomau Congregational Church. The simple one-room church sits on a bluff over the sea, with the small graveyard on the ocean side. Since this is a churchyard, be considerate and leave everything exactly as you found it. Next to the churchyard on the ocean side is a small county park, a good place for a peaceful picnic. Palapala Hoomau Congregational Church, Piilani Hwy., Kipahulu, 96713.

Kaupo Road. The Road to Hana continues all the way around Haleakala's "back side" through Ulupalakua Ranch and into Kula. The desertlike area, with its grand vistas, is unlike anything else on the island, but some of the road is in bad shape, sometimes impassable in winter, and parts of it are unpaved. Car rental agencies call it off-limits for their passenger cars, and no emergency assistance is available. The small communities around East Maui cling tenuously to the old ways. Please keep that in mind if you do pass this way. 96713. 808/986-1200.