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Oheo Gulch Review

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All Hawaii National Parks

Oheo Gulch

Address: Piilani Hwy., 10 mi south of Hana, Paia, HI, 96713 | Map It

Category: Bodies of Water
Location: The North Shore

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Fodor's Review:

One branch of Haleakala National Park runs down the mountain from the crater and reaches the sea here, 10 mi 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, since most people who drive the Hana Highway make this their last stop. If you enjoy hiking, go up the stream on the 2-mi 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.

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.

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 the road itself is bad, sometimes impassable in winter, and parts of it are unpaved. Car-rental agencies call it off-limits to their passenger cars and there is no emergency assistance available. The small communities around East Maui cling tenuously to the old ways. Please keep them in mind if you do pass this way. Part of the road that was damaged in a 2006 earthquake has been repaired and is once again open.- 808/572-4400 dial 0 during the recorded message to speak to a representative during office hrs.

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