View from Waihou Springs trail

Photos don’t do the Waihou Springs Hike justice; you had to be there, surrounded by the silence, the scents, the beauty.

Though it will come as no surprise to anyone following this blog that it has been years since I took the time to drive the 25 minutes from my house to enjoy these upcountry trails.

Kailua Gulch - 30' rock wall

Situated off of Olinda Road, at the 4000 foot elevation the hike is fairly short; you have two choices, the loop, or the loop along with a short switch back path that leads you down 30 feet into the Kailua Gulch; where you end up with a view of a rock wall with tunnels carved into the side, which are used to divert water. (Though hiking up and peering into one, it didn’t look like water had flowed through these tunnels in quite sometime.)

Walking at a moderate pace, the entire hike takes no more than one hour. Yes, it is short and sweet, but for me, breathing in the scent of the pine, cypress and eucalyptus trees is a great way to feel the late fall season, which in Olinda is quite different then the jungle foliage of Haiku. Along with the Twin Falls Hike, I will not wait so long to return.

Makawao’s street fair is coming up this week—hope it is as fun as the one in Paia was.

As suggested to me by a reader, I’ve added a LIKE button to my posts. If you don’t want to leave a comment but want to pass along my blog…