Bamboo Forest on Maui: Experiencing The Pipiwai Trail

A long-awaited visit to the bamboo forest is verdant, solitary, and in short, spectacular!

Entering the Pipiwai Trail at Haleakala National Park, Maui. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Last January, we took our third trip to the island of Maui. All three trips have been during the winter months of December and January as experienced in the Northern Hemisphere. One needs to escape the Wisconsin winters if only for a short time. The sun, warmth, and lack of need to wear bulky clothing are rejuvenating.

Haleakala Crater © Carol Labuzzetta, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

As an environmental educator, I take an interest in the native plants when we visit a new place. Although we had traveled to Maui before and been to the Haleakala Volcano summit on all three occasions, we never made it to the park entrance that lies beyond the town of Hana. On this trip, we did!

Boardwalk portion of the Pipiwai Trail on Maui. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Not only did we want to experience the switchback-filled drive to Hana, but we wanted to visit the Pipiwai Trail that traverses a bamboo forest on the island. On a prior trip, we made it to the Ke’anae Pennisula…