This trip we set out to conquer as many trails as we could. We heard that Waihe’e Ridge was one of the best hikes in Maui, so we set out on our adventure. We could have planned our visit to Waihe’e Ridge a little better. Ideally, I would have liked to get there early before the clouds roll in because you can’t see anything once that happens.

There’s a parking lot near the entrance of the trail so we parked the car, gathered our belongings, and walked over to the gates to begin our hike. This was most daunting part of the entire thing (in my opinion). There are two entrances to the trail and, for some reason, the easier one is not always open. So we were left with taking the Z-shaped narrow entry that is blocked by cattle. And I mean a lot of cows. So many that all of a sudden you find yourself trying to speak “cow” and making noises in an effort shoo them out of your way so you can squeeze past them. And they do eventually move. But it can take a while.

Rain from earlier in the day made the already steep trail seem a little more unmanageable than normal. The concrete walkway turned into a narrow foot trodden path through the grass before opening up to an actual woodland road of roots. Although it was overcast, daylight bounced off the leaves and branches and everything seemed to glow. We stopped by the first overlook and took in the sweeping views of an unspoiled Maui.

The trail was becoming increasingly muddy and we could already see the clouds slowly making their way to block our view. We only had a few hours before sunset so we turned around and made our way back, vowing to visit Waihe’e Ridge again, only next time before the clouds rolled in. The trail still proved to make one of the best hikes in Maui.