How to get to Waihee Ridge trailhead + What to do if it’s a full parking lot at the trailhead? 🌴 Maui Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

 

So you’re off to hike the Waihee Ridge Trail in the West Maui mountains!

 

 

 

So there is a parking lot right near the Waihee Ridge trailhead, but it’s possible that it can get full. What to do then?!

I did the Waihee Ridge Trail in January 2020 and this is what the parking situation was like.

 

 

Google Maps has the correct location, so you can use that to navigate.

Once you get near, the road your turn off will be towards the mountains, on the left side.

First you’ll see a ranch.

 

 

And then right after that, you’ll see the road to take to get to the Waihee Ridge trailhead.

 

 

You’ll immediately see a big parking area, and maybe a few cars parked here.

 

 

Hopefully you won’t have to park here!

This is the overflow lot for the main Waihee Ridge Trail parking lot.

So you’ll keep driving, heading up towards the mountains a little bit, and as you continue the ocean will be behind you.

 

 

Then, you’ll come to the Waihee Ridge Trail parking lot.

 

 

While there are a good number of parking spots, this is a popular trail so it can fill up.

I went here on a Sunday morning in January around 11am, and there were no parking spots open.

 

If there’s no parking available, you basically have 2 options:

• Drive back to the overflow parking lot (this would add a couple of miles to your hike! Or, you can attempt to “hitchhike” up to the trailhead)
• Wait and hope people will finish up the hike soon so a parking spot will open up

 

I decided to wait and hope that some people would leave soon.

First a few people finished up, but they were lingering around and didn’t leave immediately.

Then more people came and then left basically immediately.

It turned out that I waited around 5-10 minutes for this. 

 

 

 

And once you park…

You can go to the trailhead to get started on the trail!

And before you start on the trail, consider wiping down the bottom of your shoes to try to keep invasive plant seeds from spreading in these mountains.

 

 

 

🌴

 

 

 

So what to do if the Waihee Ridge Trail parking lot is really full?

 

There is another parking lot right next to the Waihee Ridge Trail parking lot, but this isn’t for the public.

So the overflow lot back down near the main road would be where you need to go!

 

 

Again this would add on distance to your hike.

It’s about 0.8 miles from the overflow parking lot at the bottom of the road to the main parking lot. 

You can try to “hitchhike” your way up to the trailhead if there are cars driving by! 

After the hike as I was driving back down to the main road, there was a girl who was walking so I offered her a ride to the main road.

It turns out she took an Uber to Waihee Ridge Trail!

It was like $40 one way.

I think she was staying in Lahaina (just south of Kaanapali in West Maui) although I don’t remember exactly. 

 

 

Another option if the Waihee Ridge Trail parking lot is full

You can come back later and hope there will be open parking spots then!

In the meantime, you can head down the road just a little bit to do a waterfall hike!

 

 

There’s the 13 crossings trail to see the Makamakaole stream waterfalls!

See 2 sets of waterfalls plus a small bamboo forest!

You can make it a great hiking day in the West Maui mountains!

 

 

And that’s a bit about parking to start the Waihee Ridge Trail!

 

Also see the list of more great hikes on Maui!

And, the Waihee Ridge Trail is at the southern end of the Kahekili Highway.

Also see what there is at the northern end of Kahekili Highway.

You can make it somewhat of a hike there too.

Recommended to get there not by going straight north from the Waihee Ridge Trail, but by looping around past Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua, the blowhole, and the tide pools to get there… unless you don’t mind driving the one-lane portion of the Kahekili Highway!

 

Also see things to do in West Maui for views and things to do in South Maui for views!

 

GOOD LUCK PARKING AT WAIHEE RIDGE TRAIL!