Kahakapao and Waihou Are Still Behind Closed Gates. Where Olinda Walks in the Meantime

"The compounding impacts of successive storms are affecting our ability to safely open certain areas in a timely manner," Marigold Zoll, administrator of the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said in a DLNR release on Sept. 30. The same release reopened most of Maui's state forest lands after Hurricane Nolo. It kept Makawao State Forest Reserve, Kula Forest Reserve and Waihou Spring Forest Reserve "closed pending storm damage repairs."

For people on Olinda and Piʻiholo roads, that list covers the Kahakapao loop and bike trails and the Waihou Spring Trail. Those are the walks closest to home. Nolo itself was a smaller event than people braced for. Hawaiʻi Public Radio's live coverage said the storm brought wind and heavy rain but "was not as destructive as expected." Zoll's word "compounding" explains the gap. The gates above Olinda reflect damage from the whole year, and the reopening on Haleakalā's slopes has started in stages.

Three storms, counted by the roads they closed

The forest reserves sit beside the same roads that kept closing all year. Each storm left its own damage on those roads.

• February. During severe weather, The Maui News reported that downed trees and power-line safety concerns closed Piiholo Road near 1670 and Olinda Road near 2640.
• August. Lala brought gusts of nearly 90 mph to parts of Maui County. County crews, the Department of Water Supply and DOFAW cleared Olinda Road and the top of Piʻiholo. The County said that in some sections of Ehu Road, the road surface was hidden under fallen trees and debris until it reopened on Aug. 18, according to a County of Maui update. The Maui News counted 74 damage reports to the county's emergency agency by midday that Tuesday, many from Haʻikū, Olinda, Makawao and other Upcountry areas.
• Late September. Nolo arrived with milder impacts than forecast. On Sept. 27, about 11,300 Maui customers were still without power in West Maui, Haʻikū and Upcountry, HPR reported.

The trees involved are the familiar ones. After Lala, The Maui News reported eucalyptus falling along Olinda Road and bringing down power lines. Maui Now describes the Makawao reserve itself as a misty forest of "towering non-native trees" whose canopy shades the trails. That canopy gives Kahakapao its character, and crews have to inspect and clear it after every storm.

What's open and what isn't on the mountain

By the end of October, Upcountry's forests made up nearly all of the state land on Maui that was still closed. The State Parks notice dated Oct. 30 says every Maui and Molokaʻi state park has reopened except Polipoli, which remains closed due to downed trees. The latest status for each area near Olinda:

The two reserves closest to Olinda are still on the list from late September. Kula is the only reserve in this group with a reopening date. That reopening is narrow, but it shows how DOFAW is bringing these reserves back.

The first gate opens for bird hunters

An Oct. 28 DOFAW release reopened three adjacent areas on Haleakalā's leeward slopes to game-bird hunting starting Nov. 7: Kula Forest Reserve, the Kaonoulu Ranch Cooperative Game Management Area and the Papaʻanui Tract of the Kahikinui Forest Reserve. Access is for hunters only, on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays. Hunters book a day by calling the permit line at 808-359-0604 on Mondays between 8 and 9 a.m. for the coming weekend. Reservations started Nov. 2.

The setup is controlled and small. Visitors come only on certain days, and the agency knows in advance who will be on the land. The release says DOFAW "continues to evaluate public safety, restoration and natural resource management priorities for future hiking and game mammal hunting access within these and other forest reserves." Hikers, mammal hunters and the Makawao and Waihou reserves fall under that "future access" language.

Kula shows that wind damage takes more than a few weeks to clear. After Lala in August, The Maui News reported that planned hunter access to Kula Forest Reserve was postponed because of "extensive wind damage to the forest and the hunter check station." Nolo followed about six weeks after Lala, and the limited hunting season returns about six weeks after Nolo. Every reopening on this mountain has followed repair work, whatever the weather was doing at the time.

What the closure puts on hold in Makawao

Kahakapao is a busy place. In its May coverage of the reserve's first management plan, Maui Now reported that the Makawao Forest Reserve opened to the public in 1997 and now draws more than 30,000 visitors a year, with trails built for hikers, bikers and equestrians. Volunteers from the Sierra Club Maui Group and the Maui Mountain Bike Coalition often do the trail maintenance there, along with staff from the state's Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access Program.

The storms hit in the same year DOFAW began formal long-term planning for the reserve. On April 16 the department posted a 314-page draft management plan for the Makawao Forest Reserve. It covers the next 10 years and lists threats from invasive plants and animals, koa moth outbreaks, koa wilt and climate change. Raina Myers of the Sierra Club Maui Group told Maui Now she would have liked more community interaction around the draft. Aaron "Moose" Reichert, founder of the Maui Mountain Bike Coalition, worried the plan leaned toward conservation and said little about recreation. Lance De Silva, the state's Maui branch forestry program manager, answered directly: "Makawao Forest Reserve is a heavily recreated place, so we're not shutting down any of that."

When the gates do open, the trail crews in this reserve will likely be the same groups who were already doing the work.

Places to walk closer to home for now

The open places nearby each give you something different from the Kahakapao loop.

Hui Noʻeau's Kaluanui grounds in Makawao. The Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center invites visitors to walk the Kaluanui Estate grounds free of charge. It lists hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and its announcement banner gives Tuesday through Saturday as center hours. A self-guided guidebook costs $6. Guided Kaluanui walking tours run Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for $12 per person. From the Olinda side, it's the shortest drive on this list.

Hosmer Grove and the Summit District. Haleakalā National Park lists the Summit District as open. A sunrise reservation is needed only for entry between 3 and 7 a.m., and the entrance fee is collected separately. Hosmer Grove Campground still takes reservations. A current park alert says water there is shut off because of a waterline break, with no estimate for the repair. Water is available 24 hours a day at the Headquarters Visitor Center, one mile up the road. The park also asks drivers to watch for nēnē and ʻuaʻu, which nest in the park and may land on the road up. Near sunset, cars may be turned around at the summit entrance when capacity is reached.

Kula Botanical Garden. If you'd like a planted landscape that's tended every day, Kula Botanical Garden is open daily for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.

Polipoli is still closed, so the higher Kula trails are not an option yet.

Checking the gate before you drive up

DLNR tracks open and closed areas in its OuterSpatial app, which you can also reach through the map at dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/app. The department said it would keep the app current as storm repairs continue. The Sept. 30 release also cautions that "unidentified and unmitigated hazards may still exist" in areas that have reopened. That's a good reason to check before taking the dog up a trail that looked fine last spring. DOFAW's Maui Nui Branch takes questions at 808-984-8100.

Once Kahakapao and Waihou reopen, the Nā Ala Hele trail program asks hikers to stay on official trails, clean their gear before and after a hike to avoid spreading invasive seeds and disease, and keep pets leashed.

At Mino McLean, we live and work Upcountry, and we follow the reopening of these forests as closely as our neighbors on Olinda Road do. If you'd like to talk about life at the top of Makawao, whether that's road access, trees on your property or the trails beyond your fence line, request a personalized consultation and we'll share what we know.