Kapalua area Hiking Trails

Kapalua Area Hiking Trails

The Kapalua Area Hiking Trail GPX files are based on maps in the Kapalua Trail Booklet (PDF file). Detailed information about the trails, shuttle schedule and access can be found on the Hiking Trails page.

Note: One needs to use the shuttle to get to the D.T. Fleming Maunalei Arboretum since the access road passes through private land.

Note: As of 2016 January 1, the Kapalua shuttle service no longer runs. This means the only access is via the Honolua ridge trail — about 8.75 miles each way — with substantial altitude gain.

Note: The Jean-Michel Costeau Ambassadors of the Environmentr runs "Arboretum Hikes" — contact the Ambassadors for more information.

The maps were digitized and georegistered using a few landmarks vaguely visible in the background of the printed maps, with some adjustments based on field observations. The accuracy is maybe 10 meter or so in most places — perhaps as bad as 30 meters in a few spots.

The tracks are in the form of GPX files, which can be used in e.g. Google Earth, Garmin MapSource, various GPS receivers and in “classic” Google Maps. Unfortunately these all have slightly different requirements in terms of the format of GPX files that they will accept. (Files with names ending in “_GE” are made for Google Earth (GE), which requires <ele> and <time> fields, while files with names ending in “_GPS” are for loading in GPS devices, which do not like these fields).

Above, the tracks are shown in Google Earth on the left, and in classic Google Maps on the right. Click on these images to zoom in to see some more detail.

For Google Earth (GE) and Garmin GPSMap (GPS):

First, GPX files for individual trails:

Coastal Trail (light blue): (GE) (GPS)
Village Walking Trails - Lake Loop (dark blue) and Cardio Loop (dark green): (GE) (GPS)
Honolua Ridge (magenta) and Sugi Pine (cyan): (GE) (GPS)
Mahana Ridge (yellow) (GE) (GPS)

There is also a single GPX file that combines them all:

Kapalua Trails Combined: (GE) (GPS)

Different GPS receivers have different requirements for loading track files. For Garmin GPSMAP 64S e.g. load the GPX file into d:\garmin\gpx directory on the device (when the device is connected via USB cord and appears with driver letter d:). Once on the GPS receiver, you may have to “activate” the track for it to appear on screen. In the case of the Garmin GPSMAP 64s e.g. go to “Track Management” from the “Main Menu,” select each track in turn and click “Show on Map” (It is also possible to change the color used to display each track).

Classic Google Maps

It is also possible to view the tracks in the “classic” version of Google Maps provided (i) they are converted to KML format using Google Earth, (ii) loaded onto some web site (as opposed to stored on your computer). To use the classic version of Google Maps, click on the “?” icon in Google Maps and select “return to classic Google Maps” ). (Note however that Google may discontinue support for this).

You can paste the link Kapalua_Hiking_Trails.kml (<- right click and select “Copy Link Location") into the search box in classic Google Maps.

General Comments

Some of the trails are broken up into segments that connect to one another:

(1) The “Lake Loop” (dark blue) and the “Cardio Loop” (dark green) in the “Village Walking Trails” are connected to the Kapalua Activity Center — where one would typically start and end — via one such trail segment (orange).
(2) The Honolua Ridge (MaunaLei Arboretum) trail (magenta) connects via the Sugi Pine connector (cyan) to the Mahana Ridge trail (yellow).
(3) Coming down the Mahana Ridge trail, one can either continue on down to Fleming Beach (green), or take the connection back to the Village Walking Trails (red), and from their to the Kapalua Activity Center (orange) (which is were one typically will have started, since that is where the shuttle pickup point is).

The Honolua Ridge trail through Mauna Lei Arboretum takes one into the Pu'u Kukui Watershed Reserve through a gate in a feral pig excluder fence. The trail continues to the lookout at Pu'u Kaeo (1683') and from there to the Sugi pine loop to connect to the Mahana Ridge Trail. Another gate in the fence on that trail provides exit of the Pu'u Kukui Watershed Reserve (most of which is not open to the public).

For other information about the Kapalua Area Hiking Trails, please refer to the Hiking Trails page.