I%26#39;ve read that there are a lot of waterfalls on the island where you can swim. Are there any recommendations which ones are the best in Kaanapali area? Maybe there are some that are not too popular/crowded and more secluded? I%26#39;ll appreciate any input...
Swimming in the waterfalls?The only waterfalls that you will find in Kaanapali will be of the man-made variety in a hotel pool. Not too popular and secluded are not descriptors that one often hears associated with Kaanapali. Kaanapali is the upscale, nightlife, big hotel/timeshare strip of Maui. A sort of adult disneyland with a Hawaiian theme. Very, very popular.
Swimming in the waterfalls?Two things to bear in mind (well 3 actually).
First most secluded waterfalls are either on private property or you have to cross private property to reach them. Kaanapali waterfalls are all in resort pools.
There is a little bug called Leptospirosis that will ruin your whole vacation if you get it and you get it by swiming in fresh water in Hawaii.
Lastly you might be in a stream on a perfectly sunny beautiful day and have a wave of water 6 feet high come at you out of nowhere because it is raining torents where the stream starts high up in the mountain.
I know Hollywood has done a bang up job of making waterfall swiming look like a great thing but like so much in life, it really isn%26#39;t all it is cracked up to be.
Also keep in mind that Ka%26#39;anapali (like most of the tourist areas on the island) is pretty dry (not quite arid like Kihei is, but still fairly dry). Futher north up by Kapalua it gets quite a bit greener, but for the real lush green scenery (and the waterfalls that go with that) you have to head on on the Road to Hana. That area is not much of a tourist destination (other than for day trips) however since the shoreline there is rugged, the ocean generally rough and often unsafe, and the weather rather wet (hey, where do you think all the water in those lovely waterfalls come from?).
Most visitors to Hawaii want sunshine, warm weather, and great beaches. Ka%26#39;anapali will certainly give you that (and more) - but not waterfalls.
Ken
Ditto the others, plus this on the road to hana falls.
There are only a few I can think of that I%26#39;d swim in and more that I wouldn%26#39;t for the reasons stated above... especially Leptospiros.
Twin Falls - Good place to swim, but not much of a ';falls'; per-se. Easy to access... Mile Marker 2 on the highway.
Upper Puohokamoa Falls is tempting, but it%26#39;s owned by the Garden of Eden, and they restrict access now so that folks can view it from the Garden above. So don%26#39;t plan to swim there.
Other falls exist between... but they are hard to get to, are on private land (East Maui Irrigation Land mostly), and/or just dangerous.
Ching%26#39;s Pond is a good spot to stop, though not really a falls. But this may also technically be private property, again, by EMI.
I wouldn%26#39;t swim at Three Bears (Waikani) falls for a lot of reasons. I know some folks do, but the falls can change flow rate so quickly... I%26#39;d avoid it swimming wise.
Skip Blue Angel Falls (blue pool)... I%26#39;ve heard stories of men chasing folks off with bats lately. It%26#39;s on private land, so skip it. And for that matter skip Venus Pool beyond Hana. It%26#39;s not in the spotlight of controversy yet, but it%26#39;s getting there fast.
Best falls by far to swim at or stand under... Wailua Falls beyond Hana and/or Ohe%26#39;o Gulch%26#39;s falls.
Alelele Falls is also a good spot to swim (far beyond Hana and Oheo), but it%26#39;s hard to reach and can often be dry.
Hey all... just returned from 10 days in Maui...
We drove the road to hana hoping to swim in the falls ourselves. No dice at 3 bears (way too crowded to even park!!!) and the swimming area at Oheo Gulch was CLOSED. I went five years ago and there were a lot of swimmers, but the area where the steps are to the lower pools was fenced off and there were a lot of rangers in the area. Not sure what was going on, and we were too tired to stick around and try to ask.
I will say, the hikes in %26amp; out of the waterfalls on the Hana road looked a wee bit on the treacherous side. Pretty to look at, but we had enough adventures ahead of us to avoid the risk of a twisted ankle or worse, broken bone to top off our day.
We swam in one of the pools at O%26#39;heo Gulch, and no nasty bug, thank God, but be prepared for the COLDEST water you%26#39;ve ever swam in your whole life!
Took my breath away!
Neat, though.......
Friends of ours just got back from the NCL 7 day cruise around the islands. They went swimming in a ';falls pool';, by the next morning Pam was so sick she had to be hospitalized for 2 days....rather ended their trip abruptly.....I%26#39;d avoid it....
So sorry to hear that, MauiPalmGirl!
I worry about leptospirosis and will not swim in the freshwater, but totally love the idea of swimming under a waterfall. As BrightonBill says though, we have all gotten an image from Hollywood. In nature, on these islands, waterfalls are rainwater rushing down mountains due to heavy rainfall, cold water of course because it starts way up in elevation.(yes, some is from springs, but a lot is rainfall).
The leptospirosis is from animals and the islands have many many feral animals such as pigs using the streams as well as cattle.
A couple years ago there was an honor student from Puna home on break from college in Utah, who got sick and sadly died before they even diagnosed the leptospirosis. They thought it was possibly West Nile or meningitis IIRC. He had been hiking around Waipio Valley on Spring Break. Very sad.
Not everyone who swims in freshwater will get leptospirosis ... skin breaks and water in your eyes make it more likely. But just because someone swam in a pool and didn%26#39;t get it, doesn%26#39;t mean it%26#39;s safe. The level of danger obviously fluctuates -- but you don%26#39;t know when you go in, as the problem is invisible.
Also as BB and others said, never forget a stream can turn in minutes from a dry creek bed to a raging torrent, which happens at Oheo Gulch. I had land with a seasonal waterfall and stream and watched that happen many times. By the time you hear the roar of water it%26#39;s too late to get out of its way. The waterfall was a torrent of broken trees and rocks being swept downstream, not just water.
Please be careful and remember the gentle waterfalls cascading into crystal pools of pure clean water really are something made up in films and recreated in hotel pool complexes. Sad to say.
My wife andanother couple are scheduled for a 7 day NCL cruise in the Islands. What should we see or not waste our time seeing? Tell me what you enjoyed.
Were there any beaches you especially enjoyed over others?
thanks
leroy
Please, please be careful. I was in Hana this past October and had a terrible accident at a waterfall and could very easily have lost my life. I got hurt pretty good, but most of all I have never been so scared in all of my life. I was put in a dangerous situation by a tour guide...long story, but please be careful. The waterfalls and the hikes are beautiful and very inviting, but the folks on this forum are right, the turn very dangerous quickly, and not only from leptosporosis. I was foolish, and I really would like to warn other people...
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