Seven Sacred Pools aka 'Ohe'o Gulch

Last updated 19. May, 2009 by Walker in Adventures & Sights | Rd to H, Camping, Hana, Most Popular, Pools (natural), Road to Hana, Road to Hana Sites, Waterfalls

Oheo Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools

Oheo Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools
(Photo taken when water flow was low)

Rating: ★★★★★

In a nutshell: The Seven Sacred Pools are the most popular attraction in East Maui. Beautiful waterfalls, pools, in an absolutely stunning setting. Easy access and full facilities.
Minuses: It gets crowded as the day goes on. Access to pools is closed off frequently in wet weather.
Sound-bite: “Is that guy really going to jump from there?”

DETAILS:
‘Ohe’o Gulch is a string of pools and waterfalls, starting many miles up the mountain, that flow one after another, cascading over dramatic waterfalls, leading to the rugged Kipahulu coastline and the deep-blue Hawaiian ocean.

The most accessible pools are also the most particularly suited for swimming, cliff-jumping (or just gawking at daring lunatics brave folks who will jump from the bridge 60 feet above into the pool below!) For the sane, there are also several less suicidal places to jump from – just be sure to get good information on where it is safe to jump, or better yet, survey the landing area yourself. There are many reminders of the risk involved, including a notice-board by the ranger station that contains clippings of newspaper articles describing accidents. (Note: If you do choose to jump, do so without any jewelry. If you need to ask why, just ask one of the local guys with snorkel gear scouring below the jump spots, how much force an unplanned landing can exert on your new engagement ring!)

So, by this time you may be asking: “Which is it? ‘Ohe’o Gulch, or The Seven Sacred Pools?” Well, have you have ever met someone who changed their name to something more special – something that suits them better than their “plane-Jane” given name? It is kind of like that. The proper name of this attraction, ‘Ohe’o (Oh-Hey-Oh) Gulch, most definitely does not do the majesty of these pools justice. So many years ago when the owner of a local inn wanted to sell his location as being spectacular, he found he had some serious difficulty hawking “Visit the Gulch!” and a new name was born. Whatever you call it, this collection of (way more than seven) pools and waterfalls is absolutely spectacular, and certainly worthy of an equally spectacular name!

‘Ohe’o gulch is Part of the Haleakala National Park, so the fee you pay here will also get you in to the Haleakala Summit (and vice versa – so save your receipt!) Admission to the entire park is $10 for a three-day pass or $25 bucks gets you an annual pass to Haleakala, Volcanoes (Big Island) and Pu’uhonua O Honaunau (Big Island) National Parks.

As I said earlier, the pools are very popular, so you should expect the place to become more and more crowded as the day progresses. There are a number of ways to avoid the crowds at ‘Ohe’o – all involve getting there earlier than everyone else. The only really good options for visitors to get there before everyone is to stay in Hana (or on the Road to Hana) overnight and go there first thing in the morning. Another option is to get started very, very early (isn’t this your vacation?!?) and be one step ahead of the critical mass of visitors. One thing you definitely don’t want to do is to rush the adventure on the way (aka The Road to Hana.)

There are full National Park facilities at ‘Ohe’o, including a Ranger Station (with displays and great information), newly constructed (actually all the following are still under construction at time of posting) bathrooms, new expanded camping facilities and large parking lots.

Another popular activity in the park, just on the other side of the road is hiking the Pipiwai Trail which passes stunning vistas, pools, waterfalls (including the 200′ Makahiku Falls), jungle, a bamboo forest, culminating at the base of the 400′ high Waimoku Falls! (See the Pipiwai Trail and Waimoku Falls post for more detail.)

Key Info:
Mile Marker: #42 (Hana Hwy aka Hwy 31)
GPS Coordinates: 20.661458,-156.045299
Facilities: National Park Rangers, Information Facility, Camping (no permit req’d), grills, picnic tables and toilets. (No potable water.)
Fee: $10 – NPS Info: http://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/kipahulu.htm
Get directions


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