Hiking the Hoapili Trail (King’s Highway) to Kanaio Beach on Maui, Hawaiʻi
Distance (RT to Kāmanamana Beach): 4.0 miles / 6.4 km
Distance (RT to Kanaio Beach): 4.8 miles / 7.7 km
The Hoapili Trail, commonly called the King’s Highway and historically called Alaloa o Piʻilani, on Maui is a coastal day hike that winds through the rugged, barren Waiakapuhi Lava Flows of South Maui to Kanaio Beach.
That said, the Hoapili Trail is really two hikes in one, with the Hoapili Trail to Kanaio Beach being the longer of the two.
The other is the shorter Hanamanioa Point Light Trail, where the two follow the same path until they split from one another when the Hoapili Trail reaches the beginning of the Waiakapuhi Lava Flow, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) into the hike.
What is the King’s Highway on Maui?
The Hoapili Trail goes by a lot of different names for a lot of different reasons.
To start, Hoapili refers to Ulumāheihei Hoapili, the former Governor of Maui, who is credited with improving the King’s Highway in 1824 because the road had fallen into disrepair.
However, the portion of the Hoapili Trail that we see today only refers to a short segment of the full 138-mile (222 km) highway that stretched around the island, known as Ke Ala Loa o Maui or Alaloa o Piʻilani.
Ke Ala Loa o Maui translates to "The Long Road of Maui," while Alaloa o Piʻilani translates to "The Long Road of Piʻilani."
Both refer to the same road on the island, but Alaloa o Piʻilani specifically refers to Chief Piʻilani, who is credited with creating the road.
Today, this road is commonly referred to as the King’s Highway, and only small portions of it are open to the public, such as the Hoapili Trail in South Maui and the Ke Ala Loa o Maui / Piʻilani Trail in Waiʻānapanapa State Park in Hāna.
Hoapili Trail Trailhead Parking
The Hoapili Trailhead is located in an unpaved parking area at the very end of Mākena Road, just after the ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve.
For those familiar, the reserve is similar to Kaʻena Point on Oʻahu or the Moʻomomi Sand Dunes on Molokai, but what’s different is that the road is paved until the very end, where it meets the parking area at Keoneʻōʻio Bay.
Google Maps Directions: Hoapili Trailhead
My Hawaiʻi Hiking Checklist
Hiking the Hoapili Trail Trail
The Hoapili Trail (King’s Highway) and the Hanamanioa Point Light Trail begin at the same trailhead on the south side of the parking area, where the two trails follow the same path along the Hoapili Trail for roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km) before they go their separate ways.
After just 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Hoapili Trail splits.
Here, go left to stay on the correct route toward the junction for both Hanamanioa Point and Kanaio Beach.
At the next split, shortly after the previous, go right to stay on the Hoapili Trail, as the trail to the left simply leads around a number of archeological sites just off the main trail.
The one thing I hope these photos make obvious is just how exposed the Hoapili Trail is.
By this, I mean that apart from the short section through the Kīawe trees just ahead, shade is hard to come by on either the hike to either Hanamanioa Point or Kanaio Beach, which is why I highly recommend hiking with plenty of water and a hooded sun shirt.
King’s Highway (Ke Ala Loa o Maui / Alaloa o Piʻilani)
This is where the modern-day Hoapili Trail and the historic King’s Highway (Ke Ala Loa o Maui) meet for the first time.
When the Hoapili Trail reaches this first beach, the hike begins to parallel the water as it winds its way in and out of the Kīawe trees for the next 0.5 miles (0.8 km).
This is where hikers are likely to first encounter wild goats on the way out to Kanaio Beach.
If you look closely, there are goats in these next two photos below.
Other than a sun shirt, it’s very important to hike to both Hanamanioa Point and Kanaio Beach with good shoes.
If you don’t know, Kīawe is a nasty invasive tree with thorns that can and will pierce through the soles of thin shoes.
Now, most shoes aren’t perfect, but at the very least, I recommend a good pair of light trail runners, which can certainly be useful for most day hikes on Maui.
This is the last beach before the Hoapili Trail reaches the junction for both Hanamanioa Point and Kanaio Beach.
This is the view looking west toward Kahoʻolawe.
Hoapili (King’s Highway)-Hanamanioa Point Light Junction
After 0.8 miles (1.3 km), the Hoapili Trail reaches the start of the true Hanamanioa Point Light Trail.
It is here that both the Hoapili Trail (King’s Highway) and the Hanamanioa Point Light Trail go their separate ways, meaning to continue on the King’s Highway toward Kanaio Beach, go left at this junction.
Read My Separate Post: Hanamanioa Point Light Trail
Waiakapuhi Lava Field
At the beginning of the Waiakapuhi Lava Field, the King’s Highway continues on a mostly flat path toward the connector junction, about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away.
Hoapili-Hanamanioa Point Light Connector Junction
This is the short connector between the Hanamanioa Point Light Trail and the Hoapili Trail to Kanaio Beach.
That said, this connector is very useful if you plan to hike both trails at once, but to continue east toward Kāmanamana and Kanaio Beach, go straight at this split.
Read My Separate Post: Hanamanioa Point Light Trail
After the connector junction, the Hoapili Trail climbs a short hill before the trail levels out at the top.
This is where the Hoapili Trail becomes much flatter as it works its way across the Waiakapuhi Lava Field.
The one thing I can say about the King’s Highway across the Waiakapuhi ʻAʻā Lava Field is that what you see is what you get.
It is a long, straight, exposed trail that extends for roughly 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the Hanamanioa Point Connector junction to Kāmanamana Beach.
I also believe it’s important to explain just how remote a day hike out here can feel out here if you’re not prepared, as there is no cell phone service in the event of an emergency.
This is why it’s imperative to hike the Hoapili Trail with plenty of water, a hooded sun shirt, and good hiking shoes for both the Kīawe trees and jagged lava rock.
Don’t take this preparation lightly.
Finding any life growing in the Waiakapuhi Lava Field is a rare sight, but ʻUhaloa is one of the most persistent native Hawaiian plants there is!
This is the view looking back toward the Hanamanioa Point Light and Kahoʻolawe.
This is where Keawanaku Beach can start to be seen from the Hoapili Trail for the first time!
Hoapili (King’s Highway)-Keawanaku Beach Junction
With about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) left before Kāmanamana Beach, the Hoapili Trail passes the junction for Keawanaku Beach.
This side trail is not maintained by the State of Hawaiʻi, like the Hoapili Trail, which certainly becomes obvious if you decide to follow it. However, I think it’s worth mentioning that Keawanaku Beach is, at least in my opinion, more beautiful than either Kāmanamana or Kanaio Beach at the end.
In any case, go straight to continue toward Kāmanamana and Kanaio Beach, but if you’re interested in exploring further, I recommend making the side trip on the way back.
The far side of the hill in the distance is where the Hoapili Trail begins to drop down to
Kāmanamana Beach.
Kāmanamana-Kanaio Beach
This is Kāmanamana Beach, and it’s the first of a few rocky, coral beaches at the end of the Hoapili Trail.
That said, the Hoapili Trail officially continues for another 0.4 miles (0.6 km), which is why I’ve included some of the photos below. However, I honestly don’t think it’s worth hiking all the way to the end.
Instead, I recommend continuing just a little further to see some of the archeological sites along the water, but in terms of effort, the Keawanaku Beach Trail, located 0.25 miles (0.4 km) back, is a better use of time.
Now, this is just one person’s opinion, but I think it becomes obvious why the rugged coastline at the end of the Hoapili Trail is more for the history than the beauty.
Keawanaku Beach
This is Keawanaku Beach, which is considerably sandier than any of the beaches at the end of the Hoapili Trail.
Native Plants on the Hoapili Trail
The Kanaio Coast in South Maui is a very rugged, rocky, and barren landscape covered in non-native Kīawe trees among invasive grasses.
However, the Kanaio Coast has a number of native plants that hikers can find throughout, including ʻUhaloa, Niu, Maiapilo, Naupaka, Pōhuehue, Nohu, ʻAʻaliʻi, Wiliwili, and ʻIlima, to name just a few.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
