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Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on Dec 2, 2020 in

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is nestled between Kīhei and Ma‘alaea towns and features a coastal salt marsh habitat. Start your trip at the Visitors Center to learn all about the area and its feathery inhabitants. Nearby, the Kanuimanu Ponds offer an up-close view of waterbirds. A must-see is the Coastal Boardwalk that offers a ...
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SIDE TRIP: Wai‘ānapanpa State Park

Posted on Dec 2, 2020 in

A side trip on the road to Hana is always an adventure! The Wai‘ānapanapa State Park is a perfect rest stop steeped in Hawaiian culture. The off-shore rocks and cliffs provide excellent sightings of shore and seabirds, viewable from ancient shoreline trails.

Hosmer Grove (Haleakalā National Park)

Posted on Dec 2, 2020 in

Named after Hawai‘i’s first Superintendent of Forester, Ralph Hosmer, this grove of eucalyptus (planted by Ralph in 1909) and the adjacent nature trail though sub-alpine shrubland provides an excellent venue to sign Hawai‘i’s colorful native forest birds.

High up on the cliffs of Haleakalā Crater is the Leleiwi Overlook. On the short trail to the overlook, you may see nēnē and other native and common birds. From the lookout, you may glimps soaring tropic birds and seabirds returning to their burrows at night.

Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park

Posted on Jun 29, 2017 in

Some of the best bird watching on the island can be found at ʻAimakapā Fishpond. This wetland area provides habitat for an amazing variety of birdlife, including some species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Other species can be found spending the winter months in the fishpond, having traveled to Hawaiʻi from ...
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Palila Forest Discovery Trail

Posted on Aug 7, 2017 in

Take a journey through Mauna Kea’s high-elevation dry forest. High above tropical rain clouds, this forest has adapted to an extremely dry and cold climate normally found on continents. You will see plants and animals found nowhere else in the world as you explore this special place. This forest is one of the last large ...
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Pu‘u Huluhulu Trail

Posted on Aug 7, 2017 in

A nice family trail, the Puʻu Huluhulu trail network features several short hikes atop a forested hill, surrounded by black lava from an 1843 flow. A mix of koa forest and dry mixed forest, this puʻu (hill) is a good place to view native forest birds seeking refuge from an otherwise stark lava landscape.

Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Trail

Posted on Jun 30, 2017 in

This historic trail was once a cattle driving trail linking Puʻu ʻŌʻō Ranch on Mauna Kea and Keauhou Ranch near Kīlauea. An easy, though lengthy 7.4-mile round-trip hike across smooth pāhoehoe and rough ʻaʻā lava flows, the trail meanders in and out of kīpuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows) filled with ancient trees ...
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Kaulana Manu Nature Trail

Posted on Aug 7, 2017 in

Kaulana Manu (formerly Kīpuka 21) is a family friendly interpretive trail in a pristine kīpuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows). A favorite of birders, this is a good spot to catch a glimpse of many of Hawaiʻi Island’s native forest birds. If you’re lucky, you may see endangered Hawaiian birds like ʻakiapōlāʻau, ʻakepa, ...
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Kaūmana Trail

Posted on Aug 7, 2017 in

This historic trail is a remnant of a foot and later horse trail that once linked the east and west sides of Hawaiʻi Island. An easy 1.5-mile hike across smooth pāhoehoe scrubland, the trail meanders in and out of kipuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows) filled with ancient trees and flocks of native ...
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