N - Mauka-Makai Trail
in Hawaii
Ua ola no uka ia uka – Life comes from the land Along the fence line leading up the mountain is what remains of another type of ancient trail that connected the coastal areas with the fertile, rainy uplands. These trails are referred to as mauka-makai trails and highlight the importance of connecting the resources available from mountain to ocean. In ancient Hawaiʻi, the land was divided into long sections called ahupuaʻa that ran from the mountain to the ocean providing the people living in them almost everything they needed to survive.
Larger trees for carving from the forest, fertile lands with ample rainfall in the kula (uplands), and abundant ocean resources from the kahakai (coastal area). Resources from each area were meticulously managed and shared throughout the ahupuaʻa along mauka-makai trails. While the primary village area for Kiʻilae was concentrated in this coastal area around the 1871 trail, as historian Frances Jackson (1966) states, “to attempt to show Ki‘ilae Village as existing only at the shore would show barely a third of the life of the villagers.” Families also maintained kula gardens with ʻuala (sweet potato), yams, pumpkins, squash, kō (sugar cane), papaya, maiʻa (bananas), pia (arrowroot), ipu (gourds), and ulu (breadfruit).
These kula gardens were located far enough upslope to receive regular rain. In addition to kula gardens, many also cared for dryland kalo (taro) fields located even further upslope. A network of trails connected fields to field houses and to a mauka-makai trail that served as the main artery for travel between the mauka gardens and the coastal residences.
- States
- Hawaii
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Honolulu, HI · 182 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 19.4092°, -155.9046°
About Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
This trail is inside Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $20 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/maukamakaitrail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked N - Mauka-Makai Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
1871 Trail Tour Conclusion
0 miles from this trail's centroid
J - Shoreline Viewpoint on the 1871 Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Junction of the 1871 Trail & Coastal Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
1871 Trail Introduction
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Kona Trail
25 miles from this trail's centroid
The Palm Trail
27 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.