Kapalua Resort has been pummeled on Maui of late for their push to build luxe vacation palaces priced out of reach of mere Valley Isle mortals. Those plans are on hold and the West Maui company did a really good thing today with the announcement of the opening of two new hiking trails – the Village Walking Trail and Maunalei Arboretum Trail.

According to the press release, these trails represent the first in a series of over 100 miles of planned walking and hiking trails throughout the resort’s 23,000 acres. That's a lot of trails and, of all the major Hawaiian Islands, Maui has perhaps the weakest publicly accessible trail system. Both trails promise to be scenic but the real beauty will be the Maunalei Arboretum Trail that winds up above Honolulu Bay. It comprises a series of loops which meander three miles along Honolua Ridge to the top of Pu‘u Ka‘eo, a remant volcanic hillside. The hike runs through a world-class arboretum created 80 years ago by D. T. Fleming, the manager of Honolua Ranch. The arboretum has numerous plant and tree species collected from around the world and Hawaii. The views are insane. Best of all, Kapalua Resort runs a complimentary shuttle open to all.

Kapalua Resort Hiking:
The free shuttle departs in front of the Kukui Room at the Honolua Village Center daily at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. For more information, please call the concierge at 808-665-5454.

Image via Friends of D.T. Fleming Arboretum

—Alex, 08/30/07