One of Maui's hidden little treasures is Waihee Valley and its most noteable manmade feature, "the Swinging Bridges". To access this land, which is owned by Wailuku Agribusiness, you're supposed to have a permit. 244-9750 is the number and you have to visit their Kahului office for the permit. (I'll betcha not many who go up to Waihee Valley have a permit.) Waihee Road, located just past the little town of Waihee on route 340, brings you there. Head up the road about a mile til you see the "no trespassing signs". Go right , (left deadends at a gate) for about 1/4 mile more and park here or if you like me you'll arrive by bike. (These is a 4" to 5" exposed pipe in the road in this parking kind of area. (Don't leave valuables in your car cause, sometimes, da boyz might help themselves to them....a precaution that should be followed anywhere.) From the parking area, take a sharp right, you cross another pipe, a ways further, go around a gate and your on the way through an area of irrigation canals built by Chinese labor about a century ago, that is a marvel of engineering, even to this date. From the "parking' area it is only a mile to the swinging bridges and another mile to the end of the line. It is in some of Hawaii's most scenic tropical settings. In this picture, Matt works his way up the steep leaf covered rocky road.

Crossing a little stream just before the first of the two swinging bridges.

Here I'm crossing the first bridge.

A short rocky section between the two bridges.

The secong bridge is a little scary. Its a little higher up and it tends to live up to its name while being crossed.

Through the mangrove forest.

There are two stream crossings and a couple of sections on the trail that are "hike-a-bike" parts. Its rooty, rocky and when wet...slippery. Not an easy ride for beginners. This dry stream area is one of those parts. The further up the trail (old road) one goes, the narrower the trail gets. After the second hike-a-bike stream crossing, its single trail to the end of the line.

At the end of the line, a nice swimming hole awaits the hot hiker/biker. The summer water temperature here is in the mid 60's (vs. ocean temp..80's) Don't drink the water or you might get what Johnny T. (Tomac) caught in 95.

The view up river from this dam reviews waterfalls descending cloud shrouded mountain peaks.