Acid War Zone Trail

The Acid War Zone Trail may be one of the most rewarding hikes, as well as being one of the least 'official' hikes, to be encountered on Maui. This is the scenic route to reach the Nakalele Blowhole, but that extra distance will take visitors through a surreal landscape of lava shelves and pass by other less popular blowholes.

The trail begins at an unsigned dirt pullout along Rte 340. Upon leaving the parking lot, there Is a grid of meandering dirt paths and roads. Generally, heading right and descending toward the light beacon standing on the shore is the most direct route. You won't find any signs or markings indicating the trail, so instead you'll just be heading in the direction of the lava shelf and then cutting over toward the blowhole.

At the light beacon, the path descends down a route to somtimes jagged, sometimes slippery dirt and rocks. Upon reaching the shelf on the bottom, the entire landscape has transformed to a surreal environment of lava stone that has interacted with rising tides of centuries. Keep your eyes open here, as there are smaller blowholes that become visible when the tides rise, and you'll likely not see a single person around, which is a nice contrast to the crowds that tend to gether around Nakalele Blowhole.

After a short distance, you'll come to a ledge looking down on Nakalele Blowhole. The sheer power of the water raging up into the air here is worth sitting and watching. However all visitors here should practice extreme caution, and multiple people have died here getting too close to the blowhole on the slippery wet stone.

From here, retrace your route back out. 

The total distance is short - only 1.4 miles round trip. The descent is moderately difficult along the rocks. However the payoff here is amazing with a completely unique landscape on display.

There are no bathrooms or amenities along this rural stretch of highway, nor at the trailhead or anywhere along the hike.

The parking pullout is unmarked. Visitors should have navigation to the correct dirt pullout before driving to the area.