The state has launched its newly revamped website designed to help hikers easily find sanctioned trails in Hawaii.
The mobile-friendly website, launched by the Na Ala Hele Trail and Access Program of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, provides hikers with useful information such as GPS trailhead directions, approved trail use activities, trail features, amenities and timely weather and safety warnings.
Website users may conduct searches by clicking on the trail locator icon on the map or by typing the trail name in the search box. Na Ala Hele is working to upgrade and add new photos of trailhead signs, features and views such as waterfalls to provide comprehensive information for each trail.
The cost to redesign and rebuild the website, which features approximately 129 trails, was estimated at $80,000.
Aaron Lowe, Na Ala Hele’s acting program manager and project lead, encourages the public to use the website as their primary source for sanctioned trails as they plan their hike.
There’s a lot of misleading information on the internet, he said. “You could be trespassing by following other information from other websites.”
The website offers an advanced search option that filters searches by island, features, amenities, activities, hazards and prohibited activities. A hiker interested in bicycle riding on a trail on Maui, for example, could click on the island and activities’ filters.
On the previous website, an individual had to look through information for every site to find out whether the state allows bicycle riding at a particular trail.
Some trails are not included on the website because conditions have not been improved and the trails are closed and/or dangerous.
Haiku Stairs, also known as Stairway to Heaven, is not included on the website. Although it has been closed to the public since 1987 due to disrepair, people still hike the trail illegally. Firefighters rescued two stranded hikers from the trail over Memorial Day weekend.
To access Na Ala Hele’s newly redesigned trails website, visit hawaiitrails.org.
