The Muliwai Trail is a Hawaiian trail that leads from Waipio Valley up and over to the beautiful secluded Waimanu Valley on the NorthEast Shore of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Both Waipio and Waimanu valleys supported large populations of Hawaiians in the past.  They were important sites for the cultivation of taro.  Poi, made from the root of taro, was a starch staple of the Hawaiian diet.  In times of severe drought, these valleys were often the only place where this crop would flourish.  Evidence of ancient Hawaiian occupation is abundant in Waimanu Valley.

The trail itself is approximately 7.7 miles long (15.3 miles round trip) and can be very strenuous climbing over 1200 feet in the first mile.  Most people begin their hike from the Waipio Lookout making the trip 19 miles round trip.  From the trail head, the steep switchbacks cut into the wall of Waipio Valley helped the nickname “Z-Trail” develop over the years.  After the grueling first mile, the trail passes through 12 smaller gulches on a five mile course of only moderate difficulty before dropping into Waimanu Valley on another challenging switch-back cut.

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