Lava Fields

Rocky road
Razor’s edge molten rock lava fields of La Perouse Bay… sounds like a actionesque novel title.
Located only a short drive from Wailea, the road leading up to the car park is a very narrow road (1 lane), i was in a medium size sedan and seen people in trucks but just a heads up its narrow!
I was also unprepared for the hike since i was wearing my thongs/​flip flops/​rubber like foot apparel that makes a slapping sound against your heel so i would highly recommend shoes as the rocks are very coarse and sharp, it looks like land coral and definitely has a unique look to it!
It’s amost like your walking on Haleakala last statement, a huge patch of Milo looking lava rock from 1790 which is also Maui’s most recent volcanic activity believe it or not. Also it wasnt very busy so i had plenty of time and space to myself to explore.
It was a really cool and special place, nothing really like it as you see the green mountains slowly lead into volcanic cones and lava rock then into the ocean. After the first 10 mins of walking you come to a cool hobbit looking forrest folled by little patches of sand and white rock.
Bring your swimmers because there are some cool rockpool like formations and swimming spots among the walk but be careful due to the amount of rocks.
It is also home to some local Hawaiian monuments, shrines and ruins. La Perouse Bay gets its name from French Navy officer/​explorer (Jean-​Francois de La Perouse) who was the first European to ever set foot on Maui in 1786, they even have a memorial for him just near the car park entrance.
Fact: The Hawaiian name of La Perouse Bay is Keone’o’io.
Tip: Bring your camera, snacks and H2O.
Tip #2: if you liked this review then your awesome.

Drive south past beautiful and swanky Wailea and Makena and you will get to see some pretty neat sights in Maui. The lava fields at La Perouse Bay aren’t flashy or busy tourist destinations, but I do think that out of all of the natural landscapes I ventured to in Maui, this was the one that I would have been most sad to miss.
The other reviews aren’t kidding; you will drive a pretty unattended road, and just when you think you should turn back, keep driving until you reach a parking lot. There were so many times we thought we were in the wrong place, but we kept driving along and looking at the vast mounds of lava. Once at the parking lot, you have the option of venturing along the coast and exploring the trail amongst the lava. Taking it all in made for a pretty peaceful experience. Because of all the rock, you will need something sturdy to walk in (not flip-​flops, for the love of God, or you will break your ankle or have incredibly sore feet). Also, if you plan to walk and explore for a while, ensure you have some water or snacks. It gets very very hot along the trail.
On the way out, feel free to stop at one of the beaches along the way (between the Lava Fields and Big Beach) and you may be lucky enough to see some goats. They are even hidden amongst the lava if you look carefully. They are everywhere!

Ok so this is down a dirt windy road not far from Wailea. It’s totally worth the 20 min drive considering every where in Maui is at least 1 hour away otherwise.

Unique landscape
Maui isn’t all palm trees and beaches. If you have time and wanna see a different side, then you should head down to the Ahihi-​Kinau Natural Area Reserve.
The paved road soon becomes a dirt road… meaning you’re on the right way!
One of the best spots is La Perouse Bay. Volcano outbreaks shaped this landscape here, which feels a bit lunar. It’s a very rocky, rugged area with its own charm and with little visitors. We came here on a rainy day… and the area looked even more like a different world than it would on a sunny day. The clouds sticking to the mountains in the back. But even so, the views are nice and for a while you forget you’re in Maui. There are some animals to watch in some seasons (like dolphins), but we didn’t see any that day.
After taking in the nice views and landscape you shouldn’t stop here. The dirt road continues a while more south… until the road really ends. There are even less people there and the road is pretty much one-​lane only. But worth to check out if you really want to enjoy the area for yourself.

Wow. We were staying in Waleia and had been to the beaches of Makena, Polo, and about 5 others in the area. My cousin who has lives here for 38 years said we needed to go to the lava fields at La Perouse Bay which was not far from where we were staying at The Palms. She warned us to take water, a snack and good shoes to hike in.
We started our adventure by finding a parking spot which is not easy and we got there early. We knew it was a 3 mile hike to the top of the point which most people don’t make it that far, they give up about mile 1. It isn’t a steep incline but a gradual one. It it super rocky and if you don’t have the right shows you will cut your feet or roll an ankle.
It took us about an hour and a half to make it to the top. We kept stopping for photos and walking down offshoot travels trying to find a way down to the sandy beach.
You walk through sand for about the first mile, then a hobbit like forest for the next mile which has some nice trees and non-​sacramental rocks to sit on. Do not get off the trail into the lava field itself, it is sacred. This area is known to be haunted by spirits at night. It was beautiful and creepy. The last mile is the gradual incline.
This last mile is all lava rock you have to walk on. It is stable in places and loose in others. Be careful where you place your feet. I stumbled a couple of times. It does get hot and super windy. We drank an entire liter of water. On the round trip 6 mile hike.
Well worth the effort and beautiful. Take the time and make the entire hike, don’t stop and the 1^st cove; make it all the way to the end you will not regret it.

GET SOME NATURAL AND MAN-​MADE HISTORY IN THIS UNIQUE AREA OF MAUI
The lava fields are like a moonscape and reminiscent of the Big Island of Hawaii, the newest island with the active volcano of Kilauea. These lava fields are the result of Maui’s last volcanic eruption around 1790 from Mount Haleakela. Kinda creepy looking, but interesting to see.
To get there you head east past Wailea, then Makena, then Big Beach and just keep on going to the end of Makena Alanui Road. There’s a new mansion on the left with a perimeter view fence looking across a cove directly at Lanai. I heard it belongs to Oprah. We noted the hoard of construction workers finishing it about four years ago. Must be nice to be rich. My mansion on Maui is still in the hoping stage.
The road ends at La Pérouse Bay, or Keone’o’io to the Hawaiians, named after French explorer La Pérouse, who surveyed and mapped the area in 1786. La Perouse explored the Pacific around the same time as Captain James Cook, and even made it over to Australia like Cook did. This is a pretty cool place to swim and snorkle.
The King’s Trail starts at the parking lot and follows the shoreline past several coves that provide good snorkeling with a wide variety of fish. This trail was built in the late 1500’s during the reign of Pi’ilani, and once circumnavigated the entire island during the Golden Age of Maui (1500’s-1700’s). The very revered Piilani was the 15^th Mo’i, or sovereign king of the island of Maui. This trail was the only island-​encircling road in all of the Hawaiian islands. You can see the remains of old Hawaiian settlements constructed of lava rock.
Go in the morning before the wind picks up the waves and before the heat rises off the black lava rocks. Wear sturdy shoes so you don’t cut your feet on the jagged lava rocks. Don’t be tempted to take Hawaiian lava rocks home with you because the gods will curse you with bad luck. No kidding.
Bring your own drinks. There is a taco truck back at Big Beach. Moose McGillycuddy is always waiting for you in Kihei with some hot wings and a powerful long island iced tea with your name on it — a few of those and you will agree that the Moose is loose.
The park closes around sunset, which is probably a good thing because it is said that Night Marchers, or restless Hawaiian spirits, roam La Pérouse Bay at night looking for mischief. Leave before dark before you are the target of something bad. For starters you don’t want to stumble or fall on those lava rocks in the dark.
Enjoy the magical island of Maui, which has been voted the best vacation island in the world.

Pain in the butt to get down here since the road is a POS but worth the drive. Leave early so you have a parking spot!

aka … «moonscape» at least on the big island.
keep going south of the makena park reserve where the pools of water disappear and the road becomes visibly less maintained.
you’re not supposed to cross the lava field lines, but hardly anyone is there to see.
for miles ahead and before, it’s eerily quite and all you see are large crumbled rock formations awaiting their time to become soil.
this particular part of land was a result from the most «recent» volcano activity in year 1790 (or older according to us govt) where lava flowed down from a side vent of mt. haleakela and formed this landmass.
i think that if you keep driving down the round, which is paved but narrow and potholed, you will reach a little secluded beach at the end *we turned half way since it was raining*
** also heard you can kayak to here from beaches around the park ** worth looking into!
— FREE OF CHARGE TO ENTER —

very bumpy and narrow roads to get to this location. we had an suv. this is the south most portion of the island that you can drive on (i believe). views of dried up lava rocks, the beautiful ocean, beach homes, and the haleakala crater.

We decided to head south all the way down to the bottom of the island — La Perouse Bay –because my aunt had told my mom that there was a really cool lava field down there. We drove past the swanky areas — Wailea and Makena — and ended up on a windy road right next to the rocks and sand barely big enough to fit 2 cars on.
We took this for 15 minutes or so and were suddenly in the middle of a huge lava field. It was beautiful because to one side you had the ocean, to the other lava rocks with the green hills in the background. At the end of the road is La Perouse Bay — apparently the first place outsiders landed on Maui — which is basically a lava rock and coral strewn beach. It was pretty, but not overly interesting.

If you can’t kayak, don’t go there because the waves will take you to Fiji and since it’s protected by the state, that’s the only way in. Once you get there, it’s splendidly beautiful. Blows away snorkeling and diving at the Molokini crater any day. It’s like Blue Lagoon times 10.
It’s not crowded so you can literally be there by yourself. Once you situate your kayaks on the lava, there’s a protected snorkeling area. Can’t even begin to explain the beauty of the place. It’s like swimming in a fishbowl of exotic fish. The depth reaches about 20 feet and since the lava protects it, there really aren’t a lot of waves.
Definitely one of the spots to see before you’re too old to visit and swim in its waters.

South of the Ahihi Kina’u Natural Area Reserve and La Perouse Bay you will find this desolate, rugged and alien looking landscape. Here we enjoyed some amazing panoramic views of the lava field and the blue Maui coastline and even now I can hear the jagged lava rocks as we walked across the lava fields clinging together. Not an active lava flow, but was still worth the short drive to see!
**Tip: Leave your sandals in the car and put on some sturdy shoes.

Fun hiking on bumpy, jagged lava, wear hiking shoes.

Keep going south from Makena, until you think you’re on the surface of another planet.
I’ve never seen landscape like this anywhere. For as far as you can see — dark rugged lava, that flowed down from Mount Haleakela long ago. Native Hawaiian even had a village in the middle of the flow areas, which makes no sense to me. Near the village is La Perouse Bay, a good spot for snorkeling. But even if you’re not going to snorkel, it’s worth the drive to see this landscape.