Piiholo Zipline

The Piiholo Ranch is located in upcountry Maui just above the cowboy town of Makawao. The rich history of this iconic ranch land dates back to its century and a half old alliance with Maui’s Haleakala Ranch which is so well known on the island. The ranch land here was recognized to be a great location for a zipline course some years ago and after a building period of two and a half years this immense project, which spans the tributaries of the Maliko Gulch, was opened to the public. Everything about the course was quality built and the sturdiest of structures were designed to span the vast distances needed to traverse these large and deep wooded valleys. The result of this effort is truly one of the most sophisticated zipline courses to be found in Hawaii.

There are five separate lines that make up the course and they are all long. And they all fly over deep beautiful valleys. Although they have a four line offering which will save you some money, do not omit the 5th line and choose the 5 line course. The ride on this last zip is ‘endless’, almost. It just seems to go on and on for an eternity. In actuality, if you are a skilled and fast enough zipper to make it down this run in less than 60 seconds, you are way too good. After all, a person with no experience ziplining will already reach about 50 mph on this run. It is possible however to go faster.

The ambiance and views found on this Maui zipline course are what make it so very special. At about 2500′ in elevation, the air is cool and refreshing and the views of the central valley and north shore are absolutely spectacular. As you zoom past cows and horses seen on the ranch they will look like blurry specks beneath you as the only sound to be heard will be the whine of the pulley above you. The trees in the forest provide the scent of camphor which will invigorate your whole system with its vital essence. At days end your lungs will be filled with pure oxygen, your spirit will soar and your body will have found the right recipe for a good nights sleep.

Three years into its operation, Piiholo Ranch opened a second zipline course on the same property, this one zooming through the trees. This is their now famous ‘canopy course’ which launches you high up into the tree tops until the course comes to an end. The runs are obviously shorter here than the original course but the experience is so delightful that it is hard to determine which of them was the most fun. If you want to ‘taste’ them both you can actually do them both on the same day with time to enjoy a fantastic upcountry lunch in one of the many restaurants of the nearby town of Makawao.