Which storm closed Polipoli? Most people would name Hurricane Nolo, the late-September system that put the islands on alert and then, in Hawaiʻi Public Radio's words, "was not as destructive as expected." The closure notices did come after Nolo. The damage behind them built up over the whole year, and that explains why there is still no date for when the gates at Kahakapao, Waihou Spring and Polipoli reopen.
As of the Department of Land and Natural Resources release posted September 30, 2026, the Makawao, Kula and Waihou Spring forest reserves are "Closed pending storm damage repairs." Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area is closed because the reserve around it is closed. The State Parks update dated October 8 says every Maui and Molokaʻi state park has reopened except Polipoli, which "remains CLOSED due to downed trees."
Three Storms in Seven Months
DLNR's forestry administrator, Marigold Zoll, explained the delay in the September release: "The compounding impacts of successive storms are affecting our ability to safely open certain areas in a timely manner." In Upcountry, the record of those storms looks like this.
| When | Storm | What was recorded Upcountry |
|---|---|---|
| March 10–16, 2026 | Kona storms | 46.57 inches of rain at Kula and 49.57 at the summit; gusts of 108 mph at Kula, 70 mph at Waihou Spring, 62 mph on Waipoli Road |
| August 2026 | Tropical Storm Lala | Roads blocked in Olinda, Makawao and Piʻiholo; Kula Forest Reserve hunter permits postponed for "extensive wind damage to the forest and the hunter check station" |
| Late September 2026 | Hurricane Nolo | Haleakalā National Park closed both districts on September 24; forest reserves and Polipoli closed afterward with no reopening date |
Two of those readings carry the names of places now closed or on the way to them. The National Weather Service logged the 70 mph gust in March at Waihou Spring and the 62 mph reading on Waipoli Road. The Maui News reported flooding and wind damage in Upper Kula that same month.
By August, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency had received 74 damage reports from Lala, many from Haʻikū, Olinda, Makawao and the rest of Upcountry. A large tree fell onto the old convent building at St. Joseph Church in Makawao, taking out part of the roof and flooding the interior. Up Olinda Road, fallen trees and lines left some households without power for four days. One resident told the paper the eucalyptus along the road had been "falling periodically" because "they've got such shallow roots."
The note about Kula Forest Reserve matters most here. The damage was serious enough to postpone hunting there a month before Nolo formed. When Nolo came through in September, it hit trees and ground that hadn't been cleared from the earlier storms.
Why the Summit Reopened in Three Days
Haleakalā National Park recovered much faster. Both districts closed on September 24 as Nolo approached. On September 27, Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported both were open again, with sunrise reservations and backcountry camping resuming the following Monday and Hosmer Grove camping later that week.
The March storms show the same pattern. The National Park Service closed the park after sunset on March 12 and extended the closure through at least sunrise March 17, citing high-wind damage, flooding and debris on the road. That is five days, even after nearly 50 inches of rain at the summit.
From the closure notices, the difference looks like this. Reopening the summit district mostly meant clearing the road. Reopening the forest reserves means clearing trees across trails, check stations and access roads that have taken one wind event after another since March. DLNR's own wording puts the delay down to the storms coming one after another.
What the Notices Say and Leave Out
There is no reopening date for any of the four closed areas. Maui Now's October 1 report repeated that all of them remain closed and gave no timeline.
The October 8 State Parks update is easy to misread. It covers state parks. Polipoli is the only Maui park still closed, so the Haleakalā Ridge, Plum, Polipoli and Redwood trails that start there are closed with it. The Makawao, Kula and Waihou Spring forest reserves are managed by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the latest closure list for them is still the September 30 release. The Kahakapao loops and Waihou Spring Trail are inside those closed reserves.
DLNR says it is posting open and closed areas on its OuterSpatial app and online map, with park-specific updates on the Hawaiʻi State Parks site. Any reopening will show up there first.
Walking Down the Mountain Instead
With the forest trails closed, the open options are spread down the slope, starting at the summit.
Haleakalā Summit District. The short summit walks are the closest thing to a forest-reserve morning that is open now. The Park Service lists Hosmer Grove as a 0.54-mile loop, Pa Kaʻoao as a 0.4-mile loop, Leleiwi Overlook as a 0.30-mile round trip and the Supply Trail as a 4.6-mile round trip. That trail page was last updated in 2024, so it shows the routes, not their condition after the storms. The park is open 24 hours. Entering by vehicle between 3 and 7 a.m. requires a $1 sunrise reservation. Entrance is $30 per private vehicle or $15 per person without one, and visitors 15 and under get in free.
Kula Botanical Garden. The garden lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. for the grounds and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the gift shop. Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for ages 6 to 12, and children under 6 get in free. The site doesn't post a storm update, so check ahead after a windy week.
Kula Country Farms. The pumpkin patch at 6240 Kula Highway is open every day in October from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gates close at 3:45. Entry is $5 per person and free for children 3 and under. The farm stand is included, and pumpkins are priced individually. It runs through October 31.
Surfing Goat Dairy. The casual walking tour takes about 30 minutes and costs $33 for adults and $24 for children 3 to 11. The longer evening chores tour costs $41.50 and $33. As of today, the booking calendar shows open slots starting October 13.
Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center. The Kaluanui grounds in Makawao are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the center invites visitors to walk them. Its current exhibition, "Mālama Wao Akua 2026," runs through November 6.
Kēōkea Park. The County describes a 6.7-acre park with open lawn, a playground, a pavilion and a comfort station. It is a quieter option farther up the Kula Highway.
MauiWine at ʻUlupalakua. The Historical Grounds Walk runs Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m. It takes about two hours, costs $45 per person, requires a reservation and is limited to guests 21 and older. The King's Cottage tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Same Weather in the Lei
The storms that closed the trails also hit the farms that supply the rest of the slope. In a May 2026 Hawaiʻi Public Radio profile of Haku Maui, the lei shop on Baldwin Avenue in Makawao, the owner said she depends on locally grown flowers and foliage and described local growers still recovering from the Kona lows. That was two months after the March storms and three months before Lala.
The weekly gathering is unchanged. The Upcountry Farmers Market runs Saturdays from 7 to 11 a.m. at Kulamalu Town Center, 55 Kiopaa Street, and lists more than 100 local vendors. Next on the Kula calendar is the Kula School Harvest Festival on November 21 at 5000 Kula Highway, with live entertainment, vendors, games, food and a petting farm.
Until DLNR posts a reopening, Kahakapao, Waihou Spring and Polipoli are closed, and the latest notices, dated September 30 and October 8, give no date.
For Upcountry homeowners, a year like this also brings up practical questions, from the trees along a driveway to the road that serves a property. If you'd like to talk through how this season has affected your part of the mountain, Caleb A. Palmer is glad to help. Let's Connect.
