Be prepared with good bug spray and lots of water. It can be very humid in the forest. Loved the transition from large fruit trees to the bamboo forest.

We started our hike by walking down the loop trail and then up to the 1st and second falls.

The seven sacred "Pools of Ohe'o" are closed for swimming due to an overabundance of caution as the Parks Service has noted. There is a very dangerous rock slide condition since earlier in the year, but you can still hike to the overlook.

After the pools we hiked to the 1st of two waterfalls. The overlook is about a mile up and it is a strenuous mile if you are out of shape. We actually turned back here because we were beat (carrying too much - out of shape) but the people coming down said we had passed the worst of it. Glad we asked, because really it is much less tiring after the first falls, and the bamboo forest was worth every extra step of the second mile.

The trails that go down to the pools below the falls are closed as well, with a $100 fine for violating the closure. Or death. $100 or death, one of the two.

Anyway, we decided not to go into the waters, but the views were great nonetheless.

Highly recommended even with the trail closures.

It took us about 4.5 hours to go up and down and we were famished. Beware that if you are heading back into Hana after visiting the park that all of the food service ends around 5-6. You might want to get an early start in the park if you expect to take it easy on the trail. Fit/Fast hikers can do it in about 2 hours. We finally found a little thai truck on the north end of Hana that had food into the later evening hours.