The Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area, or Polipoli state park, is a state park on the island of Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

 in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. It is part of the 21000 acres (85 km²) Kula Forest Reserve on the slope of Haleakalā

Haleakala

Haleakalā , or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by the West Maui Mountains.- History :...

. The park occupies the slope of Haleakalā which does not have a paved road reaching to the top and thus the crater. However, there is a trail blazed through the park that does reach up to the crater. This road can be treacherous (and is strictly a four wheel drive

Four Wheel Drive

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...

-only expedition), and at times, the forest service will block off the last 2 miles (3.2 km) of the road, which lead to the crater.

The elevation in the park ranges from 5300–6200 ft (1,615.4–1,889.8 m) above sea level. The climate is generally humid and misty (as this is approximately the cloud level for the eastern side of Maui). The area was originally covered in dense forests of koa (Acacia koa), māmane

Mamane

Sophora chrysophylla, known as Māmane in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of in tree form. Yellow flowers are produced in winter and...

 (Sophora chrysophylla), and ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha

Metrosideros polymorpha

The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...

). When the park was established, it was devoid of trees and was subsequently reforested in the 1930s with Pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 (Pinus spp.), Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

spp., tropical ash (Fraxinus uhdei), cypresses (Cupressaceae

Cupressaceae

The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera , which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130-140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...

), Chinese fir (Cunninghamia

Cunninghamia

The genus Cunninghamia is a genus of one or two species of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae. They are native to China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam, where they may reach 50–55 m in height....

 lanceolata) and Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). As none of these trees are native to Maui or any of the other islands of Hawaii, the park has a distinct smell to it.

The main attractions of the park are the off-roading

Off-roading

Off-roading is a term for driving a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain.-Off-road vehicle:...

 trails, hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 trails, and hunting for Wild Boar, pheasant (Phasianus

Phasianus

The "typical" pheasant genus Phasianus in the family Phasianidae consists of at least one species. Both Phasianus and "pheasant" comes from the Greek word phāsiānos, meaning " of the Phasis". Phasis is the ancient name of the main river of western Georgia, currently called the Rioni.The Common...

spp.), and goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

. There are at least two picnic areas in the park, as well. Lastly, there is a single cabin available through the Hawaii Division of State Parks.