Workers make repairs to trails in the Kahakapao Recreational Area during a recent workday. The state says illegal trails in the area have created safety issues and extra work for trail maintenance crews. DLNR photo

The Maui News

A popular biking area in the Makawao Forest Reserve has become a “hotspot for illegal trails” that are creating safety issues, environmental damage and extra work for trail maintenance crews, state officials said.

Workers with the state’s Na Ala Hele Trails and Access System counted 21 illegal trails crossing the popular Pineapple Express mountain bike trail at one time, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release Wednesday. Kahakapao already has a series of engineered trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding, with certain paths built to keep uses separate.

“There are specific trails where you don’t want to have bikes and pedestrians mixing; where bicyclists are moving very fast,” said Scott Fretz, the Maui Branch manager for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

While the problem of illegal trails is not new and not isolated to Kahakapao, it continues to be an issue on state forest lands across Hawaii.

“Not only do these trails pose safety hazards, people cut down trees when they build them,” Fretz said. “Cutting down trees is illegal, creates erosion and can destroy endangered plants and trees.”

He added that there are serious fines and penalties for anyone caught chopping down tress or building an illegal trail.

The Na Ala Hele crew on Maui must provide regular maintenance and upkeep for some 30 miles of recreational trails. At Kahakapao, they’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time blocking and erasing illegal trails that were built by mountain bikers looking for even more technically challenging routes than the marked, established and legal trails, DLNR said.

“We spent two weeks of 10-hour days trying to restore the forest at Kahakapao, in locations where illegal trails have uprooted native plants and trees,” said Corey Rosa, a forestry and wildlife technician with DOFAW’s Na Ala Hele program. “They’re building cool technical trails, but they don’t have safety in mind. It would be nice if they came out and helped us build planned trails.”

DLNR said the offer is always open and that the entire Kahakapao trail network was constructed after consultation with biking constituents, an advisory council, the Maui Mountain Bike Coalition and others.

During a recent trail restoration workday, Kaina Ryan, another DOFAW forestry worker, pointed out the environmental damage caused by the illegal trails, mostly to native plants like ohi’a, pilo, koa and maile.

“We are working on new trails, but we have to do it through a planned process, including environmental reviews and conservation district use permits,” Fretz said. “We can build new trails, but we have to do it in a responsible manner.”

Anyone who sees illegal trail building is encouraged to call the 24-hour hotline at 643-DLNR (3567) or report via the free DLNRTip app.