Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area

{{Short description|State park in Hawaii, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{more citations needed|date=November 2009}}

File:View of Maui from Polipoli State Park.jpg, Maalaea, and windward Maui from the entrance to the park]]

The Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area is a state park of Hawai{{Okina}}i in the United States. It is on the island of Maui about ten miles from Kula up the slope of Haleakalā.[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/maui/index.cfm?park_id=39 Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area.] Hawaii State Parks. Department of Land and Natural Resources.

File:Humidity in Polipoli State Park.jpg

It covers about 10 acres of the {{Convert|21000|acre|km2|adj=on}} Kula Forest Reserve. Located at about {{Convert|6200|ft|m}} above sea level, it extends through the fog belt of the mountain forests. The high-elevation climate can be cold, with nighttime temperatures below freezing. The terrain is rough and use of a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended.

File:Non-native trees in Polipoli State Park.jpg

There are four main trails. The Haleakalā Ridge Trail enters the recreation area. It features scrub, grassland, and forest habitat with cinder substrates.[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/maui/index.cfm?hike_id=9 Haleakalā Ridge Trail.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111065232/http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/maui/index.cfm?hike_id=9 |date=2014-01-11 }} Hawaii State Parks. Department of Land and Natural Resources. The adjacent Plum Trail is planted with plum and other trees.[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/maui/index.cfm?hike_id=30 Plum Trail.] Hawaii State Parks. Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Polipoli Trail, which starts within the recreation area, features various conifers.[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/maui/index.cfm?hike_id=31 Polipoli Trail.] Hawaii State Parks. Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Redwood Trail is used for mountain biking. Visitors can view redwoods and an old ranger's cabin.[http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/maui/index.cfm?hike_id=32 Redwood Trail.] Hawaii State Parks. Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The area was originally covered in dense forests of koa (Acacia koa), māmane (Sophora chrysophylla), and ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha). When the park was established, it was devoid of trees and was subsequently reforested in the 1930s with pines, eucalyptus, tropical ash, cypress, China-fir, and coast redwood.

Activities in the park include off-roading, hiking, and hunting for wild boar and feral goats.