E Mau Na Ala Hele is a Hawaiʻi Island-based
501 (c) (3) non-profit organization
established in 1979 devoted to preserving
and perpetuating the historic trails
​and the protection of historic and
​natural areas adjacent to the trails. 

Our Beginnings

​During the 1980s, the founding members were instrumental in establishing the 
State of Hawaiʻi's Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access System which is now part of the
Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. During the 1990s,
E Mau successfully worked towards the federal designation of the Ala Kahakai as a National Historic Trail.

Since its inception, the organization continues to see its role as an advocate for the perpetuation of historic Hawaiian trails. We partner with both State and Federal agencies in trail advocacy, preservation, and stewardship,
​providing volunteers, and seeking funding for trail projects.
​
We are also a member of the Partnership for the National Trails System.

Activities

E Mau Nā Ala Hele host hikes and work days throughout the year and partner with the Hawaiʻi State Forestry and Wildlife division at Puʻu Waʻawaʻa for the development of upland trails. Each June, we join the American Hiking Society and thousands of organizations across the national in celebration of National Trails Day.
Since 2004, the group has sponsored Lā Hōʻala Ala Hele (Trail Revitalization Day), commemorating the Highways Act of 1892 through a series of island-wide hikes over historic trails. This legislation, enacted by Hawaiʻi's last monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, assured that certain trails and roads would remain open to all, and is upheld under modern State law.
We are also a member of the Partnership for the National Trails System.
Trails connect us to our island's resources and heritage