Kealia Pond is easy to access and it's centrally located on the way into Kihei town and along the shores of Sugar Beach. There are two ways to access the refuge: via the Coastal Boardwalk or the refuge entrance. However, the refuge entrance has been closed for awhile. For the Coastal Boardwalk, there is a parking lot on the ocean side of the highway. This places you at the beginning of a beautiful, long boardwalk with informational plaques along the way. The pathway starts and ends with an open air structure that offers dappled shade and excellent views of the West Maui mountains and Mt Haleakala. The boardwalk is in excellent condition, it feels brand new. We arrived in the morning and many times we have the boardwalk to ourselves. Slowly meandering along the marshes and keeping a lookout for birds is a meditative experience. We saw a few ae'o, many coots and some graceful egrets.
