9 curated experiences
Kahului
The only way to truly see Haleakala's massive crater from above, fly the Road to Hana without driving it, and see the interior waterfalls that have no land access. The West Maui Mountains — also only accessible by air — are as dramatic as Kauai's Na Pali Coast and almost no one has seen them. Blue Hawaiian has the best safety record and narration; Air Maui offers doors-off tours for photographers. The Na Moku 45-minute route covers the most essential sights; the Circle Island route adds the Kaupo Gap and Hana coast and is worth the extra cost.
Wailuku
A stone house built in 1833 at the mouth of ʻĪao Valley, later the Wailuku Female Seminary run by Caroline and Edward Bailey. A museum since 1957: pre-contact Hawaiian artifacts and Edward Bailey's paintings of ʻĪao. Open Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM–2 PM.
Wailuku
A short paved loop of the plants early Hawaiians brought and grew in ʻĪao Valley.
Wailuku
Queen Kaʻahumanu visited in 1832 and asked that the permanent church bear her name. The present building, the fourth on the site, dates from the 1870s; services and hymns are still in Hawaiian.
Wailuku
The name means "damming of the waters", for the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai, when Kamehameha I's forces defeated Maui's army here. The county park honors Maui's peoples with Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean and New England pavilions. Open 7 AM–7 PM, free.
Wailuku
Kūkaʻemoku, the ʻĪao Needle, is an erosional ridge rising 1,200 ft from the valley floor that looks like a spire seen end-on; it is sacred in Hawaiian tradition.
Wailuku
The heart of historic Wailuku, Maui's county seat since 1905. The Spanish Mission-style ʻĪao Theater opened on 22 August 1928 as a movie and vaudeville house; it is on the National Register and home to Maui OnStage.
Wailuku
Sacred valley with a striking 1,200-foot green needle (Iao Needle) rising from the valley floor. Site of the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai. The valley receives 400 inches of rain annually — impossibly lush.
Central Maui
The best mountain hike on Maui that is not Haleakala — 6.4km round trip through the lush West Maui Mountains with 500m elevation gain. The upper ridge delivers sweeping views of the north coast on one side and Ma'alaea Bay on the other, with deep green valley walls on either flank. After rain, waterfalls appear on the ridges and the vegetation turns impossibly vivid. Far less crowded than Iao Valley 15 minutes away. Pairs naturally with Iao Valley for a full West Maui day: do Waihe'e Ridge in the early morning while it's clear, then Iao Valley after.