Every Maui trip needs one day off the beach, and ours is always Upcountry. In an hour from Kihei you can be at 2,000 feet on the slope of Haleakala, with a glass of pineapple wine in a king's guest cottage, cattle on green hills and the south shore far below. Upcountry is the ranch and farm country of Maui, a string of small towns along the mountain's western flank: Ulupalakua, Keokea, Kula, Pukalani, Makawao and Haliimaile. The air is cooler, and the roads are lined with eucalyptus and jacaranda. This is the loop we send our guests on, with drive times from the bungalows, what is open on which days and how to finish with turtles at Hookipa before sunset.
Why we send guests up the mountain
From the lanai in Kihei, Haleakala fills the eastern sky. Many guests go up only for the sunrise at the summit. The green belt in between, from about 1,500 to 4,000 feet, deserves a day too. That is Upcountry.
Kihei is all sun and beaches. Upcountry is green ranch land, with pastures, stone walls, old churches and farm stands. Makawao town sits at about 1,500 feet, Keokea at about 2,650 feet, Kula Lodge at about 3,200 feet and Ali'i Kula Lavender at about 4,000 feet. It is noticeably cooler at each step, so bring a layer for the afternoon, when clouds often drift in.
Kula has grown food for the island since the 1800s, and today the farms around it raise onions, strawberries, coffee, goats, lavender and proteas. The ranches above Makawao and Ulupalakua raise beef, and Hawaii's paniolo, its cowboys, trace their tradition to the early 1830s.
The views are the other reason. From almost anywhere along the Kula Highway you look down over the isthmus to Kihei, Ma'alaea and the West Maui Mountains, with Kaho'olawe and Molokini offshore. On a clear morning you can follow the Kihei shoreline all the way to Wailea.
The day at a glance
The loop and when to go
The loop runs counterclockwise: from Kihei up to Ulupalakua at the south end of Upcountry, north along the Kula Highway through Keokea and Kula, across to Makawao, and down to Paia and Hookipa on the north shore before the drive home. Driving straight through, it is about 78 miles and a little under three hours behind the wheel, so with stops it fills a full day without feeling rushed.
Pick your day with care, because Upcountry keeps farm hours. MauiWine and the Ulupalakua Ranch Store are open Tuesday through Sunday. Ali'i Kula Lavender is open Friday through Monday. Surfing Goat Dairy is open Tuesday through Saturday. The only days every stop on this list is open are Friday and Saturday, and Saturday adds the Upcountry Farmers Market in the morning. We would avoid Monday for the full loop, since the winery and the ranch store are closed.
Leave Kihei at about 9 a.m. and you pass through Keokea at about 10, in time for coffee on the way up. Reach the winery as it opens at 11, lunch at the ranch store around 12:15, then head north: Sun Yat-sen Park at about 1:30, one Kula garden at about 2, Makawao around 3:45, and Paia and Hookipa an hour or so before sunset. In winter the sun sets in Kihei at about 5:45 p.m., and by mid-April at about 6:45 p.m., so the turtle stop moves later in the spring.
| Stop | Drive from the last stop | Elevation | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| MauiWine, Ulupalakua | About 10 min past Keokea | About 2,000 ft | Tue-Sun 11 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Ulupalakua Ranch Store grill | Across the road | About 1,900 ft | Tue-Sun 11 a.m.-4 p.m. |
| Grandma's Coffee House, Keokea | About 54 min from Kihei, on the way up | About 2,650 ft | Daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. |
| Kula Botanical Garden | About 20 min from Ulupalakua | About 3,000 ft | Daily, last entry 3:15 p.m. |
| Or Ali'i Kula Lavender | About 15 min | About 4,000 ft | Fri-Mon, last entry 3:45 p.m. |
| Makawao town | About 20 min from Kula | About 1,500 ft | Shops and cafes daily |
| Paia and Hookipa | About 15 min | Sea level | Lookout open daily |
| Back to Kihei | About 40 min | Sea level |
The road up from Kihei
There is no road from Wailea straight up the mountain to Ulupalakua, so every trip starts by heading north. Take Pi'ilani Highway to the Mokulele Highway, Route 311, which crosses the isthmus to Pu'unene, then turn uphill on Route 37, the Haleakala Highway, at the edge of Kahului. MauiWine's own directions warn that GPS sometimes tries to send you another way. The only route in is Route 37 from Central Maui.
Route 37 climbs through Pukalani and becomes the Kula Highway, a two-lane road that winds along the slope past farms, churches and roadside fruit stands. After Keokea it narrows and drops through ranch land to Ulupalakua. The drive is paved and easy, with a few tight curves past Keokea. Take it slowly and pull over to let locals pass.
Fill your tank in Kihei or Kahului before you climb. Pukalani has the last station on the way to the Haleakala summit, and there is no gas along the Kula Highway beyond it.
Download offline maps of Maui before you leave the bungalow. It is also worth knowing that the highway past Ulupalakua continues around the back of Haleakala toward Kaupo and Hana as Route 31. MauiWine describes it as about two hours to Hana, with parts that are narrow and unpaved, so check your rental agreement before driving it. For this day trip, turn around at the winery and head back north.