Fast Facts
- Population
- 28,219 (2020 census)
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- Best Season
- April–June or September–November
- Getting here
- Fly into Kahului, the county's main airport, then drive
What to Know Before You Arrive
Kahului is the practical door to Maui rather than its scenic highlight. “It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), a deep-draft harbor,” and “Kahului is a retail center for Maui County.” This is where you land, hire the car, buy the supplies and set off — and where you come back to.
The mountain is the reason most visitors drive inland. Haleakalā National Park charges $30* for a private vehicle, “valid for three days,” admitting a non-commercial vehicle of 14 capacity or less and all its occupants; $25* for motorcycles, also valid three days; and $15* per person without a car, with ages 15 and under free. The three-day vehicle validity is generous and worth using across more than one trip up.
Check the County of Maui's recovery site before planning a stop in Lahaina town. Its Lahaina Harbor Access page, last updated August 4, 2026, says “no Lahaina town businesses or historic sites, including the Lahaina Courthouse and Banyan Tree Park, are currently open to the public due to ongoing repairs.” The same page asks motorists to “observe new signage and parking rules in the area” and says the public is asked to “stay off private properties and remain on the pedestrian route,” with closed or protected areas fenced and labeled as off-limits. The county describes MauiRecovers.org as “the official County of Maui website” for recovery information.
*Fees subject to change, please check nps.gov for updated information.
The Road Trip Stop
Haleakalā National Park is the anchor, and the summit sunrise is the part that needs planning weeks rather than hours ahead. Outside the 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. window no reservation is needed, and the park is open at other times on the ordinary entrance fee.
Book the sunrise, or go at another hour
- Reservations open sixty days ahead and close two days before. That window is the whole game: decide early or accept that sunrise is not happening on this trip.
- One reservation per vehicle, not per person, for entry between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., at $1*. It is separate from and additional to the entrance fee.
- Fee-free days do not help here. The park's fee-free entrance days “do not cover sunrise reservations or entry during the 3:00–7:00 a.m. window.”
- The vehicle pass lasts three days. If sunrise is booked for one morning, the same pass covers a daytime visit to the summit or the coastal Kipahulu district on another.
*Fees subject to change, please check nps.gov for updated information.
From the Park Service
Haleakalā National Park
- Entrance fee
- $25 motorcycle (3-day) · $30 private vehicle · $15 per person · $1 timed-entry reservation. 3 commercial and tour-operator rates are listed separately by the park.
- Park hours
- Open around the clock, every day. The Summit and Kīpahulu Districts of Haleakalā are open 24 hours a day.
- Reservations
- Advance reservations are required for sunrise viewing at Haleakalā. Reservations can be made online at Recreation.gov. The reservation system was established in 2017 to better protect both visitors and the endangered species within the park. The timed-entry reservation itself costs $1, separate from the entrance fee.
- Visitor centres
- Headquarters Visitor Center · Haleakalā Visitor Center · Kīpahulu Visitor Center. Open 8:30AM - 4:30PM daily.
- Campgrounds
- 4 in the park, about 28 sites in total. Fees from $8 to $75. Reservations required at one or more.
- Passport stamp
- Haleakalā Visitor Center · Headquarters Visitor Center · Kīpahulu Visitor Center
- Webcams
- 1 live view on the park’s own site
National Park Service Data API, pulled 2026-10-12
Neighborhoods
The airport and harbour district
Where the county's main airport and its deep-draft harbour sit, which is most of the reason the town exists at its current size.
The retail strip
Kahului is the retail centre for Maui County, which makes it the practical place to stock up before heading out.
Wailuku
The county seat, about 2 miles west of Kahului in a straight line. Wailuku was designated Maui's county seat in 1905, its historic sites include the Wailuku Civic Center Historic District, and upper Main Street, the road to ʻĪao Valley, has remnants of the missionary era.
The upcountry road
East and south-east of Kahului on the slopes of Haleakalā: Makawao is about 10 miles east and Kula about 11 miles south-east in a straight line.
The Food Stop
Kahului is where Maui does its ordinary shopping, which makes it a practical place to buy food rather than a destination for dinner. We were unable to confirm a specific Kahului restaurant for this guide, and this guide does not name a business without checking that business's own site. One note that holds: a 3:00 a.m. departure for the summit means buying breakfast the night before, because nothing on the mountain road will be open.
One brewpub within 10 miles of Kahului (Maui). In a small town that is often the kitchen still serving when everywhere else has stopped.
See all 1
- Maui Brewing Co - Kihei605 Lipoa Pkwy, Kihei
*Check before you go. This list says what the source records as open and where it is — nothing more. Opening hours, whether a kitchen is serving, and whether anywhere suits your family are not in this data and change without notice. A production site may have no public room at all. Please confirm with the venue.
Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)
The Home Teams
No MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL or MLS team plays on Maui. Division I college sport is played at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu, on Oʻahu, about 94 miles west of Kahului in a straight line; the university's About page describes an “NCAA Division I athletics program.”
Day Trips
| Destination | Time | Distance | How we got it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haleakalā summit | 1 hr 25 min | 39 mi | routed |
| Up the mountain road from upcountry to the crater rim. Sunrise needs a reservation; other hours do not. | |||
| The Hana Highway | 8 min | 4 mi | routed |
| East along Maui's northeast coast on the Hana Highway, which a Hawaii Department of Transportation environmental assessment describes as a “narrow, two-lane road” that “winds around more than 600 curves and over 59 bridges.” It is a full day and the driving is the activity, not the transport. | |||
| ʻĪao Valley | 12 min | 5 mi | routed |
| West of Wailuku to ʻĪao Valley State Monument, where the Division of State Parks describes a paved 0.6 mile walk to a viewpoint of the ʻĪao Needle. Check current reservation and parking rules. | |||
| Upcountry Maui | 21 min | 13 mi | routed |
| Makawao, described as the hub of Upcountry Maui, a part of the island dominated by mostly agriculture and ranch land, and Kula, which stretches across the western-facing slopes of Haleakalā. | |||
| Kipahulu | 2 hr | 53 mi | routed |
| Haleakalā's coastal district beyond Hana, covered by the same park pass. A very long day from Kahului. | |||
Routed figures are computed over map data at free-flowing speeds, between map points rather than street addresses, so a real drive runs longer.
Distances routed by OSRM and places geocoded by Nominatim, over map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Worth a Weekend
5 more Highway Heads places lie within about 180 miles of Kahului (Maui) in a straight line — far enough that most are a night away rather than an afternoon.
- Kailua-KonaHawaiiabout 90 mi
- HonoluluHawaiiabout 95 mi
- Pearl Harbor National MemorialHawaiiabout 100 mi
- HiloHawaiiabout 120 mi
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National ParkHawaiiabout 130 mi
Aquariums Nearby
Within 60 miles of Kahului (Maui), nearest first.
Maui Ocean Center — some details below are unconfirmedWailuku (Maalaea)
- Hours
- daily 9–5
- Season
- year-round
- Reservations
- Not required
Advance purchase recommended
* We could not confirm: not on Wikipedia list; AZA from general knowledge (unverified). Check their site before you go.
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. None of these carry an accreditation we were able to confirm, which is not the same as none being accredited — we check against one register, and plenty of good municipal, state and university places are in no register at all. One entry is marked with an asterisk: we could not confirm part of what is listed, and the note under it says which part. Opening times, prices and seasons change without notice, so check the operator’s own site — every name above links to it.
Venues and Annual Events Nearby
Within 60 miles of Kahului (Maui), nearest first.
Where to see something
Maui Arts & Cultural CenterKahului
- Hours
- Box office hours not listed; gallery Tue-Sat 10am-4pm
- Address
- One Cameron Way, Kahului, HI 96732
- Phone
- 808-242-7469 (box office)
Multi-venue arts campus
What is on, and when
Maui Fair — some details below are unconfirmedfairKahului
- Usually
- Late September–early October
- Held at
- War Memorial Complex
* We could not confirm: anything beyond the month it usually runs. Check their site before you go.
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Events are listed by the month they usually fall in, because that is what we hold — we do not publish dates, and a month is not a promise. Check the organiser before you plan around one. One entry is marked with an asterisk: we could not confirm part of what is listed, and the note under it says which part. Opening times, line-ups and ticketing change without notice, so check the venue’s or organiser’s own site — every name above links to it.
Practical Road Trip Info
Book the sunrise sixty days out or let it go. This is the single most time-sensitive booking in the Hawaii section of this guide.
Use the three-day vehicle pass properly. One purchase can cover a sunrise, a daylight summit visit and Kipahulu.
The summit is cold and high. The National Park Service puts the summit at 10,023 feet and “about 30°F (or 17°C) cooler than the coast,” with year-round summit temperatures that “range between below freezing to highs of 50°- 65°F.” A 3:00 a.m. drive from sea level to a crater rim is a serious temperature change; take far more clothing than the island suggests.
Check the County of Maui's recovery site before planning a stop in Lahaina town. Its Lahaina Harbor Access page lists the parking guidance in effect and the areas that remain closed. Conditions there have changed and visitor arrangements continue to develop; follow what local authorities and residents ask.
One public campground within 25 miles of Kahului (Maui), and it takes reservations. Public campgrounds run by federal agencies. State-park and private campgrounds are not included.
The Local Debate
Family-Friendly
The summit in daylight
No reservation, no 3:00 a.m. alarm, and a crater that still looks like another planet.
Ages 15 and under free
On the per-person rate at Haleakalā, under-16s enter free.
ʻĪao Valley
A paved 0.6 mile walk to a viewpoint of the ʻĪao Needle, in a valley about 5 miles west of Kahului in a straight line. Check reservation rules first.
Kahului's shops before the drive
The island's retail centre is the sensible place to assemble a picnic before any Maui day trip.
Plan Your Visit
Haleakalā National Park
- Private vehicle
- $30.00, valid three days; admits a private non-commercial vehicle of 14 capacity or less and all occupants*
- Motorcycle
- $25.00, valid three days; admits up to 2 motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers*
- Per person
- $15.00 for one individual with no car; ages 15 and under free*
- Sunrise reservation
- $1.00, required for each vehicle entering 3:00-7:00 a.m.; book up to 60 days ahead and no later than 2 days before*
- Fee-free days
- Do not cover sunrise reservations or entry during the 3:00-7:00 a.m. window
- Link
- nps.gov/hale
*Fees subject to change, please check nps.gov for updated information.
We checked fees, closures, operating status, opening hours and reservations on 2026-10-12. These change without notice — confirm with nps.gov, dlnr.hawaii.gov and mauirecovers.org the week you travel.
Sources — 19 claims, 16 checked against the source on 2026-10-12
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Haleakalā entrance fees: private vehicle $30.00 “Valid for three days. Admits private, non-commercial vehicle (14 max capacity or less) and all occupants”; motorcycle $25.00 “Valid for 3 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers”; per person $15.00 which “Admits one individual with no car”, with youth 15 and under free; annual passes valid 12 months from purchase | Fees & Passes — Haleakalā National Park (NPS) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-12 |
| Sunrise reservations cost $1.00 and are “Required to attend sunrise at Haleakalā National Park”; one is required for each vehicle entering between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.; bookable up to 60 days ahead and no later than 2 days before the start date; fee-free entrance days “do not cover sunrise reservations or entry during the 3:00–7:00 a.m. window&rdquo | Fees & Passes — Haleakalā National Park (NPS) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-12 |
| “The population was 28,219 at the 2020 census”; elevation 30 ft | Kahului, Hawaii — Wikipedia | Checked |
| “It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), a deep-draft harbor”; “Kahului is a retail center for Maui County”; the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina Metropolitan Statistical Area includes “the West Maui town of Lahaina&rdquo | Kahului, Hawaii — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The County of Maui's recovery site, on a page last updated August 4, 2026, says “no Lahaina town businesses or historic sites, including the Lahaina Courthouse and Banyan Tree Park, are currently open to the public due to ongoing repairs”; asks motorists to “observe new signage and parking rules in the area”; lists the parking guidance in effect and the areas that remain closed; and says the public is asked to stay off private properties and remain on the pedestrian route (checked 2026-10-15) | Lahaina Harbor Access — MauiRecovers (County of Maui) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-15 |
| The Hawaii Department of Transportation's final environmental assessment describes the Hana Highway as a “narrow, two-lane road” that “winds around more than 600 curves and over 59 bridges” (checked 2026-10-15) | Hana Highway Bridge Improvements Project — Final Environmental Assessment (Hawaii DOT) | Checked |
| The Division of State Parks page says advance reservations are required for out-of-State residents; non-residents pay $5 for entry and $10 for a non-commercial vehicle; Hawaii residents with a valid driver's license or State ID enter free; ages 3 and under are free on the entrance fee; and it describes a paved 0.6 mile walk to a viewpoint of the ʻĪao Needle (checked 2026-10-15) | ʻĪao Valley State Monument — Hawaii State Parks (DLNR) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-15 |
| The National Park Service gives the Haleakala summit as 10,023 feet, “about 30°F (or 17°C) cooler than the coast,” with year-round summit temperatures from below freezing to highs of 50° to 65°F; it places Kipahulu on the windward (eastern) coast (checked 2026-10-15) | Weather — Haleakalā National Park (NPS) | Checked |
| A named, verified Kahului restaurant or market for the food stop | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Day-trip distances and drive times to the Haleakalā summit, Hana, ʻĪao Valley, upcountry Maui and Kipahulu | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Kahului Airport services and car hire arrangements | No source accepted yet | Not confirmed |
| Wailuku is just west of Kahului, was designated Maui's county seat in 1905, and its historic sites include the Wailuku Civic Center Historic District; upper Main Street is the road to ʻĪao Valley (checked 2026-10-15) | Wailuku, Hawaii — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The Summit and Kipahulu districts of the park are not directly connected by road, but both can be reached from Kahului (checked 2026-10-15) | Directions — Haleakalā National Park (NPS) | Checked |
| The Park Service places the Kipahulu District past the town of Hana on the Hana Highway, which circumscribes the northeast coast of Maui, and says gas and food are not available in the park (checked 2026-10-15) | Kipahulu District — Haleakalā National Park (NPS) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-15 |
| Makawao is on the rural northwest slope of Haleakala and is described as the hub of Upcountry Maui, a part of the island dominated by mostly agriculture and ranch land; its published coordinates are used with Kahului's for the straight-line distance | Makawao, Hawaii — Wikipedia | Checked |
| Kula stretches across Upcountry Maui, the western-facing slopes of Haleakala; its published coordinates are used with Kahului's for the straight-line distance | Kula, Hawaii — Wikipedia | Checked |
| ʻĪao Valley is a lush, stream-cut valley located west of Wailuku; its published coordinates are used with Kahului's for the straight-line distance | ʻĪao Valley — Wikipedia | Checked |
| The university describes its athletics as an NCAA Division I athletics program and its campus as in Mānoa Valley, just outside downtown Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu (checked 2026-10-15) | About UH Mānoa — University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Checked |
| Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii, on Oahu; its published coordinates are used with Kahului's for the straight-line distance | Honolulu — Wikipedia | Checked |
Road Trippin’ with the Harts
The Highway Heads books turn the miles between stops into a game the whole car can play.
See the booksLive Conditions
Wildlife Spotted Nearby
Nearest Airports
Straight-line distance from Kahului (Maui), not drive time.
- Kahului International (OGG) — 3 miles
- Kapalua (JHM) — 14 miles
- Manele Heliport, heliport — 30 miles
Explore the Full Road Trip
Return to the Highway Heads map and discover the next family-ready stop.
Explore the Map