Ultimate Upcountry Maui Guide
Closures, checked 23 Oct 2026: Makawao Forest Reserve (Kahakapao), Waihou Spring, Kula Forest Reserve and Polipoli are closed for storm repairs after Hurricane Nolo, no reopening date. Haleakalā and Thompson Road are open. Check the DLNR news page before you go.
The short version
- Upcountry is Haleakalā’s western slope: Makawao, Pukalani, Hāliʻimaile, Kula, Keōkea, ʻUlupalakua. Cool, rural, spread out.
- Five-day trip: one town, one farm, one meal, or Kula before Haleakalā sunset. Seven days: it’s worth a full day.
- Kula Lodge Restaurant is closed; the food truck and marketplace are open daily 7–7.
- Makawao, Kahakapao, Waihou and Polipoli trails are closed; use Hosmer Grove, Thompson Road or the crater instead.
- Lavender, MauiWine and Ocean Vodka don’t belong in the same first-time day.
At a Glance
Our pick: Cycle to the Sea with Maui Bombers
Best for confident riders who want Haleakalā downhill without the sunrise crowds.
Our pick: Haleakala Downhill Bike Tour Self-Guided Ride with Maui Sunriders
Best for confident riders who want a self-paced Haleakalā descent from about 6,500 ft.
What Upcountry Maui Is, and Is Not
Upcountry is the inhabited western slope of Haleakalā: Makawao, Pukalani, Hāliʻimaile, Kula, Keōkea and ʻUlupalakua, and the farms, ranches and forest roads between them. Cooler, more rural and more spread out than the resort areas.
- Come for: farms, gardens and agricultural tours; Makawao’s shops, galleries and paniolo character; cooler weather and broad island views; Haleakalā National Park; local restaurants, markets and ranch country; a driving day that feels nothing like the beach.
- Don’t expect: a single walkable sightseeing district; attractions lined up one after another; resort-style shopping; guaranteed clear views all afternoon; enough public transport to explore; spontaneous farm visits without checking schedules.
Who it’s for
Families who want animals, farms and a break from the beach; couples who like food, wine, gardens and scenic drives; repeat visitors; anyone interested in agriculture and local communities; anyone pairing it with Haleakalā.
Who should skip it
Skip a separate Upcountry day on a short first trip if it would replace the Road to Hāna, Haleakalā or the beaches you came for. If you dislike driving, winding roads or changing weather, book one reserved farm experience instead of an open-ended regional day.
Five days vs seven
Five days: don’t automatically give Upcountry a whole day. Combine one town, one farm and one meal, or visit Kula right before Haleakalā sunset. Seven days or more: it earns a real day. Start in Makawao or at the Saturday market, reserve one farm, lunch nearby, finish with a scenic walk, MauiWine or Ocean Vodka.
Sunrise, sunset and the summit: Haleakalā guide →
A Realistic Upcountry Day
A full first-time day, in the order you’d do it.
- 7:30–8:30, breakfast, by route: Grandma’s Coffee House when the day centers on southern Kula or MauiWine; Freshies (checked Oct 2026) or Komoda when starting in Makawao; Marlow (checked Oct 2026) or the Upcountry Farmers Market from Pukalani; Kula Lodge Food Truck when heading straight for upper Kula or Haleakalā.
- 8:45–10:00, Makawao: park once and walk Baldwin and Makawao avenues. Shops don’t all open early; after breakfast works, 7:00 doesn’t.
- 10:30–noon, one farm or garden: Surfing Goat Dairy with children; Maui Pineapple Tour for working agriculture; Aliʻi Kula Lavender for gardens and views; Kula Botanical Garden for an easy self-guided walk; Oʻo Farm when its meal is the main event.
- Noon–1:30, lunch: Hāliʻimaile General Store for the destination lunch; Kula Bistro for casual value; Marlow for pizza, sandwiches and house bread; ʻUlupalakua Ranch Store if continuing to MauiWine; Kula Lodge Food Truck for a convenient view stop, not the former restaurant.
- 2:00–3:00, one more anchor, not all three: a legal stretch of Thompson Road; MauiWine; Ocean Vodka for a tasting, food and views.
- 3:30 on, finish near the route home: Ocean Vodka is the easiest sunset finish heading back to Kīhei or Wailea. Already in ʻUlupalakua? Enjoy MauiWine and the ranch drive without forcing another stop on the far side of Kula.
Check days as carefully as hours: many farms, markets and small businesses aren’t open every day. The easy pairs: Surfing Goat Dairy and Ocean Vodka sit close together; the ʻUlupalakua Ranch Store and MauiWine face each other across the road.
MauiBookIt take: Lavender, MauiWine and Ocean Vodka don’t belong in the same first-time day. They pull the route in three directions, and the extra driving removes the relaxed quality that makes Upcountry worth it.
Hour by hour: Upcountry 1–3 day itinerary → 4–5 days: Upcountry 4–5 day itinerary → 6–7+ days: Upcountry 6–7+ day itinerary →
The Upcountry Towns
- Makawao: the most visitor-friendly town: a compact cluster of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and old storefronts shaped by paniolo history. 60–90 minutes mid-morning, longer if you shop. A real town, not a recreated cowboy attraction. Around the Fourth of July, the town parade and the Makawao Stampede are worth building a trip around: paniolo culture lived, not presented for visitors. Full guide: Best Things to Do in Makawao →
- Pukalani: the practical center, not a sightseeing stop: groceries, gas, schools, errands. Visitors use it for the Saturday Upcountry Farmers Market, Marlow, Crema Maui and supplies before Kula.
- Kula: not one town. It stretches for miles across the slope, farms, gardens, homes and restaurants joined by Kula Highway, Lower Kula Road and Kekaulike Avenue. The drives between stops are part of the experience. Full guide: Best Things to Do in Kula →
- Keōkea: quieter and more local: Grandma’s Coffee House, old stores, Kula Hospital and the road toward Sun Yat-sen Park and ʻUlupalakua. Breakfast and the ranch-country drive, not a town center.
- ʻUlupalakua: the southern end of the classic drive. MauiWine and ʻUlupalakua Ranch Store sit across the road from each other in historic ranch land. A destination, not a detour: about 30 minutes each way from central Kula.
- Hāliʻimaile: the small former pineapple community below Makawao: Maui Pineapple Tour, Hāliʻimaile General Store, Makai Glass (Website →) and nearby distillery experiences. Part of a Makawao day, not a separate region. Book the tour: Maui Pineapple Farm Tour →
- Is Haʻikū Upcountry? For planning, no. Its weather, vegetation and natural pairing with Pāʻia, Hoʻokipa and the start of the Road to Hāna make it North Shore. North Shore and Upcountry still pair naturally: the coast in the calmer morning, then uphill toward Makawao or Kula as the trades build. Ultimate North Shore guide →
Makawao is small enough to walk end to end, which is exactly why it works as a morning. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)
Upcountry dining is a drive, and the drive is part of the evening. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)
What Visitors Get Wrong
- Thinking Upcountry is one town.
- Reserving three farms in one day.
- Treating Haleakalā as a quick add-on to a full Kula itinerary.
- Arriving in Makawao before the shops open.
- Expecting Aliʻi Kula Lavender to be a permanent purple field.
- Driving to Kula Lodge Restaurant without knowing it’s closed.
- Underestimating the drive to ʻUlupalakua.
- Leaving jackets at the hotel.
- Following GPS onto narrow residential roads.
- Parking on Thompson Road without checking the space is legal.
- Using a beach forecast at 3,000 or 10,000 feet.
With kids: Upcountry Maui with Kids → Where to eat: Best Restaurants in Upcountry → The farms: Best Farms and Agricultural Experiences →
Current Upcountry Trail Closures (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- Makawao State Forest Reserve and Kahakapao: closed for storm-damage repairs.
- Waihou Spring Forest Reserve: closed for storm-damage repairs.
- Kula Forest Reserve: closed for storm-damage repairs.
- Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: closed; downed trees.
- Haleakalā National Park trails: open, subject to individual alerts.
- Thompson Road: open; park legally and respect private property.
No firm reopening dates have been published.
Where to go instead
- Easy forest walk: Hosmer Grove.
- Views without a long hike: Leleiwi Overlook or Pā Kaʻoao.
- Easy paved stroll: Thompson Road.
- Real hike: the Haleakalā crater.
- Family nature walk: Kula Botanical Garden.
- No-hike scenery: Kula Highway through Keōkea and ʻUlupalakua.
The trails with numbers: Best Hikes and Scenic Spots in Upcountry → Island-wide easy walks: Best Easy Hikes on Maui →
Upcountry Driving
| Route | Realistic time |
|---|---|
| Kīhei to Pukalani | 30–40 min |
| Kīhei to Makawao | 35–45 min |
| Kīhei to central Kula | 40–55 min |
| Kāʻanapali to Makawao | 60–80 min |
| Kāʻanapali to central Kula | 75–95 min |
| Pāʻia to Makawao | 10–15 min |
| Pāʻia to central Kula | 25–40 min |
| Makawao to central Kula | 20–30 min |
| Central Kula to MauiWine | 25–35 min |
Add time for school traffic, fog, rain or slow farm vehicles.
Kula Highway or Haleakalā Highway?
- Haleakalā Highway: faster and easier for Pukalani, lower Kula and the national park.
- Kula Highway: better for Keōkea, Grandma’s, Kula Country Farms and ʻUlupalakua.
- Kekaulike Avenue: the scenic upper route past Kula Lodge, Kula Botanical Garden and the Haleakalā turnoff.
- Lower Kula Road: scenic and residential but slow; use it when a destination is on it, not as a shortcut.
Before You Go
“It gets cold and rains at 3”
Slightly exaggerated; the lesson is right. Lower Makawao and Pukalani can be warm and sunny; upper Kula runs 10–20 degrees cooler than Kīhei; clouds collect on the slope from late morning; a clear coastal morning turns to fog, drizzle or steady light rain higher up; the summit can be near freezing while Kula feels fine. Schedule gardens, farms and views early. Carry a light rain layer for Kula and real cold-weather layers for Haleakalā.
Driving reality
- Fill up in Pukalani before Keōkea or ʻUlupalakua.
- Fog turns dense above Kula.
- Cattle, cyclists, farm equipment, narrow shoulders.
- Never stop in the lane for a view.
- Don’t trust map times after dark.
- Cell service weakens on parts of the southern route.
- Waipoli Road: above the lavender farm is a scenic out-and-back with big pasture views; turn around before it turns rough. Polipoli at the top needs four-wheel drive and is closed anyway.
- Tastings: If anyone is tasting at MauiWine or Ocean Vodka, plan the sober driver first; the road back is long and winding.
One Last Tip
Relax into it. Build the day along one road: the best Upcountry day goes up one side of the mountain and comes down the same side. Let the spaces between stops be part of the day; if you finish wishing you’d stayed twenty minutes longer somewhere, you did it right.
Check before you go: Haleakalā conditions (NPS) · Forest reserve closures (DLNR) · Weather warnings (NWS)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Upcountry Maui worth a day?
On a seven-day trip, yes: Makawao in the morning, one reserved farm, lunch nearby, Thompson Road, MauiWine or Ocean Vodka to finish. On a five-day trip, combine one town, one farm and one meal, or do Kula right before Haleakalā sunset rather than giving it a whole day.
Is Kula Lodge Restaurant open?
No. The restaurant is closed indefinitely after the 2025 fire. The Kula Lodge Food Truck (breakfast 7–11, lunch and dinner 11–7), the Marketplace, gardens and lodging are open daily 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (checked Oct 2026).
Which Upcountry trails are closed?
As of 22 Oct 2026: Makawao Forest Reserve and the Kahakapao trails, Waihou Spring, Kula Forest Reserve and Polipoli, all for storm-damage repairs, with no reopening dates. Haleakalā’s trails are open subject to alerts; Thompson Road is open. Hosmer Grove, Pā Kaʻoao, Leleiwi and the crater are the alternatives.
