Sight · West Maui Scenic Drive
An 1833 mission house offers a layered look at Maui’s past.
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The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
West Maui Scenic Drive Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for West Maui Scenic Drive. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the West Maui Scenic Drive audio tourRecorded for this place
ʻĪao Valley: Needle and History“You’re approaching the ʻĪao Valley area, with the state monument farther up ʻĪao Valley Road. If you live outside Hawaiʻi, you need advance reservations for entry and parking before driving up.”
Plays as you drive up to Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House in the Parkwolf West Maui Scenic Drive Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House is a historic-house museum in Wailuku, housed in the former Wailuku Mission Station. It makes a worthwhile short detour on the way to ʻĪao Valley if Maui history is part of your visit. The collection is much larger than a quick pass through the rooms: a docent tour is a good way to put the artifacts and the house in context.
The house was built in 1833 as Wailuku Mission Station within the former royal compound of Kahekili, Maui’s last ruling chief. It later became Wailuku Female Seminary. Edward Bailey, a former headmaster at the school, bought the house in 1850 after the seminary closed.
Maui Historical Society’s collection spans pre-contact Hawaiian life, the monarchy, missionary history and the plantation era. It includes more than 2,000 artifacts, though a tour may show only a selection. Edward Bailey’s landscape paintings are also part of the collection.
Maui Historical Society opened the museum here in 1957 and received the property in 1991. The society also maintains a research library and an archive with historic photographs and maps. Tours may include the Bailey family story, the library and the grounds, so ask about a guided visit if you want more than a look through the exhibits.
Wildlife
152 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
71 sightingsHawaiian Monk SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
23 sightingsSpinner DolphinMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
401 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
14 sightingsHawksbill Sea TurtleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
92 sightingsWedge-tailed ShearwaterMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across West Maui Scenic Drive. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingWailuku Heights Cross Trail1 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayA steep climb to the cross above Wailuku.
EasyʻIao Needle Lookout Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 2.5 mi awayA quick climb reaches the valley’s signature green spire.
EasyʻIao Ethnobotanical Loop0.1 mi · 10 min · 2.6 mi awayA short paved circuit through a streamside ethnobotanical garden.
EasyWaiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge Trail2.6 mi · 1.8 hr · 3.4 mi awayA level coast walk to wetlands, old heiau, and river mouth
ChallengingWaiheʻe Ridge Trail4.3 mi · 3 hr · 4.9 mi awaySteep ridge climb with deep gorge views and a cloud-prone summit.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayKepaniwai Heritage GardensSeven heritage gardens under the green walls of ʻĪao Valley.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayMaui Tropical PlantationA tram loops the lagoon with a live demonstration of coconut husking.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayʻĪao Valley State MonumentA short walk to a 1,200-foot green ridge in a sacred valley.
Sight · 3.4 mi awayWaiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands RefugeA coastal walk among endangered birds and ancient village remains.Parkwolf’s West Maui Scenic Drive ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
