Maui’s Historic Highways
The Roads That Connected Maui
Two remarkable roads opened remote landscapes to travel while becoming part of Maui’s living history: the Hāna Belt Road and the highway to Haleakalā’s summit.
Explore their storiesBefore the pavement
Every modern road follows an older story
Long before automobiles arrived, kānaka maoli moved through these landscapes on established footpaths, carrying food, news, and knowledge between communities. Later roads grew from those patterns of connection, then expanded alongside ranching, irrigation, agriculture, tourism, and the creation of Haleakalā National Park.
The highways visitors know today are more than scenic drives. They are community lifelines, carefully engineered cultural landscapes, and records of the people whose labor joined difficult terrain one bridge and switchback at a time.
East Maui · Opened December 18, 1926
Hāna Highway: From Footpath to Belt Road
The road to Hāna was not one single construction project. It developed over decades as Maui’s trail network became plantation-era roads and, eventually, a continuous belt road built across ravines, streams, and rainforest.
Building a continuous route
In 1877, approximately 15 miles of unpaved road extended from Central Maui toward Kailua to support construction of the Hā‘ikū Ditch. Agricultural development continued pushing the route east; improvements between Keʻanae and Nāhiku were in place by 1900.
Major road and bridge construction between about 1908 and 1926 finally linked the sections. Federal primary-road funding approved in 1925 helped make completion possible, and the East Maui belt road formally opened on December 18, 1926.
The project involved contractors, Maui County crews, day laborers, and prison labor. Bridge and road work continued through 1947, and a major 1962–64 program widened and paved the route. Its opening reduced East Maui’s dependence on weekly steamer service and turned a week-long round trip into a drive measured in hours.
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1877
The route reaches Kailua
An unpaved road supports irrigation construction and expands overland access eastward.
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1908–1926
Bridges close the gaps
Road crews span East Maui’s streams and gulches, creating a connected belt road.
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Dec. 18, 1926
The road opens
Hāna gains a dependable overland connection to Central Maui.
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1937–1947
The system evolves
Additional construction and bridge work shape the historic road recognized today.
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1962–1964
The route is modernized
A state improvement program widens and paves the road while retaining its historic alignment.
Haleakalā National Park · Opened February 23, 1935
Haleakalā Highway: Designing the Road to the Summit
The road up Haleakalā was designed as an experience, not simply a way to gain elevation. Its curves follow the mountain, its stonework grows from the volcanic landscape, and its alignment intentionally holds back the crater view until visitors reach the summit.
A scenic road built with restraint
Haleakalā has profound cultural significance for kānaka maoli. Before motor access, people reached the summit landscape on foot or horseback. After Haleakalā became part of a national park in 1916 and summit lands were transferred to the park in 1928, planning advanced for a road that could withstand the mountain while preserving its character.
The Territorial government first built the roughly 10.2-mile approach from Kula to the park boundary between 1931 and 1933. That state-road phase opened in April 1933 and made the final climb into the national park possible.
The 10.677-mile park segment had been designed between 1925 and 1933, then was constructed from 1933 to 1935. To reduce disturbance, work was confined to a narrow 14-foot corridor without separate construction access roads. Culverts, gutters, and a bridge incorporated lava-rock masonry so the engineering would sit quietly in the landscape.
On opening day, 1,639 people arrived in 320 cars. Park visitation rose 455 percent by the end of 1935. Later Mission 66 work from 1956 through 1966 improved overlooks at Leleiwi, Kalahaku, and Red Hill while retaining the route’s naturalistic character.
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1931–1933
The approach reaches the park
The Territory builds the mountain road from Kula to the national park boundary.
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1933–1935
Crews build upward
Workers shape the road within a narrow corridor and finish drainage structures in lava-rock masonry.
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Feb. 23, 1935
The summit road opens
More than 1,600 people gather to celebrate direct automobile access to the park summit.
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1956–1966
Mission 66 improvements
New overlooks and visitor facilities make the journey safer and more informative.
Living roads
History is still moving here
These roads remain essential infrastructure for Maui residents. Their beauty is best experienced with the same care their builders brought to the landscape.
- Yield patiently at one-lane bridges and follow posted signs.
- Never stop in a travel lane or block a resident’s driveway.
- Respect private property, cultural places, and park closures.
- Pack out waste and leave waterfalls, trails, and overlooks as you found them.
See the landscapes
Experience Maui’s historic roads with a local
Choose the landscape that calls to you. Every Hawaii By Storm tour is private and shaped around your group.
Research notes
Sources & further reading
This page draws from government preservation records and National Park Service research. Follow the links to explore the original reports, archival photographs, and detailed highway histories.