A West Maui coastline driving tour is one of the best ways to explore a quieter, less-visited side of Maui.
While many visitors head straight for big sights like Haleakala or the Road to Hana, this scenic drive gives you a chance to slow down and see a different side of the island.
If you’re looking for beautiful coastal views, a more laid-back route, and a drive that feels a little more off the beaten path, this is a great one to add to your Maui itinerary.
We found this to be one of the easiest ways to explore West Maui at our own pace, especially if you want the freedom to stop along the way and take in the views.
Click Here To Download Your West Maui Coastline Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Today!
The Best West Maui Coastline Driving Tour
We’ve mentioned in previous posts that we used the Shaka Guide app to take us around the island throughout our stay.
We used it for the Road to Hana Full Loop, Haleakala National Park, AND for the West Maui Coastline Tour.
You can purchase each tour separately, but I recommend the bundle so you can have all of the tours for just $10 more than the cost of 1 tour.
Click Here To Download Your West Maui Coastline Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Today!
This tour recommends having about 6-8 hours of time set aside to complete and to begin by 10 am.
It officially starts and ends in Kahului, but what’s great about this being a loop though is you can actually start and end wherever you’d like.
We were already at Miso Phat Sushi for lunch, so we just began our tour from there and took the loop around until we made it back to our resort.
We also weren’t able to start until about 1 pm because of our chocolate tasting earlier in the day, but that still left us with plenty of time to do everything we wanted to do on the tour.
Where To Grab Lunch Before You Go: Miso Phat Sushi
Location: 4310 Lower Honoapi‘Ilani Road, Lahaina, Hawaii
With a name like that, how could you not want to eat lunch here?
Miso Phat Sushi was actually featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (one of our favorite shows), so you know it’s good!
There is a second location in Kihei, but for the purposes of this West Maui coastline driving tour, you’ll want to go to the Lahaina location.
I made a list before we went to Maui of all the restaurants I wanted to try and I found a way to work it into our schedule!
JP ordered the Miso Phat Roll which is a Spicy Tuna Roll with Cucumber Broiled Unagi, Avocado topped with Tobiko, Unagi Sauce & Sesame Seeds for $20.
I had the 69 Roll which is a California Roll with Crab, Avocado & Cucumber wrapped with Broiled Unagi & topped with Green Onions, Unagi Sauce, Tobiko & Sesame Seeds, also for $20.
They sold baby t-shirts with the Miso Phat logo that said “Miso Phat Baby” and we were so tempted to get one for our 1 year old nephew, but we ultimately decided not to just because of how quickly he would outgrow it.
1. Kapalua
This place was amazing.
JP said one of his previous trips to Maui he actually golfed here.
He had forgotten about it until we saw it.
We went over to the cliffs and watched the waves crash up on the shore and we were able to see plenty of waves.
I loved this spot and could just sit here all day.
2. Fleming Beach
We mostly just stopped here for a bathroom break.
They have a cute preschool set back from the beach.
Since we had a late start to the driving tour, we didn’t want to spend too much time at stops that were just small beaches.
It was also pretty crowded and hard to find parking, so we kept going.
3. Honolua Bay
Honolua Bay is known for being a great snorkeling spot.
We saw quite a few snorkelers out there, but did not participate.
We stopped at a couple of the overlooks and went down to the beach for a few minutes.
Then we continued on our journey.
Click Here To Download Your West Maui Coastline Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Today!
4. Nakalele Blowhole
The Nakalele Blowhole is one of the highlights of the West Maui Coastline Tour.
We didn’t go all the way down because it is a steep trail, but we got close enough to enjoy it.
There were quite a few people at this stop.
Many were very unprepared though.
Please do not wear flip flops, please put on sunscreen, and please bring water with you!
There are also warnings about getting too close, so keep a safe distance from the blowhole.
People get swept away all the time and you don’t want this vacation to be your last!
This is a stop that you can do for as little as 5 minutes or as many as 30 minutes before moving on.
The blowhole pretty much goes continuously, so you can just watch it forever!
5. West Maui Scenic Stretches
At this point, we just drove through the little towns along the route taking in the views.
The Shaka Guide shared the history of the area and pointed out areas of significance.
For this large portion of the drive there weren’t really any stops, it was just more scenic lookouts.
In this section there are many areas with only one lane, so that could cause some traffic back-ups depending on when you’re visiting.
We were there in February and did not experience any traffic on this side of the island.
6. Iao Valley State Park
Iao Valley is the other big highlight of the West Maui Coastline Tour.
With this being a state park, they do charge $5 for parking and they close fairly early.
So plan to arrive before 5 pm.
The must-do here is taking the steps up to the viewpoint of the “needle”.
If you have more time you can also take the trail down to the river.
Click Here To Download Your West Maui Coastline Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Today!
7. West Maui Petroglyphs
In our recent travels, we’ve been to a lot of petroglyphs (like at Capitol Reef and in New Mexico) and honestly, they never get old!
It’s fun to find all of them and see all of the different drawings.
It was so interesting that these ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs were just off a dirt road and didn’t really have any sort of signage.
There were signs saying not to vandalize them, but not like a “Welcome to Maui’s Petroglyphs” kind of sign.
This might be one of the reasons we were the only ones there.
By this time the sun was setting, so we continued on our tour toward Lahaina.
8. Lahaina (Front Street)
By the time we circled back to this area, our tour was essentially complete.
We had been going to Lahaina at some point every day of our trip already, so we just listened to the tour to see what they said about it, but we weren’t really “on tour” any more.
We had planned dinner in Lahaina at Aloha Mixed Plate.
But apparently they had closed permanently.
So instead we went to Star Noodle.
Where To Have Dinner: Star Noodle
Location: 1285 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
Aloha Mixed Plate had been attached to Star Noodle and one of JP’s friends had recommended Star Noodle, so we decided to give it a try since we were already there.
We shared Tempura Shrimp, Garlic Noodles, and a Hapa Ramen bowl.
Click Here To Download Your West Maui Coastline Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Today!
Where To Stay When Visiting Maui
I highly recommend staying at Ka’anapali Beach Club when you’re visiting Maui.
This resort is owned by Hilton Vacation Club,
Contrary to popular belief though, you don’t have to be an owner of this timeshare to stay at this resort.
You can book your stay easily through your preferred 3rd party booking platform or book directly.
I recommend this resort specifically because for the same price as a standard hotel room, you’ll get a full kitchen, balcony with ocean views, a jacuzzi tub, separate bedroom and living spaces, and more.
If this room type is available, I recommend trying to book the one bedroom Deluxe Oceanview Suite.
You can see a full walk-through of the one bedroom deluxe oceanview suite in this video on our YouTube Channel.
Click Here To Book Your Stay At Ka’anapali Beach Club Today!
Must-Try Restaurants On Maui
We’ve compiled a list of all the best restaurants on Maui to try while you’re visiting since there are just so many and it can be overwhelming to try to plan.
Below is the lobster and crab grilled cheese sandwich from Down the Hatch in Lahaina.
More Fun Things To Do On Maui
Exploring the West Maui coastline is just one small area of Maui.
There are so many other great things to do on the island.
Haleakala National Park
Catching a sunrise at Haleakala National Park is a must-do.
It’s easiest to do as part of a small group guided tour so you don’t have to do any of the driving!
Click Here To Book Your Haleakala National Park Sunrise Tour Today!
Whale Watching
You can’t go to Maui without doing a little bit of whale watching, especially if you visit in peak season like we did (February).
Click Here To Book Your Maui Whale Watching Excursion Today!
Cacao Farm + Chocolate Tasting Tour
This was one of the highlights of our trip, with my favorite photo of us in the treehouse tasting chocolates made from the cacao grown on this farm.
The views are amazing, the chocolate is amazing, and it’s a fun experience most Maui visitors don’t get to do
Click Here To Book Your Cacao Farm + Chocolate Tasting Tour at Maui Ku’ia Estate Today!
Best Luaus On Maui
You have to go to a luau at least once when you’re visiting any of the Hawaiian islands.
We’ve compiled a list of the best luaus with cost and experience comparisons so you can choose the best luau for your vacation!
Road To Hana Full Loop Drive
I highly recommend driving the full loop route if the weather permits.
Most visitors just drive to Hana and back, but there is so much more to do and see!
Click Here To Download Your Self Guided Road To Hana Full Loop Driving Tour Today!
The Ultimate 6 Day, 5 Night Maui Itinerary
The West Maui coastline driving tour is a really fun experience and a great way to see different parts of Maui that not every visitor gets to see.
For an all-inclusive look at everything you can do during your stay on Maui, check out our full 6 day, 5 night itinerary.
