Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The island of Maui is 727 square miles, making it the 17th largest island in the United
States and the second largest island in Hawai'i behind the massive, 4,029-square-mile Big
Island of Hawai'i. There are 120 linear miles of coastline. At its widest point, the island is
26 miles from north to south and 48 miles from east to west.
Known as the “Valley Isle,” Maui is the product of two volcanoes—Haleakala and the
older Mauna Kahalawai—the output of which merged together into a central isthmus to
form the island we know today. At 10,023 feet above sea level, Haleakala is estimated to
be about 750,000 years old, making it half as old as Mauna Kahalawai (otherwise known
as the West Maui Mountains), which has stood for 1.5 million years. In looking at the two
mountains, it's evident that Mauna Kahalawai—with its deeply eroded valleys and dra-
matically carved peaks—has fought the forces of nature for longer than smooth Haleakala.
However, Haleakala already shows signs of its age in the ravines of Kipahulu, the Kaupo
Gap, and the cleft in the mountainside towering above Ke'anae.
