Lahaina Pali trail: 5 miles one way, 10 miles round trip. Access from either end:
Lahaina side from the small parking lot mauka of Papalaua/ Grandma's surf break. If you get to the pali/ tunnel you've gone too far.
Maalaea side: Head mauka on dirt road off Honoapiilani Hwy [30] between N Kihei Rd [310] and Kuihelani Hwy [380] junctions. It heads mauka, then turns to the left and runs along the edge of the farms for a mile or so. There's a small parking lot.
The trail itself is hot, dry, and rocky, with little or no shade. It climbs up to about 1600' and then back down. There's nothing really interesting on the trail itself, tho the views are good. Those windmills up on the ridge and the access road that runs up to service them kinda spoil the area. I liked this hike a lot more before they were put up there.
This used to be THE ROAD between Lahaina side and Wailuku side. On Lahaina side you can see remnants of the much better road that replaced it. Narrow and twisty - probably a lot like driving Hana side. Then you've got Honoapiilani cutting through that - much straighter, wider, still a bit twisty. Makes you appreciate good roads.
[These photos are from March. Typically there's not so much green.]
