The Valley of Sugar is a nice drive if you enjoy seeing sugar cane. This flat land between West and East Maui is nothing but sugar and is the main reason Maui is known as the Valley Isle. There are 37,000 acres owned by HC&S for the purpose of growing sugar.
At one time, this area was a dryland forest, however, the Hawaiians cut down the trees and nothing remained except for desert. Westerners came and realized the area would be perfect for growing sugar, thus the trenches were built to bring in water and the sugar industry was born on Maui.
If you are taking highway 30 going west, you will come upon the Maui Tropical Plantation in between mile marker a 2 and 3. Here you will find 60 acres of kinds of tropical fruits and plants. When you first arrive, you will notice a sign that states “free”, well it is free to walk around some, but if you want to experience, what the plantation has to offer you will have to take a ride on the sugar train. The price is $ 9.50 but you will get to enjoy the entire plantation and the kids are sure to love the adventure. You can stop by the gift shop for a few unique souvenirs of the sugar industry and the plantations.
Many as they travel past the old sugar mill on Highway 311, cannot believe their eyes, one of the ugliest things they have ever seen is before their eyes. Yes, it is the old mill. The mill was built in 19th century and the black smoke rolls out burning the bagassee, which is the fiber that is left after the sugar has been removed from the cane. This is how electricity is produced which they sell any excess to the local electric company.
Children may love stopping by the Sugar Museum at the corner of Highway 311 and Hansen Road. Here you can learn all about sugar harvesting and refining. This tour might be boring to some, but where else in the world can you learn about this process. The price is $ 5 but you are sure to enjoy seeing all the artifacts to do with the sugar industry especially the clothing the field workers were while harvesting the sugar.
The next attraction along the way is the Maui Raceway Park, which can be found between mile marker 4 and 5. This is a very busy place on the weekends. You will more than likely notice the “No Trespassing” signs as you approach the park, however, these are signs of days gone by. At one time, HC&S leased the land and never removed the signs after the lease expired. The landing strip you see was built by the US Navy during World War II. During the war, the strip was used for carrier planes. You may also notice bunkers scattered around the area as well dating back to the same war. After the war, the sugar company used the strip for their crop dusters. Today, the only planes seen here are the remote control kind. During the weekends, you will love watching the various races such as go-cart races, drag races, and motocross races on the dirt areas. There are many other recreational activities going on at the same time for your family to enjoy. There are plans in the works to develop this area with more recreational activities in the future.
Many people believe the stretch of highway you just visited is one of the least attractions you will see in Maui, mainly because of all the sugar you see.
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