Wondering if driving Maui’s famous Road to Hana is worth planning into your vacation? Let’s allow some photos to do the talking and help you decide.
First, let’s check out the view from Wai’anapanapa State Park which is a must visit before you arrive in the sleepy town of Hana. This black sand beach amplifies the surrounding shades of blue and green, doesn’t it? I can still recall the first time I saw Wai’anapanapa Beach, I almost had to lift my jaw off the ground.
As the road to Hana threads through the rainforest and cliffs, beautiful coastal scenes come into view.
Oh, even more beautiful coastal views await your gaze.
Numerous waterfalls flow beside the road to Hana. Several are within view from the road and many others are a short hike away. On our journeys on the road to Hana, we enjoy keeping the windows down while we’re driving so that we can hear the waterfalls before we approach them. The photo below is of Wailua Falls just past the town of Hana.
Approximately ten miles past Hana town, you’ll find the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park with the famous Oheo Gulch, which is also known as the seven sacred pools.
It is said that there’s some 600 curves and more than 50 one lane bridges on the road to Hana. The roadside scenery definitely makes the road to Hana worth the effort. Just for fun, we took this photo of these signs as a reminder of the challenge of this beautiful drive.
I’ve only provided a small sampling of views from the road to Hana, but hopefully enough to give you an idea of what you’ll see. See more road to Hana photos from our collection.
If you’ve toured road to Hana on your Maui vacation, would you agree that the views are worth the many curves and pauses before crossing dozens of one-lane bridges?
Sheila Beal
6 comments
Hey Sheila…
Last night we decided to spend 2 weeks in Maui, instead of 1, with all the things to do like visiting Haleakala Park, Iao Valley, Snorkelling in Molokini, relaxing on the beaches, etc. and of course, doing the Road to Hana…
…after seeing these pictures, you haven’t changed our minds… this is one journey we won’t be missing. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
N & S
P.S. We’ve heard the ride can take anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on traffic… is that your experience too?
2 weeks? Yay! To Hana from Kahului takes about 2.5 hours, if I remember correctly. That’s without stops, though, and you’ll definitely want to stop along the way.
When we take the Road to Hana, we leave around 6 in the morning. It takes about 2 hours to get to the start of the road. We make numerous stops so we can hike down to waterfalls (like the 3 Bears!) and just stop at the side of the road to see the great coastal views! We try to make it to the seven sacred pools or past if we can before dusk so when we turn around to come back it doesn’t get too dark. Driving the road at night is kind of scarey but we have done it a couple times. If you can map out several places to stop and hike it makes the ride more efficient. We have been back to Maui 3 times so far and we have hiked to different falls each time. We always go back to our favorites but still include different ones. There are so many to see but of course not enough time to experience it all!
that is beautiful! I get car sick when my husband drives on windy roads and if I am driving I can’t see the views! Hmmm. Will have to give it a go anyway I guess, doesn’t seem like something I should miss! :>)
In response to Nancy and Shawn, do plan on more than 2-4 hours to do the HanaRoad. My family went there a few years ago. We got to Paia@ 7;30 to buy boxed lunches and did not get back to the town until waaaaayy past dark, and we still had @ 45 min. to get back to our condo in Kehei. Stopping alng the way is the only way for us tourists to get to Hana, the sights insist we stop and walk a trail, grab a snack, and just soak in the vistas and waterfalls! I have only one other point to doing the Hana Road— go when the weather isn’t too dry. There’s no rivers on Maui to feed the waterfalls, and the rain is essential if you want to see waterfalls. I saw very few falls, and from the books and post cards I read and bought, they are much better in a rainier season. Even so, I still had a great time riding the “Horizontal Rollercoaster”!!!
Hey Joanne,
Thanks for the input & tips… we appreciate it!
Nancy & Shawn