Road To Hana, Maui
The Road to Hana has 620 curves and 59 bridges. The road leads you through rainforests, waterfalls, plunging pools and seascapes.
Download GuideAlong GPS Audio Tour App (formerly called Gypsy Guide). Just do it and use it.
I’d HIGHLY recommend driving the Road to Hana yourself; if you are an experienced driver you will be fine, just need to be attentive and patient. The views and the time spent learning Hawaiian history with the GuideAlong App are worth it alone but there are a lot of things to see and do along the route.
We’ve done the drive a couple different ways and I can’t say one was better than the other because they were just different experiences.
First thing is to check if you need reservations:
Black Sand Beach (plan on the drive time when picking time slot, you can make these 30 days in advance)
Haleakala - Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) and Pipiwai Trail is located is within Haleakala National Park and a park pass is required. You can also use the same pass at the Haleakala Summit location within 3 days.
What to Bring:
ALWAYS BRING VALUABLES WITH YOU AND LOCK YOUR CAR
I had cash and cards stolen out of my wallet on the beach from our cooler bag, they left my wallet so I didn’t even notice until hours later when I got an alert they spent over $5000 on my card
small cooler with drinks, sandwiches and snacks
drybag with swim suit, towel, umbrella, sunscreen, hair brush, dry shampoo, detangler and sandals/water shoes (sand will get everywhere)
tennis/hiking shoes (will probably get dirty)
sunglasses/sun hat
phone with charger
OPTIONAL: travel shampoo/conditioner, beach chair, boogie board, sand toys and googles
Trip 1: Road to Hana with Kids
Vehicle: Suburban
Who: 4 adults, 4 kids (ages 5-9)
Start Time: 7:00am, left hotel around 6:00am
We grabbed coffee and malasadas on the way toward Pa’ia.
Stopping at the suggested stops on the App are worth it. We avoided stops with longer hikes.
The Garden of Eden Arboretum was one of our favs, they have birds you can feed and amazing views with short and easy hikes.
We didn’t have Black Sand Beach reservations this time, tried getting in without and it did not work. We love wandered around Hana, stopped at the store, found restroom and ate lunch.
We continued on to Hamoa Beach - the is a must stop. I’d make the drive just to go to this beach! The waves are so much FUN (boogie boards and googles are useful) but you get filthy, the waves pummel you with sand so it gets everywhere. The showers were under construction but once they are complete, I’d shower before leaving here.
It was about 3:00 pm already, we were tired and hungry so we just drove and took in the views from the car. We completed the whole loop (backside), not bad but some sketchy areas.
Trip 2: Road to Hana Adults Only
Vehicle: Bronco
Who: 4 adults
Start Time: 7:00am, left hotel around 6:00am
We grabbed coffee and malasadas on the way toward Pa’ia.
We had made reservations for Waiʻanapanapa State Park a few days before so we got the short straw on timeslot at 9:00-11:00am. This basically meant we had to head straight to Hana without much tie for other stops. Reservations are available 30 days in advance so if you want the 11:00-1:00 time slot you’ll have to plan it well in advance or get lucky.
We had already done the route with the kids so I wasn’t too heart broken but the waterfalls were rushing more this time so it would have been nice to have a little more time for photos ops on the way to the beach.
The black sand beach was really neat to see, it was smaller than I expected, I understand why they limit the number of people. We laid out in the sun for a bit, did a little hike and our time was up!
For lunch we found a couple food trucks in Hana that were delicious and ventured on to Hamoa Beach.
As mentioned above, Hamoa Beach is a must stop. Very nice beach and on that side of the island it’s like a permanent wave pool. SO. MUCH. FUN.
We wanted to complete the loop (drive the backside) so we ventured onto the Wailua Falls, the year prior it wasn’t rushing much but this time we decided to stop and swim in the plunge pool below the falls! I’d do this again too, it was refreshing to rinse off the ocean water in the clear COLD water from the falls. Wear shoes and bring a towel down to the water with you.
It was around 3:00pm after the cold swim so we completed the loop, enjoying more unbelieve views on the way back!
Next time I’d like to see the bamboo forest but time just seems to go so fast, fitting it all in really would be a challenge.
I hope you enjoyed my insights and the Road to Hana if you get the chance to experience it!
