The road to Hana

[kugamuga]

Is the time and money spent driving to Hana in Maui worth it or would it be better spent doing something else? I will be there in 2 months and I have rented a car and a motel room for the night in Hana so I won't have to drive there and back to the ship in the same day.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

We did the Road to Hana. It was the most beautiful drive (and scariest) we have ever taken. We rented a convertible. Well worth it. To look up and see the trees, waterfalls and cliffs you are going by is amazing! Keep in mind that our rental company told us not to take the car in the full circle as they will not cover you if something happens, so you have to go back the way you came. We were told that the reason was the other road out washes out quite often. The drive takes quite a while.

[CavePearl]

Two years ago we drove the entire road to Hana in a rental car. (Shhhh. It will be our little secret) It was fabulous! Yes, a little scary when we headed around "the other side," but just check the weather, go slow, and you will probably be all right. We absolutely loved the drive, and did it in one (long) day. I say go for it!

[kugamuga]

We did the Road to Hana. It was the most beautiful drive (and scariest) we have ever taken. We rented a convertible. Well worth it. To look up and see the trees, waterfalls and cliffs you are going by is amazing! Keep in mind that our rental company told us not to take the car in the full circle as they will not cover you if something happens, so you have to go back the way you came. We were told that the reason was the other road out washes out quite often. The drive takes quite a while.

What do you mean by "full circle"

[ilikeanswers]

What do you mean by "full circle"

 

There is the road to Hana via Wailua and the road to Hana via Kaupo combine them together and you have a loop. The road via Kaupo is not in the best condition but absolutely stunning scenery. The road via Wailua is the road that most tourists do. It has a lot of bends and because it is heavily forested it is not as scenic a drive but there are some view points you can stop at along with some waterfalls. IMO the Wailua side is a little overrated and I wasn't that impressed:(.

 

 

I don't know how much time you have on Maui but if there is one drive I think anyone should do on Maui it is the drive to Haleakala Observatory. The views along that road were second to none:hearteyes: and on a clear day you can see all the way to the other side of the island:D. Another road I was impressed with was from Kahului to Kapalua via Kahakuloa. It also has many bends and is also quite narrow but again has stunning scenery.

[cb at sea]

We did the full circle of RTH on a land based vacation. It took the entire day. Yes..we were in a rental van.....(had no smaller vehicles when we arrived). It's pretty...and twisty. I wouldn't say it's the "scariest" road at all....just very time consuming.

There are tons of other things to do in Maui. If you have lots of time to see everything, the definitely do Hana....if you only have a day, then skip it and do it on another trip.

[CruiserBruce]

There is tons of discussions on the Hawaii board about the Road to Hana.

 

If I have limited time- one port day, or overnight, Road to Hana would not be a priority for us. If we are staying for a week, yes.

[Bizmark'sMom]

You already have a hotel room booked -- GO!

The road is twisty, but nothing extreme if you have any experience driving in mountains. The scenery is stunning.

 

When you get to Hana, hike out to Red Sand Beach. It's a great protected swimming spot that is unbelievably scenic.

 

And, I would highly recommend doing the whole loop. It is stunning.

[evandbob]

Get a copy of the tour book "Hidden Maui" and look up the road to Hana section. It gives you details about where to stop and see stuff you might not even notice if you just drive through and sightsee from the car or stop at the obvious parking spots.

 

For us, it was a once in a lifetime experience, and we didn't want to miss anything during the 10 -12 hour circumnavigation full loop drive. We would have never known what we missed if we didn't bring a copy of that book with us!

 

And renting a Jeep is the way to go!

Edited April 30, 2018 by evandbob

[NLH Arizona]

Two years ago we drove the entire road to Hana in a rental car. (Shhhh. It will be our little secret) It was fabulous! Yes, a little scary when we headed around "the other side," but just check the weather, go slow, and you will probably be all right. We absolutely loved the drive, and did it in one (long) day. I say go for it!

I did this alone in a rental car many years ago and once pasted Hana, it was really scary. When I hit the gas station, the lady asked me where I came from and I said Hana and she came up, gave me a hug and invited me in for some tea. Worst part was that some of the so called single lane road was washed out and I kept bottoming out, in the rental car, on the rocks.

[gerelmx]

Adventure to Hana is in our plans for the Eclipse cruise in Sept/Oct 2019

[evandbob]

delete

[57redbird]

Get the book Maui Revealed - it has a wealth of info.

[donaldsc]

Two years ago we drove the entire road to Hana in a rental car. (Shhhh. It will be our little secret) It was fabulous! Yes, a little scary when we headed around "the other side," but just check the weather, go slow, and you will probably be all right. We absolutely loved the drive, and did it in one (long) day. I say go for it!

 

I also did the shole road in a rental more than several years ago. The problem now is that many car rental companies now put GPS tracking devices on their vehicles so that they know where you have driven. If you have a problem with the car and you have driven somewhere where they have told you not to drive, they will know.

 

DON

[6rugrats]

Two years ago we drove the entire road to Hana in a rental car. (Shhhh. It will be our little secret) It was fabulous! Yes, a little scary when we headed around "the other side," but just check the weather, go slow, and you will probably be all right. We absolutely loved the drive, and did it in one (long) day. I say go for it!

Don is correct. Most rental car agreements don't allow this.. I did it many years ago when the road was much worse than today. Luckily, the car was ok, but didn't find it very fun.

If I just had a day on Maui, I wouldn't spend it driving to Hana.

[DCLCrazy]

If you like beautiful scenery and feel like you’re probably going to die all on the same trip, then it’s worth it. :) there’s a nice restaurant halfway through you can stop at. If I can find my scrapbook it might have the name of the restaurant in it. I’d have to look.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[bonsai3s]

And if you decide to do the drive...please don't forget to visit the Seven Sacred Pools...and swim in them. :)

[Florida_cruisers]

It is surely worth it but I would not drive yourself, not the safest road. We stayed in Hawaii for 2 weeks 2 years ago and we hired a tour driver. Very nicely done on a van and safer. It’s scary!

[Silver Sweethearts]

And if you decide to do the drive...please don't forget to visit the Seven Sacred Pools...and swim in them. :)

 

Just FYI from the National Park Service:

 

-Closure Notice -

"The Pools of 'Ohe'o in our Kīpahulu District are CLOSED indefinitely due to safety concerns with landslides. We will update the condition of the pools once it becomes available. Hiking trails in Kīpahulu remain open."

[Bizmark'sMom]

I didn't find the road scary at all. There are worse highways in the Rockies. I guess it depends on what you're used to.

[Dancing Shoes]

As a resident, be very careful if you take the trail to the Red Sand Beach. I don't recommend it. If you like to hike, the Pipiwai trail over at the Haleakala National Park (Kipahulu district) is 4 miles RT. It takes you up the hill and through a big bamboo forest. You get to see 2 waterfalls. Take bug spray, Hana is considered a rain forest. One word of caution, do not leave anything in your car if you make stops along the highway. If you have luggage in your trunk, do not open it to put things in and walk away. You can still walk down to the pools, just can't get in the water.

[NLH Arizona]

I didn't find the road scary at all. There are worse highways in the Rockies. I guess it depends on what you're used to.

I didn't think the road to Hana was scary, it was when you passed Hana and went to the other side...now that was scary.

[kugamuga]

Thanks everyone for your responses. We decided to cancel the motel room in Hana and do the round trip thing in one day. The money saved will be used for a helicopter tour on Kauai. As for the driving, I just retired in October from driving a 26 ft box truck up and down the east coast from Boston to Richmond for the past 30 years so it should not be a problem for me. Mahalo

[donaldsc]

I didn't find the road scary at all. There are worse highways in the Rockies. I guess it depends on what you're used to.

 

Have you driven the White Rim Road in Canyonlands? The Mt. Evans road is also sort of neat. One of these days I have to do Pikes Peak.

 

DON

[Hlitner]

We think its more of a time issue rather than cost. The cost is simply what you pay to rent a car which is actually pretty inexpensive when compared to the cost of full day tours. But keep in mind that the Hana Road is primarily a 2 lane rural road with some interesting vistas. We enjoy the drive when we stay on Maui, but have never considered it on a port day. For us, the drive from the Kaanapali area takes nearly 12 hours (round trip) since we take our time, stop to eat, do some hiking away from the road, etc. I would assume it could be done in about 6 hours if one were to rush the entire process....but this will really take away from the time to "stop and smell the Roses." Also consider that even the Hana Road can have its bad traffic days. When you are on a road where traffic can only move at the speed of the slowest driver...anything can happen when it comes to time.

 

As to being scary......it is simply a road. If you know how to drive and stay on your side it is no big deal from most folks. Of course there are some folks who get scared just trying to back out of their own driveway....:).

 

Hank