Hana Highway - Road to Hana Reviews

If you only do one expedition while you're in Maui, this is the one to do! But it really does take all day - it took us 13 hours from Ka'anapali to Wai'anapanapa State Park and back, including a dinner stop in Pa'ia town, and we never even made it all the way to Hana (much less the stops beyond). Here are the things you should know:
1) BUY THE SHAKA AUDIO GUIDE!!! Not the free one, the one that costs $25. It is unbelievably helpful. Most of the road does not have cell service, so you won't be able to look anything up on the way. But the Shaka guide works via GPS, and just comes on at the right moment to tell you where to turn, what to expect, how much it will cost, how long it will take, etc. Everything from food and bathroom stops to where to park and what to see. Even though I had done plenty of research, I wouldn't have figured it out without the help of this guide. You need to download the entire tour before you start your drive in order for it to work properly.
2) Take it slowly. The roads are truly hazardous, with hairpin turns and blind curves and one-lane bridges. Fortunately there are plenty of pull-outs so you can let the locals, who tend to drive faster, pass you by. We saw the remains of one horrible accident with tons of emergency vehicles on the scene.
3) Make your reservations for Wai'anapanapa State Park online as far in advance as you can. You have to pick a specific time slot (and can only enter during the first 30 minutes of that time slot) and a number of "entries" - which means people, not cars or numbers of times to go in and out! The 12:30 slot is the most popular and we couldn't get it, so we chose 3:00 and were glad we did - that was exactly when we arrived, after leaving Ka'anapali at 7:30 am and doing many but not all of the stops along the way. However, I did not think Wai'anapanapa was as wonderful as it's cracked up to be - beautiful, for sure, but not so much more beautiful than all the other places along the way that it's worth fretting over if you can't make it.
4) Our favorite stops, in addition to Wai'anapanapa, were the Ke'anae Peninsula, with incredibly beautiful lava rocks and crashing waves; the Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside waterfall, where we ate a picnic lunch and swam in the waterfall; and the Ke'anae Arboretum, where we saw Rainbow Eucalyptus trees.
5) Bring plenty of water and snacks, a full tank of gas, and rain ponchos. It rains on and off constantly in this part of the island. It usually stops pretty quickly and did not prevent us from seeing or doing anything. But it can be a long way between stops for food and bathroom facilities, and there are no gas stations between Pa'ia and Hana. Also remember there is no cell service for much of the ride!

Started our trip in kaanapali.
Had reservations for the black sand beach and my husband HAD to try the famous banana bread 😂 ( which was delicious)
Beautiful scenery but the actual drive was horrible!
Let locals pass otherwise they ride your butt on the already white knuckle road!
My husband drove as I fought car sickness!
( First time I have ever been car sick)
Came,saw, would never do it again!!
Stop at the guy with the shells!
Also the chicken place.
Not much else but a few local food stands
Black sand beach was pretty amazing ❤️
But you need a reservation!

Download the Gypsy App...it's a must! I can't imagine doing the drive without it...we knew exactly where to stop and the narration was great. As well, we didn't have to pay to go to the black sand beach at W. State Park, as we found a black sand beach along the way. The kids loved swimming in the water at Wailea Falls at the end!

We left early (7:30) as many people suggested, but some places were not open. The sites were poorly marked. We had researched stops on the road by mile marker. Had we not done that we would not have know where to stop. We especially liked the arboretum and the small grove of the rainbow trees. We stopped in Hana for banana bread that was delicious. Loved all the beautiful flowers there. Our car rental company did not allow us to drive the complete circle so we had to drive back the same route. My husband pulled over whenever it was possible to let cars go by but we did have some drivers that were very rude. They tailgated us very closely and honked at us.

I am originally from the French Alps, where the mountains roads are narrow and difficult... the Hana Highway is the tropical version of that and I absolutely loved it! If you are scared of narrow mountain roads, this is going to be your worse nightmare though, haha! I was gobsmacked by the luxuriant beauty of nature all along. Prepare the drive in advance so you know where to stop, what to visit. I simply asked ChatGPT, it was the perfect guide! Be prepared as well, you won't have any 3G-4G-5G on a large part of the drive, so keep written notes as you can't count on your internet connection.

Well, the drive was everything it was cracked up to be! Tight, harrowing hairpin turns that were downright scary! But the views were spectacular and well worth it!!! We stopped many times along the way including at the Black sand beach (that you need to make a reservation ahead of time to be able to go) and stopped for at least 10 waterfalls for photos. Lots of hiking trail opportunities, which the kids did.
Absolutely gorgeous drive 😃

Great fun place, you can get some absolutely sick and awesome wave action on one of the beaches. Totally recommend. Fun.

By no mean I want to downgrade this Road Trip or "the location" - it's just "people out there" sell it, nor anywhere close to as difficult as people claim it to be.

It's of course about the journey, not the destination and the beauty of it you can make it a million stops 3 day road trip, or you can focus on the "bigger" parts and just consider it a day trip - we did the full version of a clockwise starting from Kihei and left around 6/6:30AM and were back at the hotel for sunset easily - again, it was our version and everyone has an idea of their own but from the "major" spots we skipped the Pipiwali Trail and that of course would have taken an additional 2h of our day or more... we had a lot of fun at Wai'anapanapa State Park and decided to stay there much longer and pass the Pipiwali as a result

1. We left in Kihei - drive through Paia is super easy - just don't go over the speed limit as there is Police on the road in this area of the town, none afterwards LOL

2. Halfway to Hana - is the first food stand, skip it - not only it's not great, but also there are so many amazing places afterwards and sooooo many of them - the name is catchy and confusing... there is plenty of business around Hana and it's not like Hana is a middle of nowhere at all

3. Turns/bridges - it's a joke... they are all bridges that are wide and open and you always see faaaaaaaaar in advance if you can proceed or slow down - there is nothing that prevents you from seeing that... the bridges are literally a joke... the turns. if every time you touch a steering wheel means a curve then yea that's how they count all of those curves... it's just not a straight road like it is in the Valley of Maui... it goes along the coast/mountain side so no different than any other islands' coastal road - perfectly paved, with literally couple potholes here and there when you can tell elements/rain in particular do some damage over time

4. Wai'anapanapa State Park - requires booking in advance and it's in 2h30m windows - sounds a lot but actually it's not as much as it looks - the place is really pretty just to sit down and chill, or walk along the coast and see some crazy waves and different beaches - we burnt through the entire 2h30m which we didn't think we would stay here longer than 1h!!! Bring some food with you - a perfect spot for a picnic, lunch

5. Skip Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach and go to Koki Beach Park - also Red Sand, right on the "main road" - you can also have a nice lunch here at Huli Huli Chicken - loved the location/visit

6. Hamoa Beach - pictures look better than reality, it's nice but extremely limited parking lot and the water/sand isn't anywhere close to 99% of the enhanced pictures people post around - it's part of the day we visited but still I was very excited for this location and decided to skip it once we arrived - busy beach for the little area it is - though for the "east of Maui" standard a great deal indeed

7. Road conditions - they start to slightly deteriorate already as soon as you get back on the main road from Hamoa Beach and pass the Tony's Place - again nothing crazy but it's not the perfectly flat, paved road anymore lite was up to this point

8. Wailua Falls - very scenic, nice waterfall - view from the little bridge is great, parking lot is small but people come and go, just drive carefully - the access to the waterfall is small and slippery because of the mud, I walked in the flip flops and was fine but be careful as it's easy to slip - definitely a great stop

9. Kīpahulu Visitor Center ROAD MARK - we didn't visit but this is the "end of the extended Road to Hana" and everything after this is what people talk the most incorrect stuff about - the road isn't really that much different or worst after that, it doesn't narrow that terribly either, you can easily still pass each other when going slower or just let someone pass/pass them, there isn't too much to stop at afterwards for a long time but it's fun to drive rather than returning back to Hana and go with all the traffic - trust me there are still cars coming this way all the time, so it's not like we were the "rebels" ...

10. Alelele Falls Viewpoint - found it on google maps but couldn't find it when we were driving so I think it's not the right location, it didn't exist where marked

11. Huialoha Church (1859) - you see it from the hills, can't get to it but it's a scenic area - funny fact, it was the Church from the old famous Polish movie Psy 2 :P at the very end of the movie that's the scene where they taped it = a dream come true for me :D

12. Drive to Maui Wine - it's about 45m to 1h easy drive with some scenic areas - especially once you get closer to the "raw" side of the Haleakala you realize how big it is even on this side - this was one of my fav parts - not the part on ROAD TO HANA, it was the ROAD OUT OF HANA at this stretch that I found the most scenic - in particular this curve into the hill at Manawainui Gulch (check google maps) - it's very serene and impressive view

12a. Maui Wine - we did it on another day but if you haven't it's an excellent place to visit either at the end of your CLOCKWISE ROAD TO HANA trip or return another day - from here you are "back to civilization" - the road is perfectly fine and paved long before it, but here now you have all your residential and commercial buildings along the road - the 45m stretch from the church to the winery is basically a 2 lane road with no sign of life and buildings - scenic by itself

12b Food stops - there is the food stop across from Maui Wine called Ulupalakua Ranch Store - we had a lunch here another time and it was good, but also there is a place further east, thus closer to you on the way from Hana going CLOCKWISE Bully's Burgers where seats are actually saddles :) we didn't try the latter but it has great reviews and something I would if we were hungry that day

13. Drive back to Kula - if you did the Halekala drive to the submit you will be home already, as you will quickly recognize this is the same road you took already once before... yep the full circle closes in the same area where the drive for the Haleakala Sunset/Sunrise starts :)

All in all it's a nice drive, but foremost a SAFE one, an EASY one - people who brag "I survived the Road to Hana" are dramatic and unreasonable... yes I know what's easy and safe for me may not be for you but I am saying this as objectively as I can - don't be afraid of the full circle and don't waste your time on returning the same way, I had hesitated, was anxious about it just to learn that this was meant to be from the very beginning and that is the right way to do this full day road trip!

I have reviewed or will review all the stops we hit along the way with separate pictures/details if you are interested then just check them out - I think our day trip plan turned out pretty well so it's a decent home made itinerary not to overkill this trip, or feel free to add more to it

TIP: no need for an all wheel or an SUV, you are perfectly fine with a regular car - as a matter of fact a lot of convertibles were present on the road...

We rented a car and utilized the Ride Along app and the Road to Hana. It was perfect for us! The commentary matched where we were on the road and kept us both entertained and informed!

This drive on narrow, winding road is truly amazing. Surrounded by lush greenery and waterfalls and beautiful foliage, it’s a must if you are visiting Maui.

Drove on the Road to Hana on a Thursday, starting around 10ish from Kihei. Minimal traffic and plenty of parking available at the Twin Falls parking lot- stated for 30 minutes. Continued to Garden of Eden which was overpriced (individual fees) but did provide a nice “one stop shop” of nature for those not wanting to hike for hours (i.e., my kids). Great half day road trip option!

This was possibly my favorite day of my trip to Maui! I drove the whole way there and back and actually found it quite fun to drive. That being said, it's a narrow, twisty, curvy, hilly road. Take your time. Relax. Enjoy the scenery. Pull over for locals. We didn't use an app, we just set off early-ish in the morning and when we found a place we wanted to pull over, we did. I HIGHLY recommend the Garden of Eden. I think it was $20/person but well worth it. If you see folks pulled over on the side and there is enough room for you to pull over safely, do it. Chances are they are stopping for an amazing view/photograph. It rained most of the day on our Road to Hana, so the roads seemed a little slick. Again, just be careful. Make good decisions. The "backside" to Hana was closed, so once we got there, we simply turned around and drove back the same way we came.

If you've never ventured anywhere interesting in your life, you'll probably really enjoy the Road to Hana experience. Otherwise, this is a Must *Not* Do, completely over-hyped roadtrip.

Compared to driving the coastline of California or even other spots on Maui, this roadtrip was super underwhelming and pretty basic. Think of it as a basic vacation starter pack for those who have never laid eyes on small waterfalls, lava tube caves, gardens and creek areas with a bunch of money-grab stops in-between.

There is nothing really to see in Hana town even but they did have a super small black sand beach that's free to park and visit. We didn't have the heart to go further to the national park after nearly 3 hours of mostly meh scenery. There were a few spots on the way back that was a bit eye-catching but nothing to write home about. If you're on the fence about going - just don't. But if you're looking for something to do, to say you've been, just drive to Paia Town - the first town on the stop. There's shops and a bunch of places to eat that will keep you busy for a couple of hours.

Otherwise the drive to Haleakalā Summit is more worthy of your time and attention with way prettier, jaw-dropping views.

Pro: Amazing drive with lush green forests, waterfalls and hikes.
Con: A sign every quarter mile saying to pull over for locals, not emergency vehicles, Locals.
How do you know they are locals? They honk at you, and once they pass they are driving dangerously at twice the speed limit. The single lane road is narrow, rainy, steep and curvy and I almost got into an accident because of a local driving on half of my lane. Watch out.
Btw: where are they rushing to anyways.

So much fun just to enjoy the scenery and take in the experience. Beautiful falls and neat shops. Had yummy banana bread and great pizza in Hana!

Don't get it. Based on the excellent reviews and high rankings in the "things to do in Maui" lists, we were expecting a lot more. Unless you like endless switchbacks, 10-15 mph roads, lots of one lane bridges, and a whole bunch of dense trees far away from the coastal areas, you might want to look elsewhere. The road we took north of the airport to the NW side of Maui was much prettier (and a LOT more challenging - it took us 56 minutes to drive 16 miles on a one way road that had two way traffic). I'd recommend that road a dozen times over the Road to Hana.

One of the big problems with Hana is that it's very hard to locate any of the on the road attractions. There are very few signs and gps is worthless.

Really disappointed.

We traveled the whole road, starting in Kula, and the road itself and other drivers were totally fine. We were only sad we didn't download the Shaka Guide. We just had to guess at all the beautiful things we were passing. The fruit! BUY THE FRUIT! The fresh-squeezed lemon on papaya was the best thing I tasted in all of Maui. We spent a night there, and that made it so we didn't have to have such a long day, and we were able to go the beaches in Hana first thing in the morning. We went skydiving in Hana and that was AMAZING! Many of the waterfalls had signs from locals asking tourists not to get in the water, so that seemed unnecessary and unfriendly. A gorgeous drive and incredible views.

Road to Hana is absolutely beautiful. And I’d like to highly recommend to visit for anyone visiting Maui.
You just have to be a safe and patient driver and can go with any type of car. We had a rental sedan. Make sure you plan ahead of the places you want to visit ahead of your travel.
There are no cell signal so download the road markers ahead of the time. On the 1st day we went to the Waianapanapa State Park where the black sand beach is located. Reservation is needed to enter here so make sure you have that.
On our second day we went to the Pipiwai trail at the end of the Hana road which is a 4 miles roundtrip hike from the parking. National park entrance fee is needed here as well. You will walk through a beautiful bamboo forest here and at the end one of the highest fall.
I see a lot of disrespectful comments about the locals which is not very nice things to say. I’m sure if someone driving 5mph in our towns and we are stuck behind them we would be mad as well.
There are plenty of places to pull over and let the fast drivers behind you to pass if you are a tourist like us. To be honest some tourists block up the road near waterfalls with their gawking and bad parking, which is brutal for the locals I’m sure because it pissed us the fellow ‘other’ tourists.
In actuality my partner was happy each time he would let a local pass us by because then he was comfortably Riding him/her knowing they know the road better than us!!
And every time you let a local pass by you they honk as a Thank you note :).
There are about 56 bridges and you need to stop depending upon what time you are there if the traffic on your side is on move or on the other side. There are many beautiful waterfalls, hike on the beaten paths that you can do. Try to start your day super early or go back the next day if you want to. Most importantly respect the land and the culture and enjoy the ride. I was motion sick the 1st day anyone who has vertigo or have difficulties for winding road I’d suggest to take some medication perhaps.

What a day on the island of Maui - more specifically on “the road to Hana”🌞🌊🌳

The Road to Hana is one of the world’s most scenic drives and a popular sightseeing activity to see Maui’s spectacular waterfalls, black sand beaches, bamboo forests, lava rock formations and amazing ocean views as we wound our way through more than 620 curves and over 59 bridges, and back again 🫣🫨🏝️what a trip and amazing experience 😎

Recommend you to get the app called “Gypsy Guide” - worth all the money - you will get your own private guide👏🏼

Worth a day if you have the time in Maui. Unique and beautiful scenic spots.

- the traffic isn’t near as bad as people say if you get an early start. 7 am at the base.
- be sure to reserve a spot at the black sand beach. It was my favorite part of the entire trip.
- make sure you have a patient and confident driver for lots of curves and one lane bridges. If you get car sick, this isn’t for you.

My wife and I took the "Hana Bound" tour as part of our vacation to Hawaii to celebrate our 40th anniversary. The tour operator was Holo Holo tours and our fantastic guide was Yvonne. We met her in Kahului and she did all the driving. I highly recommend a guided tour for this activity as the drive is challenging (600 curves and dozens of 1-lane bridges) and, just as important, the local knowledge of a native Hawaiian who has driven out and back to Hana thousands of times was invaluable and really added to our enjoyment. Highlights included stopping at the "Half Way to Hana" banana bread stand (Yvonne treated), the black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park, farm to table pizza at Hana Farm restaurant (Yvonne treated again), swimming in a refreshing waterfall fed pool, the beautiful Keanae peninsula, and stopping to visit with and feed various animal friends of Yvonne's. We had a wonderful day and can't thank Yvonne enough for showing us this beautiful region of Maui.

It’s a long and twisty road but worth it in our opinion. We stopped and enjoyed the route and ate Banana bread and fresh brick oven pizza- enjoyed the black beach and beach in Hana. Very scenic!!!

Rented a car and drove about 3/4 of it. I found out afterwards that there are apps you can use to tell you a what you are seeing or coming up to. Even without that it was such a cool ride. A must for sure.

The Road to Hana and beyond was a little disappointing. We didn't get to do the full circle tour that we signed up (due to road construction) for and were not told that until the morning we left. No offering of additional anything and we got back earlier than planned. This company should say at the web site that the circle tour is not available and offer some compensation. The views were beautiful, and our guide was fun. The lunch offering was OK. Once and done for the Road to Hana.

Amazing trip, would recommend to anyone to do the road to Hana ask for Cristie as your guide she is great!!
You get to sit back, relax and enjoy!

I read lots of recommended reviews- too much information because there is so much to look at! Depending on what you want to do, and you’re going with your own itinerary (no tour), I’m glad we didn’t attempt a one day trip- it’s very hard to stop everywhere and not feel rushed or nervous. I wanted to do the Pipiwai trail (photos) past Hana- (FANTASTIC and my MUST DO recommendation if you can hike), and other activities, so for me it was more relaxing and practical to spend at least one night, two would have been better!!! Hopefully your companions have a similar adventurous spirit, but be super careful of all the drop offs and warning signs. Food options are inconsistent and anywhere after 5 or 6:00 is limited. The return trip seemed prettier for some reason. It’s amazing and worth it!

On a recent trip, we stayed at the J Resort, and Hannah's Table was the restaurant inside the resort. We ate there twice, and both experiences were absolutely delicious! I usually like to order French toast if it sounds "different". The French toast exceeded my expectations. It was advertised as brioche, and I have had thing slices of brioche French toast before. However, at Hannah's, I was served three pieces of perfectly cooked French toast with slices the size of generous pieces of cake. I could only eat two slices, and the third was saved to munch on throughout the next day. Not only that, but the French toast was coated with streusel and came with mascarpone cheese, strawberries, and syrup. It was definitely in my top 10 French toast experiences I have enjoyed! The next day, I was thinking of ordering the pancakes, but I saw a man eating them in the restaurant, and there were three of them the size of a large plate, so I decided it was just too much food. He said they were as excellent as they looked. I ordered the omelet, which came with four ingredients of choice. I chose caramelized onions, avocado, bacon, and Swiss cheese. It was one of the better omelets I have ever eaten! It also came with what was called a has brown casserole, which was also outstanding. Inside the hash browns were caramelized onions, and outside, it was coated with cheddar cheese. Even the wheat toast was outstanding, and rather "nutty". I have nothing but good things to say about Hannah's Table, and the price was reasonable. I thoroughly recommend it. Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures.

Of course, fantastic, and a must do if you’re visiting Maui. Hot Tip—go earlier than any of the guidebooks say. We left at 7am, and stayed one stop ahead of all the tour buses which made things MUCH more enjoyable. Also, best part is hiking the trail through the bamboo forest at the end of the road, so make sure to save time for that. The Ke’anae arboretum is also a nice stop to learn more about the vegetation.

Loved it, definitely worth it. We used a “GuideAlong” app and I highly recommend it! Made the entire trip worth it - no need to plan anything in advance, plus, the ride home is more interesting with all of the information provided. Make sure you drive 40 or so minutes past Hana to the national park - it was the best spot. Hike up to walk through a bamboo forest!

It’s about the journey, not the destination! We saw big waves, lots of waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and interesting flowers and trees, especially the rainbow eucalyptus trees! We stopped at a couple of roadside fruit stands and food trucks for delicious food. There are a lot of curves, hairpin turns, hills, narrow passes and not always sufficient places to park to take in the views. My husband gets carsick on curvy roads, so he didn’t really think it was worth the long grueling day. This drive takes a lot of attention by your driver! We only had four days to spend on Maui, so we wish we had left The Road to Hana out of our short itinerary. But I do think it is worth it if you have more time, good weather, and you start very early in the day.

Unless you are planning on making a lot of the stops and doing some hiking, there is not much of a view from the Road to Hana. Most of it is pretty well buried in the trees. There are many other places with better views and more convenient to get to, rather than spending half a day driving to Hana and back.

Very cool road trip. I would highly recommend downloading the road to hana app. It is very informative and interesting narrative companion for a road trip filled with little hidden gems along the way. If you do this road trip, leave early and take your time. It's not a race so enjoy yourselves. It's an all day event so plan on it. Waterfalls are along the way as are swimming holes so bring your swimsuits and towels. You can drive all the way around on the backside ( 5 mile stretch is unpaved ) . Not recommended for rental cars. Expected time is 3 hours each way

Don’t waste your day. Too hyped up, long day driving 3 to 4 hours one way at 20 km/hr. I have seen better waterfalls than these tiny ones. Very windy roads and one way bridges.

The stops were well chosen and our guide was a fountain of knowledge, particularly about the fauna. We saw waterfalls, a black sand beach complete with a cave and a blowhole, and so many green turtles. And I highly recommend the banana bread!

Pay for one of the apps that guides you through the road to Hana. Beautiful. Take you road sickness pills with.

Amazing tour with Aloha Sunshine.
Our guide Maluhia was so knowledgeable about the history and legends and people of the area.

Such a beautiful drive!
It does not seem like it take so long based on mileage, but the road is so twisty and turny! If you are not a confident driver, I would not recommend this.
The views however, are impeccable. So many things to se eon the side of the road -- waterfalls, ocean views, neat trees, and bamboo forests.

There are cute little towns along the way with places to eat and shop, along with fresh fruit stands along the way.

Beautiful scenery and amazing views but the locals are out of hand - one local cussed us out for standing on a bridge and another was drunk trying to fight multiple people broke off someone’s mirror and smashed a persons window and blocked the road and made multiple cars turn around - overall beyond scary and unsafe . Locals do not want tourist here and they will be aggressive

Driving on the Road to Hana is not for the faint hearted and requires confident driving skills and 100% concentration but I found it to be excellent fun and quite an adventure. The highlights along the drive include Waiʻānapanapa State Park with its Black Sand Beach, Wailua Falls, hiking the Pipiwai trail to Waimoku Falls, and the coastal views at Ke'anae Point. I was able to make the entire drive to and from the Kīpahulu Visitor Center where the Pipiwai Trailhead can be accessed and the ʻOheʻo Gulch can be found from Kaanapali Beach but it required 12 hours. The key was leaving Ka'anapali Beach just before 6am. I was on the Road to Hana not long after sunrise at 650am. I made it back around 6pm. I had the road to myself for the first 2 hours which made the twisting and turning drive manageable. I made a few quick stops at an observation point above Honomanu Bay, at the Upper Waikani Falls and at Hanawi Falls for photos but otherwise kept driving all the way to Wailua Falls stopping only to grab a quick bite and coffee at the Nahiku Marketplace near Hana. It was not busy at Wailua Falls when I arrived at 9am. Easy parking and I climbed down to the pool at the base of the falls for some great photos. I then continued to the Kīpahulu Visitor Center which has plenty of parking. I hiked the short ʻOheʻo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) Trail and then spent 2 hours hiking on the scenic Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls which was amazing. I had reserved a timed arrival at Waiʻānapanapa State Park to experience the Black Sand Beach for 1230p-3pm. I had to arrive by 1pm at the latest for entry but had no problem doing this even with a couple brief stops at Hamoa Beach and Koki Beach for photos. I spent 90 minutes at Waiʻānapanapa State Park. The Black Sand Beach was stunning, but I mostly enjoyed hiking along the coastal trail north of the beach offering spectacular views all along the way. Making my way back, stops included the Hana Lava Tube and Ke'anar Arboretum both of which were worthwhile. I also enjoyed stopping at Ke'anae Point for spectacular coastal views with the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline. At this point it was 430pm and time to head back to Ka'anapali Beach which took about 90 minutes and involved dealing with much more traffic than the morning drive. It is very worthwhile to download the Guide Along (formerly known as the GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour. This provided lots of useful information and made the drive more entertaining. Again, this was a great experience, but I wouldn't want to do it like that again. I was also driving this solo. I wouldn't have enjoyed being in the passenger seat for this long of a drive. The best strategy is to break it into 2 days with an overnight stay in Hana.

The Road to Hāna certainly isn’t for everyone and neither are the hikes along the way. The restrooms, 2 lane bridges and straight roads are few and far between. Also, without any stops, the 60 mile trip takes about 2.5 hours if you don’t make any stops. If all of that sounds like it may not be for you, don’t do it. BUT if you can handle these things, there are so many incredible places to see along the way. My wife and I rented a Jeep and made the drive and it was so worth it. Know what you’re getting yourself into and make the most of it. Highly recommend the Shaka Guide app for the drive.

Some notable stops we made:
-Pā’ia
-Ho’okipa Beach
-Twin Falls
-Garden of Eden
-Ke’anae
-Wai’ānapanapa State Park (reservations)

Holy moly was this a waste of a day. This was recommended by EVERYONE. If you are going to do it absolutely use the OVERPRICED tour companies.

Yesterday we went on this highly recommended drive called road to Hana….yeah it was terrible. It took like 8 hours from the time we left our stay to get back. The only good part was getting to hike. We saw a local rear end someone to make them get out of their way (I even have it on video) and some locals drove up on us screaming and yelling out the window. 🤯🤦🏼‍♀️ didn’t even give us a second to get out of their way. And we were in a spot where we couldn’t even get over for them to pass bc it’s all one lane bridges and curves. The speed limit is 15 but everyone drives 40. Then no one said to you know turn around and go back the way you came once you get to Hana. so we just kept driving on that highway and it was so sketchy I thought My husband was going to have a panic attack. There were spots only as wide as the car and so rough we didn’t know if the car would make it and to the left was a straight drop off into the ocean….no wall or anything just a few boulders every 20 ft acting as a wall 😩😩😩😩

Oh and absolutely no service. Just emergency call boxes every 5 miles or so.

So if you absolutely have to do this drive….don’t do it yourself and just pay a company to take you!!

If you are in Maui, you have to go on this. It is a very nice place. The road has many turns, so it is tiring because you have to keep your eyes on the road all the time. There are no signs on the road to tell you which trail/attraction is where. This is a big issue. To prep for it, we noted down the trails that we wanted to stop at. In all the guidebooks, the trails are based on the markers ie mile 1, mile 4, 7, etc. The problem is that even those markers are not always there. In other words, if you are looking to stop at a place at marker 8.7 Miles, you may not know when was the marker 8 because there may not be a sign for that. To address it, you may want to stop where most people are stopping ie follow the crowd, specially the tour vans

There are rainbow trees, lava tube along the way. There is also a red sand beach in Hana. There is a very nice Fish and chips place at marker 28.8 that I will recommend

One way drive to Hana took us 4 hours. Though we stopped at a few places. The road back from Hana took us 3 hours

I will suggest getting to marker 1 at around 8:30 am (or even earlier if you can). Make sure you know where you want to stop. As you cant rely on signage and mile markers, I suggest that you use your vehicle's trip odometer by setting it to 0 at mile marker 1

2025 our 25yh wedding anniversary on day 4 driving the rd. to Hana. Extreme road rage attack. Attempted to drag my wife out the passengers side window. but after striking it with is elbow x2 and forearm. he picked up a brick size rock and smashed our back window on our rental car. For 9 minutes leading up to a force stop where the attack occurred they attached their car to our back bumper, attempting to pass us and run our car in the side of a mountain. 4 separate police reports with a video capturing the lethal attack. Hana Police did not even make and arrest, No cash Bond, no impounding the attackers vehicle. Officer just dropped off a friendly notice to appear to court with a complete white wash of felony charges. reduced to misdemeanor under $400 damage on an Infiniti Q80xe. rear window damage alone is $1k discovered and Hertz after attempted us into the mountain.

Nice scenic drive, it rained a few times,the arboretum is a nice walk and easy parking
Keep your eyes on the road 615 hair pin turns

No trip to Maui is complete without doing the Road to Hana. Don't drive yourself. Take a tour so you can concentrate on the scenery and get lots of background information. We used Hawaiian Style Tours and I would highly recommend them.

If you have good driving ettiequte and pay attention to your surroundings, this is a fun drive. Respect the locals and pull over if they come up behind you. If you get carsick, do not go on this drive. Pipiwai trail hike to Waimoku falls through the bamboo forest is 10/10 worth the drive. Best part of the road to Hana, do not miss it.

Do NOT go on the Road to Hana (unless you’ve planned to stay overnight part way through). You absolutely do not have enough time to see the sites to make the 9 hours you will spend in the car worthwhile, unless you stay the night midway through.

We were excited to do this as a family and because my husband had a magical, memorable experience 20 years ago… we didn’t research much beforehand! What a mistake!

First, Maui is in a drought, so many of the waterfalls/pools are dried or a small trickle. Not only that, but much has been blocked off, roped off, or no longer accessible (EX: Seven Sacred Pools).

The scenery is of course still very gorgeous. However, it doesn’t begin to make up for the 9 hours of driving and 1240 hairpin turns (yep, 1240 if you go back out the way you came in!)

Everything is ridiculously overpriced! $10 for a tiny scoop of ice cream. $9 for banana bread. $20 for state park access, $30 for national park access, etc etc etc.

Things have changed! Hana ought to be a ticketed, one way clockwise for tourists with an encouraged night stay in Hana (I guess, if it’s even worth it then). As it is you see almost nothing and spend the entire day in the car.

Lots of rude, road raging drivers or way too slow of drivers.

I truly cannot overstate how disappointing and a waste of a day in Maui the Road to Hana feels like.

We drove it with a 7 year old and 9 year old. All but the driver took two Dramamine (one on the way in, one on the way out).

This trip has some of the most spectacular scenery. Around every corner there’s another waterfall, beautiful creek or amazing view. We thought it was a great way to spend our time as adults, but would think twice about taking kids because they could easily get bored. That said, the trip takes a couple of hours each way. The road is barely two lanes wide with a 15 mph speed limit much of the way. Many areas have short sections with one lane only and are signed to yield to oncoming traffic. Hana itself wasn’t much of a destination but did have some restaurants and other services.

When we visited Twin Falls we didn’t realize we were on the infamous Hana Highway. On a whim we decided to take the challenge of driving it. The views of waterfalls and crashing waves on the shore are spectacular (for passengers in the car). The driver doesn’t have time to view the scenery as it is unending hairpin turns with several blind spots, which in some areas aren’t wide enough for cars to pass each other. We actually came across an electric company truck that had recently run off the road (there are steep hills with no guardrails in some spots). We were unprepared for the lack of things to do or see in Hana-the road there is definitely the attraction. We were also under the impression we would be going home a different route, but back up the Hana Highway was our only terrifying but beautiful option.

We were told not to drive and took a tour which lasted all day. So glad we weren't driving those hairpin curves in the traffic, but it is worth going for the beautiful scenery. We might have missed some of the sights if on our own. Lots of waterfalls! Worth the trip for us!

Locals hate tourists. I saw more road rage from locals toward tourists than I have seen in my entire life on islands………..

Driving to Hana
The road to Hana was absolutely stunning on this day because it rained heavily which feeds the waterfalls and creates waterfalls where run-off occurs!

If you are like us, this ain't for us. Don't let the influencers fool you. We spent almost 6hrs round trip and for what? Enjoy the rest of the island don't lose your time. It's perfect for them though.

I can't recommend driving the road to Hana. I think our experience would've been much better with a guided tour, so that we did not have to deal with the stress of driving this dangerous road. It's a beautiful drive. We enjoyed our stops at Twin Falls, Ke’anae Peninsula, and Wai’napanapa State Park (black sand beach). In hindsight I wish we would've turned around at Wai’napanapa State Park and returned home. Instead we continued on to Haleakalā National Park. The road between Wai’napanapa and Haleakalā was even more narrow, and traffic came to a complete stop twice because the road isn't wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass each other. I am so, so thankful that we did not damage our rental car. By the time we got to Haleakalā we were exhausted, and we did not want to make the drive back down to our condo in the dark, so we only stayed at Haleakalā for about 20 minutes before leaving. Also the 7 sacred pools did not have any water in them, so this was a mostly wasted part of the trip (plus expensive entry fee to the park).

If you insist on making this drive yourself, prepare for an extremely long day (altogether it took us around 12 hours). Be sure to take plenty of snacks and water with you, as there are not many places to buy supplies.

What an adventure !
Give yourself plenty of time . We rented a convertible and was happy we had the open air . Lots of tight hairpin curves but the road was smooth and easy to drive .
Great hikes along the way. The lava tube caves were amazing. ! Take cash and get a permit ahead of time for the black sand beach .

If you have limited time on Maui do I recommend a day on Kanaapali beach instead. I don’t understand the beauty of this trip. Waterfall of 5-6m can you find everywhere. Hanaa destination was not very exciting. At last did we find a restaurant with a great view. We drive back home, quite disappointed.

Definitely a must do when visiting Maui. We did this years ago with a tour guide and I would never take a tour again because you can stop when you want and get out as you please when doing this on your own. It’s a waste of money to do the tour. A total rip off!!

If you are afraid of windy roads or can’t handle it because of car sickness, I would just go up as far as Twin Falls. It’s a very small hike and I even saw elderly people do it. The waterfalls are amazing.!!!

A very curvy road for comfortable drivers. This 34-mile road has about 600 turns and it is a two-way road. Be careful and mindful when driving. Locals use this road for their daily commute and you may see them driving faster than you, pull over and let them pass. We started from the airport, which was a 30-minute drive to Mile Marker 0, once we got to Hana which we were not that impressed with what it had to offer the drive straight back on the road took 2 hours. There are restrooms available along the drive, and the halfway to hana stop along with other stops beyond the halfway spot had food carts available. We pulled off at stopped at Coconut Glens for coconut ice cream and a coconut and we happy we did. If you have several days in Maui and aren’t restricted to driving this road on a specific day, try to do it on a day when cruise boats are not docked in port, less crowds and people on the roads.
There is minimal cellular service on this road. We predownloaded the Shaka app tour for $20 which was a live saver. It pointed out all the mile markers, gave some history to each stop and facts. Best part is we didn’t need cell service as it tracked us via GPS which was great because we had no cell service the whole day!

This drive is always a treat! Our advice: Start early to allow more time than you think you need and to avoid the rush of traffic. Stop at the Hana Picnic Lunch Company for sandwiches--get the meal with the chips and cookie for $2 more. (The smoothies and gelato looked delicious, but we didn't have any.)

The Shaka Guide app was $20, but it was a bit disappointing. The guide was helpful to know when the landmarks were coming up--we would have missed some for sure.

Drive past Hana to Haleakala National Park at Kīpahulu and take the short hike to the sacred pools and the longer one to the bamboo forest. You will need to be in shape to do this hike!

Then, continue to drive ALL THE WAY around the Road to/from Hana. if you have time. The back side of the Road from Hana is more beautiful than the Road to Hana! The entire drive is not for the faint at heart. There are over 600 curves in the winding road, but if you are adventurous and you take the full trip around the base of Haleakala, you will not be disappointed. The sunset was amazing from high up.

We left Wailea at 8:00 a.m. and got back to Wailea around 7:00 p.m..

P.S. If you want to go to the black sand beach and see the blowhole, you need to make a reservation!

Road to Hana is a windy narrow road that takes you through some gorgeous views of the trees and tropics Maui has to offer! And it’s flooded with waterfalls! If you don’t know where to stop, you could miss all the extra stuff and just drive through! There about a dozen waterfalls just steps from the road and several trails to hike! We stopped at the bamboo forest, rainbow trees and two waterfalls and it took about 2 hours! *if you want to go to black sand beach or hike pipiwai trail you’ll need a reservation through the state park*
Also, there are several huts and food trucks to stop at (more towards the end).
If you keep driving check out MauiWine!

Honest review for drivers and passengers. My husband is a career driver, lived on windy, single-lane mountain roads his while adult life. But not relaxing or enjoyable for him at all! Had to deal with others who don't know how to drive on that type of roads, as well as some of the locals who apparently don't ascribe to "island time" and want to tailgate. So he couldn't enjoy the scenery much.

I could enjoy most of it, but his frustration levels made it not very relaxing. The rainforest foliage was awesome and beautiful. But many of the stops were not as stop-worthy as described and unless you are actually taking the time to hike, eat a leisurely lunch or hang out at the beaches, not much to do at some of the stops besides stop and go "Wow, that's beautiful" and keep going. And if parking is tight, you can't see some even if you wanted to.

We had planned on mostly driving straight through to get to the Pipiwai trail and then stop other places on the way out. But we hadn't realized the falls on the trail are so variable in winter (makes sense, they don't have snow melt and rely on recent rainfall), so when we overheard someone say in the parking lot that the falls were unimpressive, we decided not to take the 2.5 hour hike.

On the way back out, we were fairly tired of driving the winding road and a bit disappointed, so decided to drive back to our lodging.

If you don't drive past Hana and have great patience, and you manage to make it to a couple of your "must see" stops, then give it a shot. But if you just do mostly driving and can't stop due to parking or your destinations having little water flow, etc, not so much.

My husband enjoys scenic driving, but he had to concentrate so much on the driving portion, he couldn't take in the scenery. Maybe paying to be on a tour would be an option so the driver can enjoy the trip, too.

Or taking 2 days to see it all, but really, we didn't feel that the payoff for all the driving would be worth it even then.

Bottom line- we didn't enjoy the journey enough to try again.

This was so cool! We used Shaka Guide and started to road in reverse. It was great until we got a flat tire— if you are taking this route, make sure you have a spare tire! We were lucky that our rental had a spare and were able to get back to the airport. I think it’s pretty expensive for a tow (close to $1,000 if you are near Hana) — make sure you ah e a spare, are comfortable getting it on, and comfortable driving a rental with a donut back through very winding roads.

We had a private guide arranged to take us on this route because I was not wanting to drive it. Sadly, he caught COVID and had to cancel the night before. Two days later we decided to drive just to the bamboo forest and the rainbow eucalyptus grove then turn back. The bamboo forest looked amazing but we did not go down the path as it was a bit steep, rough and slippery from the previous day’s heavy rainfall. There are places to park on the road’s edge here and there but we found a gate to a field that we could squeeze in safely and not block use of the gate.
Several feet along from the bamboo (at road marker 7) there is the grove of eucalyptus which is stunning.
After that, we looked at each other and decided to drive all the way to Hana. Yes, it is windy. Yes, it is hilly. Yes, it gets narrow in spots. But, the road is well maintained and well signed for the narrow bridges and passages. If you go slowly and don’t overdrive the road you’ll be fine. Just watch out for the endless convertible Mustang drivers and Jeep drivers who seem to feel they own the road and god is on their side!!!!
The scenery is breathtaking and we are so glad we did it. Many places to stop and see waterfalls.
Not a lot at Hana. Food trucks. A decent, if slightly expensive restaurant called the Ranch which we ate at.
Time in total from resort at Ka’annapali? 7 1/2 hours. One hour for lunch and the rest driving except for the stop at the trees.
Don’t be frightened by scaredy cat reviews! Take a deep breath and go!

We did this Drive previously and found it Very Stressful. This visit we hired a Local with a 1968 Cadillac Convertible to Drive us, Roof and all Windows open, of course. We both sat in the back, completely relaxed and free to enjoy the views without having to watch the Road. The Road has to be the most curves per mile of any road we have every been on.

Reading all of the negative reviews on here, I started to have second thoughts about doing the Road to Hana. Well, I am glad I didn’t listen to all of the complaining, because we did this drive (from Paia to Hana, camped the night then returned) and it was incredible. If you are a halfway decent driver, you will be fine with this trip. I am from Australia so it was opposite side of the road for me, and it wasn’t a problem. Just remember that you need to pull over to let locals past (if they’re driving a Toyota Tacoma - they’re probably a local!). The only gripe is that there could be better signage from the many waterfalls, but if you do enough research you’ll find them! Cheers

This is really a great self driving tour. However, highly recommend downloading the Shaka Guide as it will point out stuff you dont read about and also adds some cool Hawaiian music to enjoy the over 600 turns with. Be sure to leave real early and make time to get back. There are no lights on the roads. Be sure to book time for the Black Sand Beach near Hana, requires a park pass for entry. Get that before you go.

We visited in July 2024 with our teen sons. Here are some observations and tips:
- Use the Shaka app as a guide. What a game changer! It’s $19.99 for a tour, about $30 for all tours on an island or $80-ish for all tours on all islands. Absolutely loved it! It would tell you about upcoming stops, share tips on parking, give information about any additional fees you may need to pay (waterfalls, arboretum, lava tube) and just what the formation about the island.
- Get going early. We hit mile zero on the highway (around Peahi) at 8am and hardly ever had a car in front of us. Not sure if it just happened to be a low crowd day, but we didn’t find a drive stressful. Just take your time, be patient, pay attention around turns and one-way bridges and be courteous. Pull over for locals to pass. They sure do appreciate it.
- Get a reservation for the Waianapanapa at least a day before online for one of the 4 time slots. We were too late to get the slot we wanted and just bought one for the 7-10am slot, the only one available. We got to the park about 12:30 and were denied entry. Understandably. It is one of the highlights of RTH, so we were pretty disappointed to miss it.
- We had no trouble getting parking spots at all recommended spots. Again, perhaps we got lucky with a low crowd days.
- Bring lots of food/drinks. We didn’t see many good options. Local joints/markets are not guaranteed to be open. Also, be ready for high prices. My kids got 3 smoothies for the $42 at a stop by Hana school…yikes. Most want cash. The market at half-way point took credit cards.
- It seemed like most visitors started heading back after reaching Hana. We continued to Kipahulu and didn’t regret it. Beware of rough pavement in some places on that stretch and flying locals. The seven sacred pool spot was stunning. There is a 5 mi hike there that is supposed to be wonderful, but we didn’t have it in us.
- We did get stopped for about 20-min due to the fallen rock being cleared out. So be prepared for unexpected delays. On the way back we saw a group tour mini-van with a busted tire and another car broken down waiting on a tow truck. Just fyi
- Overall, it was a good experience. We saw a lot of waterfalls if that’s your thing. I expected more scenic views out of the car window, but that wasn’t the case due to the overgrown greenery. But it’s probably better for drivers to keep focus on the road :) I’m glad we did this, but I don’t need to do this again and it may not make my top 5 things in Maui.

We just visited Hawaii for 12 days and while in Maui we signed up for the Road to Hana Tour through our tour company. We were fortunate enough to be assigned to Roberts Hawaii, but more specifically to Bjorn’s bus. He made our day so special. Not only did he provide us with incredible information on the flora, the landscape, the local customs, and abundant history, but he also used props and hand outs that he continually provided along the way that were engaging, fun, and enlightening. I teased that surely he had a “Mary Poppins” bag because I have no idea where he kept all these treasures. Further, he made thoughtful stops along the way not just at the touristy “must-dos” that all the bloggers say to do, but where we would get the best vantage points, fewer crowds, etc. And, he also went above and beyond to make sure we tried some local delicacies like guava and banana bread as well as offering to take pictures stirred at every stop.

If all of Roberts Hawaii’s drivers are as top-notch as Bjorn, then I would not hesitate to use them again.

We were excited to take this beautiful drive, but it was a big disappointment. There was construction on the road, so we were stopped several times. Very few of the road highlights are marked with visible signs, so it is easy to miss some of the highlights. The road is very twisty and narrow, so if you drive yourself, be prepared. Most of the popular sites on the road had little parking, so the lots were always full, and they charge for parking at the first stop, which is the Twin Falls. I would not recommend this disappointing drive to anyone. Spend your time somewhere else on the island where you can relax and enjoy Maui's true beauty.

We had a group of 20 people and 5 Jeeps. We were all so excited about our adventure until we reached Paia. A guy yelled at all of us that we were going to be murdered on the Road to Hana and that no one would ever find our bodies. Then as we were leaving a guy was screaming obscenities in a megaphone from his truck directly at us. We all felt very uncomfortable. There is no where to go to the bathroom in that town either. Don’t ask because they are rude when the respond. When we FINALLY got to the Black Rock Beach we were shocked at how angry the women were that were working. They were downright nasty. Their parking lot was half full and they wouldn’t let 1 extra person in after we had driven 3 hours. We were only going to be there for 15 mins. One of the guys who worked there tried to follow one of the couples with us to make sure we were there for 11 minutes since we wasted 4 mins trying to get them to allow 1 extra person in. We are all from the South and try to be kind to tourists. We were all completely shocked about how much people literally hated us along the Road to Paia. Go do whale watching and enjoy the nice people who run the boats- you will feel a lot better about your experience

You need to enjoy driving hairpin curves, narrow roads and slow driving to enjoy the highway! I do, except when the locals drive in the middle of the curves. You just have to learn to slow down and pull over occasionally to let the locals get around you. It is great to have a co-pilot to look ahead at the 1 lane bridges to let you know if another car is coming from the opposite direction!

Lot's of great views and waterfalls along the way.

We expected super narrow roads the whole way and driving near an unprotected edge (but rudely discovered route 330 along the NE shore of Maui was like that). The road to Hana wasn’t any more nerve wracking to us as roads in the Irish countryside, and that was driving on the other side of the road and shifting with left hand!

We enjoyed the road the Hana and making stops along the way. We purchased/downloaded the Shaka guide which worked out well for us for the most part. There are stops we’d probably skip next time and ones we’d make sure to visit again (Honokalani Black Sand Beach!).

If you’re too nervous to drive the road to Hana, maybe check out tours and enjoy the road as a passenger. It’s worth a go while visiting the beautiful island of Maui!

We have a running joke at our house. We did the Road to Hana years ago and enjoyed it for what it was - a full day's drive that is (only) enjoyed by stopping to get out along the way to view different things (beaches, waterfalls, flora and fauna). My in-laws hated it - I think the drive itself scared them (lots of switchbacks, narrow lanes, and 40+ one-lane bridges - I wasn't a fan of that part, either) so I guess they never stopped, so they can't understand why anyone bothers! This was our 2nd time, so we (thought we) planned ahead to spend the entire day, and we enjoyed it even more this time. Our only mistake was not knowing that we had to make advance reservations in order to stop at Wai'anapanapa State Park - the best black sand beach and a highlight of the drive. We hadn't decided which day we were going to make the drive and as a result didn't make a reservation, and there are no exceptions. No reservation? You don't get to visit that beach.

Other than making that reservation, the best advice I can offer you is to download the GyPSy app for a drive-along guide. GyPSy Guide was a fun traveling companion who provided running commentary for us not only on the Road to Hana, but all over Maui (and on the Big Island and Kauai last year when we were there - you get a bulk price for all of them, and it's VERY well worth it! The guide is narrated by an non-native who does a great job with pronunciation,and you get his research on different activities, interesting trivia about the drive, the island, the history of Hawaii, the language, the food - you name it! - and let's you know about recommended stops. You get turn-by-turn navigation (in fact it suggests you turn off your GPS, as the GPS doesn't always know the correct or favored route), while enjoying the narrated commentary from your virtual guide.

All you have to do is to download the app on your phone, and drive. These apps trace your location based on your GPS so it can feed you relevant and timely details as you go. So, wherever you may be, you’ll get tidbits of history and fun facts about your current location. Most of these apps work offline too so you don’t have to worry about cell connectivity and finding a signal. You can simply drive wherever your fancy takes you, all while learning about Hawaii and your specific location from your app. I feel like if my in-laws had this when they visited, they wouldn't still be wondering what the big fuss is about.

GyPSy Guide is professionally done and built-in with dependable driving directions, entertaining anecdotes, and tips straight from the locals. It gives you an authentic Hawaiian experience, suggesting side trips and stopovers as you go.
You can use it offline. It is flexible so you can start your tour whenever and wherever you want. You can buy a guide to the Road to Hana, for the whole island of Maui, or the Hawaii bundle. We did the bundle, and it is the best $40 we spent for our vacation.

We made a stop at the Garden of Eden Arboretum along the way - $20/person and a nice opportunity to get out and stretch your legs. We saw trees that were new to us (Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree and Blue Marble Tree among others) and enjoyed feeding birds (and watching a peacock battle his reflection in a car door) and some spectacular views.

We didn't do it on our "Road to Hana" day, we went back a day later, but to save yourself driving to mile marker 9 a 2nd day, my favorite spot on the island is on your left as you drive to Hana, the Ho'okipa Beach Park, where we saw more than 60 sea turtles basking in the sun on the beach. There are also usually surfers there, so if you time it right you can see both. Parking can get crowded - I suggest you take the first spot you find (it's a one way road) to save yourself from having to make a 2nd pass.

While the name would imply that the Road to Hana ends at Hana, it actually continues to a section of Haleakala National Park that you won't reach from the main park entrance. There you can explore the remote Kipahulu District of the park. By the time we got there it was late in the day, and we didn't finish the trek to the top of Pipiwai Trail (we stopped at the lower falls), but we thought the highlight was the Ohe'o Gulch (also knowns as Seven Sacred Pools), so if you're running out of steam by that point in your day, I suggest turning right after you take the left past the visitor center and go down a gradual hill to the pools, rather than turning left and going UP to view the waterfalls. We weren't the only people who turned around early.

The Hana Lava Tube was interesting - you can walk through what was once a conduit that channeled hot running lava down the mountainside. It's a short stop and not too strenuous.

The drive - all the way PAST Hana to the National Park (and inside the park - when you buy your admission you get 3 days to visit, so if you're visiting the other, main section of the park, try to time it so you do both in the 3 days) took us all day - we started early and didn't get back until after dark, but it was worth it.

Don't get me wrong : The "Road to Hana" offers numerous beautiful points of view and stops along the road, with a nice ending with the Pipiwai trail but this comes with a price:
- You have to be aware that you will spend 80% of your day driving, Not exactly my preferred occupation when in vacations.
- Car parking can be quite a nightmare at some of the view points. You are clearly not the only one on this road, and not the only one willing to enjoy a rather limited number of
- The "drive back", potentially in the dark can be quite exhausting as you need to stay alert.
- In case you are an avid photographer as I am, you will feel "frustrated". I was indeed not able to safely park when I wanted too.

In short, despite some nice viewpoints, I'm not sure I would have gone for the "Road to Hana" in case I would have known all its drawback beforehand.

AMAZING!! So much do on this road trip. From our hotel and back was 13 hours. We stopped at so many of the places along this route and did a ton of activities. Would highly recommend. Make sure to take your travel sickness medication and take it easy. 20ish mph was the average speed for the entire road. We did a hike, swam in a waterfall, had great banana bread, swam in the ocean, ate fresh chocolate, walked in a lave tube, and had lunch in Hana.

The road to Hana is the singular “must do” activity on the island of Maui. Its beauty summarizes this island. Recommend a small group tour that will be able to get into some of the tighter places. We did a Mahalo Tours excursion with 8 that was perfect.

So many things to do on the way to Hana. Great views of so many beautiful bays. so many fresh pineapple and coconut places to eat. We did the Lava Tubes and it was a great experience. On the way we also stopped by couple of waterfalls and did fun cliff jumping. We drove convertible Mustang and enjoyed the beautiful nature and scenery at most. Highly recommended. The town, Paia, had very pretty coffee shops to start the road trip. Highly recommended. For sure top thing to do in Maui.

Epic road trip
Astonishing views and must do while in Maui
Stop at twin falls, jump from a waterfall, descend into the lava tubes, walk on a red cliff to the red sand beach, stop at homoa beach, Venus pools and 7 sacred pools.
What a day!!!

First, I highly suggest purchasing the GPSy audio tour for the road to Hana. Your phone's GPS will not work on much of the road and you will have no idea what you are seeing, where to park, or what to do next. The app will track your movements and give you great info, plus tell you exactly where to park, what is worth visiting, and plot your time for you.

Second, don't be intimidated. The road was safe, just go slow and pull over to let faster drivers by. There are a lot of turns to take some Dramamine if you get car sick.
The overall experience was awesome. We did not do the backroad, just the main road and turned around.

The road was generally very narrow so we were glad we had a Toyota Corolla to drive it. Bridges were all one lane. The stops were not remarkable as I have seen better waterfalls in other places. We drove all the way to Kipahulu to the national park. That road was not as good. The total day was an experience you should do at least once in your life. It was beautiful driving through the trees and cliffs.

This redoubt lives up to its reputation, plan a lot of time because the average speed is very low considering the quality of bitumen , width and traffic and you will be tempted to stop often...
Tropical vegetation and panorama of the ocean, a real visual treat.
Remember to go down to the village of Hana because the black sandy beach is very pretty ....

Overrated! If you have never been to any other topical country/island then this might be more impressive. The road is EXTREMELY windy and not a fun drive. Most of the stops are overrated. We used the guided app and it was interesting but I think it hyped up stops that were a waste of our time. The waterfalls are not nearly as impressive as others in Central America. The food we got was mediocre. The garden of Eden is a waste of time and money. There isn’t really anything to do in Hana. I’d say next time I’d do a 20 min drive up the windy road and turn around. It is a very pretty drive but just not worth the time. The beaches are ok but if you’re staying at a major resort then I’d say the beach there is probably better. Only positive thing out of it is saying that we did it and now knowing to never do it again. Also, the fish market in Paia was great food. Highly recommend stopping.

Real good place to see people surfing …
Real good place to see the ocean .
Rest rooms facility plus Portable rest room on second parking lot too …
Grab a brown bag lunch or coffee in early morning .
I went there three time in 4 nights I was there .

“Why would you?”

Why would anyone do this drive and think it’s great.

Summary - leave early at 0700-0730, spend the next 2 hours driving on overly ludicrous windy road with the odd coastline glimpse, rest weeds grass and nothing.

Road is not in good condition.

Drive is boring.

Unlike the Italian Spanish Australian coastline drives, even the Great Ocean Road drive does not require constant hairpin bends like this.

Did I mention it’s boring?

Road is narrow, single lane including many single car bridges.
Once you get to the other end of a tiny town you turn around and go back.

The road has been blocked at the end so you cannot continue around the island.

Do a whale tour instead.

Take a tour and enjoy the views! Water falls everywhere and Hana is historical Hawaii.
Driving this yourself is better with a small sports car or motorcycle and is a day-long trip.
The roadside food trucks or stands are fantastic and need to be visited along the way.

A long day, sitting on a bus most of the time. The bus is small with large windows all around, so everything is pretty visible. I didn’t read others’ reviews beforehand because I wanted some element of surprise. The road consists of over 600 hairpin curves about 50 one-lane bridges. The vegetation is beautiful but towards the end of the day, we couldn’t wait to get off. The “black sand beach” (I don’t know where I heard it was sand.) is actually black rocks. Wear waterproof shoes; they’re smooth but it hurts to walk on them. And the waterfall was pretty but it’s right off the highway and you have to work your way down a short, slippery dirt/rock trail to get to the pool. Lunch was tasty and our guide was friendly, but overall I think it was way overpriced for what it is.

Driving the road to Hana is not for the faint of heart (620 curves, 32 one-lane bridges). Or the impatient (it can be slow going with average speeds under 30 mph and traffic both ways). But if you prepare for both of those inevitabilities, the drive and many stops along the way can be very enjoyable. I highly recommend using the Chaka Guides app and their "Classic Road to Hana" module ($) that provide excellent turn-by-turn navigation, information on over 100 possible sightseeing stops along the way, a history overview and classic Hawaiian music along the way.

Must sees: Wai'anapanapa State Park (black sand beach), Garden of Eden Botanical Garden, Lava Tube, Waikamoi Nature Trail, Twin Falls Hike (swimable falls)

The views are beautiful but it is very long and windy, easy to get car sick. Waterfalls around the road are beautiful. One waterfall and the red sand beach in Hana said no trespassing locals only. Road closed at the end so you cannot get around the island. This affected our itinerary when trying to access the volcano and the time we allotted to see it. Would recommend staying a night on that side of the island should you decide to go. Doing it in one day is too much. We also Enjoyed the bamboo first trail

Malu (Maluahia), our driver and guide, made this a very memorable tour of the road to Hana. She “talked endless story” of her Hawaiian culture, language, history, myth, geology, naturalism, marine biologyzoology and botany, music, surfing, scuba, celebrities ( both Hawaiian and significant to Maui and the archipelago. She is gifted verbally in both languages as a Hawaiian National.

This attraction is over-sold to tourists. While there are many stops available along the road, many involve a time-expensive hike to see if you only have 1 day to do the whole road. We researched the road carefully before going and decided to devote 2 days to it in order to avoid the crowds and have the time to experience things properly. On our first day, we did the early stops commencing mid-morning (to avoid the crowds) and on the second day, we skipped these early stops to get ahead of the crowd heading for the stops towards the end of the road either side of Hana. As an early stop, Twin Falls was worth the time - attractive water falls spilling into an easily accessible pool in which you could swim and approach the foot of the falls for photos. Only a short hike from the car park (USD10 fee) off the Hana Hwy. A few waterfalls are observable fee-free from the side of the road itself if you are lucky enough to fill a vacant carpark space nearby. All man-made attractions along the road we assessed as not worth stopping for (fruit stands, BBq stop, Garden of Eden etc). Towards Hana, while the town itself is entirely missable, the Oheo Gulch to Hana's south is worth the extra drive and the Lava Tunnel is outstanding (very long and wide). The state park where the black sand beach is is the highlight of the road trip in our opinion. Make sure you reserve a visiting time as entry without it will be denied.

Gorgeous view and spectacular ocean views. Stopped at the Black sand beach (need a reservation) and it was amazing!!

We drove ourselves and had a Ford Edge. That is an important fact because this road is very narrow in some spots. Hubby was the driver - thank goodness. Neither of us get car sick - thank goodness. We only had a few spots where we had to back up so we could get to a wider part in the road to allow for 2 vehicles to pass each other. We went on a Saturday and it was a bit overcast. Both helped the road be not as crowded as usual.
We had made a list of places we wanted to stop but we didn’t go to all of them. Some we missed and some we skipped. The black sand beach ( Wai anapanapa trail) is the only one we tried to visit but couldn’t. We didn’t know this stop required reservations.
We’re very happy we found Aunt Sandy’s banana bread. There was a community fundraiser happening and Aunt Sandy had a booth. Added bonus that we saw much more.
We were very happy to have found the Kaihalulu beach aka Red Sand beach. It wasn’t sand more like crushed rock. Very secluded and narrow path to get there. I was a tad intimidated by the hike and a tad shamed when we got there and there was a family there that had a toddler that they would have had to carry on the “goat path” that intimidated me.
Next stop was Haleakala National Park. There were many hikes there. We were committed to being on are way back to home by 3 pm so we only did the Waimoku falls hikes- which was about 2 hours round trip. MANY beautiful spots on this hike. It was a muddy hike for us and we did have a few moments of rain. Very manageable but be okay with getting dirty.
It is full day!

Breathtaking a must must do on Maui ! Beauty beyond words. It’s a trip of a lifetime and you just can not wrap your head around the amount Beauty you will see while on this trip.

The road to Hana: a must do when you're in Maui. Pack your patience (and any car sickness aids) for this windy adventure. We left Paia around 8am so we wouldn't get stuck behind any tour buses as later in the morning the narrow roads can get congested. We purchased the Shaka Guide Hana Audio tour for our 9 and 11 year old and it made the trip 100% better with great music, historical facts and areas of interest not listed on the highway (like the free lava tube you can hike through on the side of the road). There are small shops along the highway (Halfway to Hana has great smoothies), banana bread and of course, Coconut Glen's which you should absolutely stop for. There are opportunities for you to pull off to the side (note the NO PARKING areas) and take short, cool dips in waterfalls. My 9 year old absolutely LOVED jumping off the waterfall at Puaa Ka'a Falls. We stayed the night in Hana (most food places close there by 5pm so plan accordingly) and enjoyed the black sand beach there to continue on to the National Park.

Today we experienced a real road rage - threatening with beisbol bat!

We were being yellad at from car behind us while we were driving at the speed limit. We let the car go and my husband yelled back while flipping finger at the guy. The guy stopped his white pickup truck in the middle of narrow road, already had a beisbol bat and was walking towards our car while swearing in unbelievable anger. My husband yelled “Sorry - I am just trying to have fun” and eventually he moved on.

We decided to turn around and not explore that part of Maui as we felt like the guy with a passenger, both were searching for a trouble. And that was the second incident on that road that day. Another incident almost caused a car crash - were the guy pulled ahead of us and barely made it before hitting the oncoming traffic on super windy road.

If you want a piece full adventure - do not take that road!

Excellent views! A must do attraction on Maui. We drove, and it was much fun! Not much in Hana itself, everything to see if before and after Hana.

This review pertains specifically to the Pi’ilani Highway - the section of road behind Haleakala on the southern coast of Maui. All I can say is “strap in.” Some sections of the road are in very rough shape and there are many instances where you have to deal with limited sight distances. It is also very windy and twisty in some locations, which makes it something of a challenge because the road is very, very narrow in some places. Still, it was fun to drive this section of road.

An awesome drive that challenges your attention and focus with its sharp bends and frequent narrow bridges. There are breathtaking views and some amazing stops on the way starting with twin falls and ending at pipiwai trail head. Must start early or you’ll miss Aunty Sandy’s banana bread and huli huli chicken in Hana as they sell out by early afternoon.
I must warn you, however, of some rudeness on the road. They appear to be locals in pickup trucks(Tacoma being the most common) hurling obscenities and sometimes throwing trash on the tourists’s vehicles. Watch out for them and stay calm. Unfortunately, this is not limited to road to Hana.

This was totally unimpressive. I cannot understand why anyone would spend an entire day on this; the round trip will take you no less than 6 hours. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations after all of the positive reviews but I’ve been to many other places with far more spectacular hikes and waterfalls. It’s a hard pass for me.

We had Salesi as our driver who did a great job. He provided a historical perspective of the Hawaiian people and showed us places we would have never found on our own. Along the drive. He taught us a few Hawaiian words and their meaning. If you take this tour, ask for Salesi to be your guide.

Long winding narrow road with too many cars and large trucks. Glad we went, but would never go again. Amazing views from some spots.

This was a great experience! I loved the drive. There’s great scenery, places to stop, things to see. We stopped at the Garden of Eden, that is beautiful. My rental car was a Kia Soul which was nimble enough so that we could enjoy the ride. Sometimes, the journey is the destination, so just enjoy the drive.

Our experience on the road to Hana was a real experience. A great one. Louis picked us up at our hotel, singing and loving life. He took the time to learn and use our names even if he had trouble pronouncing Lyall. He related information about the road, the dwellings, and the rainforest; very informative. Our lunch of chicken and ribs was to die for. Mae Lynn served and enjoyed lunch with us. It was delicious. Louis continued to storytell for much of the trip. His best promise was to keep us on porcelain, lol. Great trip, great guide. Thanks

Fun, wet, and beautiful!! Download the “Shaka Maui” app and let them give you a gps guided tour. The ride was outstanding but even better with our personal tour guide.

We started at 8:30 at Pa’ia and made it just beyond Hana by 2:30. It’s a Long trip so plan for a 10-12 hour day.

An experience worth the time. Pretty much everything in the reviews is true, it just depends on your perspective whether you’ll enjoy it or not.

It’s not a particularly dangerous drive as some have said. Single lane bridges but mostly room for two cars. If you’ve driven in any mountains it will feel familiar (or on a British country lane!). Understandable why the locals get annoyed, we came across several cars doing 10-15 mph who clearly couldn’t cope with a road that wasn’t wide or straight and resolutely refused to pull over. If this is you and you want to do it just pull over whenever you see someone in your mirror (local or not). Biggest danger is getting pranged by someone who loses patience with your snail pace!

The road is through beautiful rainforest. Read the guides to find out where to stop. Our highlight was the garden of Eden - yes it costs a bit but if you consider the amount of effort and money the owners have put in, and see they don’t exactly live in luxury, you can understand the price. Don’t miss it.

Hana is just a small village. Don’t go expecting to see anything there!

Other highlight was Aunty Sandys banana bread - good bread but makes you drive down onto the peninsula from where you get a brilliant view of the coast.

A winding and narrow road where stopping opportunities at waterfalls and other sights are limited.A winding and narrow road where stopping opportunities at waterfalls and other sights are limited

The road to Hana and this specific trail is advertised in every blog as 'a must go' adventrure. In my opinion, it is more like a road to hell. Beautiful views can be seen all over the island, and I strongly recommend seeking those elsewhere. Here, you will be miserable every minute of the journey, just to arrive and hike a trail that's overhyped, expensive, underdeveloped, and plain. It is unimpressive. The roads are poorly maintained, full of tourists and cranky locals. You can stop by a questionable food truck/trailer and have some local cuisine and fruits, but again, not a unique experience. Seeing a druggie, stray dogs and cats, road kill, abandoned cars with no wheels (like a Mad Max movie), graffiti crater size pot holes is not what you hope to deal with on a vacation.

The trail itself is fine, but driving here for 3+ hours is simply not worth it. Stay away from this place.

I have done the road to Hana 5 times. We schedule a full day for it every time we come. It is a great way to drop the top on the keep and explore the island. The roads are extremely tight. I prefer to use the self guided apps you can download from the App Store. We use Shaka Maui which gives you a full historical walkthrough along with where to stop. Plan a full 12-14 hour day.

We did the road to Hana through Hawaiitours.com we did the helicopter part way and had a driver up through the road and for the returning. The helicopter pilot was excellent, smooth driver and showed us some excellent views. Our driver was Ray, he was super knowledgeable about local history, customs, and he was an excellent driver. He clearly had community connections, as locals recognized him wherever we went. The tour included a picnic lunch which was fancier and way better than expected. I didn't expect a table cloth, fish wraps, and pineapple. Again, all excellent and Ray was kind and made you feel looked out and cared for. Highly recommend doing the road to Hana as a tour with Hawaii Tours.

This is not going to be a popular opinion but I think there are so many better ways to spend 10-12 hours in Maui that are far more picturesque. I originally did this back in 2013 and thought it was amazing. Waterfalls! Lava tubes! Bamboo forest! Black sand beach! We also had great weather and I was driving. This time around it felt less welcoming, in general the locals seem super annoyed - tourists are slow, I get it. You need a reservation for the Black Sands Beach now. Hikes were muddy and waterfalls the second time around seemed meh. Lots of restaurants seemed closed as well along the route and way more buses this time around. Also, if it’s rainy expect blag pictures and dangerous driving conditions. I recommend doing literally anything else.

Horrible experience getting to the sights. The roads were very slow, bumpy, and can easily cause motion sickness. Although the waterfall was pretty I Don’t reccomend and not worth the drive.

It’s not a bad drive at all…spectacular flora and ocean views. Several places to stop and get water/food/bathrooms. Hana itself is ok but not as much to do for us older people that don’t hike.

Thanks to the Italian time zone we woke up very early and this was good for having this experience because we found few cars going in the same direction as us because when you cross paths to go in opposite directions it is really an inconvenience as the road is full of curves and small bridges but very narrow so it is considered to be in a single lane for 70% of the journey.
Among the many stops, I do not recommend the twin falls as there is only the first one which is small and the other one above was non-existent and there is a fee for parking there. For the rest it's worth it.
Fantastic landscape that runs along the island and often you have the coast on one side and the waterfalls on the other.

My trip to Maui and taking the Hana road trip was one of the most beautiful, exciting, breathe taking, and adventurest trips I've ever traveled. The air was fresh. The greenery is lush and full. The people are beautiful and kind, and best part was I traveled it with my son Alex. I live in Illinois and to visit my son (lives on Maui and is a Sous Chef at Merrimans...amazing food!) and spend the time with him showing me the most beautiful places on Maui is/was a gift to me.
Go to Maui see all you can see. It will be the BEST gift you give yourself and whomever goes with you.

Spouse and I went halfway to Hana on our honeymoon 15 years ago. The drive terrified us then. We went back recently with our kids in tow, and all wanted to make it to the Pipiwai Trail in the NP and do entire RtH. So we did. This time the drive was much less intimidating. We took Bonine for car sickness and were all fine (3/5 of us get very, very motion sick but had no problems on this drive with Bonine). The enjoyment is in the drive itself- the beauty of the cliffs and the bamboo and all the rainforest vibes. Now there are even food trucks along the way that had outstanding food. We did the long hike in the NP, got back in the car and drove to a nearby waterfall that was legal to swim in. Then got food near Hana (food truck area), and ended with a lava tube mini cave exploration. Magical day. We all loved the Road to Hana and all our stops along the way.

The staff was very professional, helpful and friendly. They made sure that your equipment was on correctly and comfortable. Carlos was especially helpful and very friendly. I would recommend this tour.

The road to Hana tour booked through Norweign Cruise Line was a favorite of all the tours we took through the week. Our tour guide, Genaro Padilla, was outstanding and was very knowledgeable of the area which greatly enhanced the tour. At the end of the tour we had a real feel for the area and lifestyle of the residents. We jumped from the top of a waterfall, ate fruit native to the area, saw rainforest plants up close, had a lovely picnic at the beach, saw sea turtles and learned of rescue efforts for them in the area, visited local artisan booths and so much more. The road twists and turns most of the way but I had complete confidence in our guide's ability to navigate safely.

Spectacular views of waterfalls, the ocean, tropical forest and more. Worthwhile to go beyond Hana to zones Gulch. It is a long drive, enjoy the journey and allow an entire day. Start early in the morning. However, twisting and winding mountain roads with single lane bridges not for the faint of heart. If you are not a confident and careful driver, go with a tour company. If you plan to drive yourself, check the condition of your rental vehicle’s tires. We had a blowout on worn tires and were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception. Make sure your cell phone has satellite SOS capability.

I traveled the road to Hana for my 60th Birthday. Of course it’s beautiful, lots of stops with waterfalls, went inside a 1/4 long section of an old lava tube cave, stayed a night in Hana. The next morning got up and drove to the state park and hiked to the 400 foot waterfall. The one thing you should know if you are older is this road is very tricky to drive. It takes hours to traverse. Over 600 hair pin curves, 56 single lane bridges you need to take turns crossing over. Very narrow and at times I personally was nauseated. I also suffer from vertigo and that didn’t help. I’m glad I did it but probably wouldn’t if I were to return to Maui again. Definitely super fun for the fit and adventurous types!

This is a hell road and not for the faint of heart, nor should anyone in your car be a nervous passenger. It took about 2 hours each direction. The black sand beach at the state park was not worth the journey, nor was the hike at the national park at the end.

We did this trip back in 2019 and it was truly amazing! This time we did it in December 2024. The locals completely ruined this road. They put up no parking signs and cones at every big waterfall so if u wanted to get a picture you have to do it from the car. There’s also a water fall with a nice pool to swim they also put keep out no swimming. At the last waterfall there was a local hanging out smoking weed and getting drunk being weird with the tourist. Everything now cost money where as back in 2019 a lot of things where free so f u do go plan on bringing $300. But for me I think I’ll spend my money elsewhere next time and not give it to rude locals

BEWARE!The entire island is being hit by local vehicle vandalism. This is taking place at all trailheads and beach access parking! They are busting windows to take things that are NOT there! Regardless of seeing something they want they will bust the window to rummage through looking. The police are doing nothing to stop it! Leave your car UNLOCKED with nothing to take inside and maybe you will be lucky they just open, rummage and leave undamaged. I was one of 3 vehicles in a lot with 2 broken windows and nothing to take inside. I was using my local friend’s vehicle! It’s NOT even a rental. They target the tourist. I will never return to this vengeful paradise

A must do on Maui! The road is not as scary as some say. Yes there are lots of curves, hairpin turns and one lane bridges but take a breath, go slow and you'll be fine! There is so much beautiful scenery along the way with fantastic stops to see many waterfalls etc. We downloaded Gypsy audio tour and it was great, very helpful info. Gotta get some banana bread at Sandy's stand, yum. Fruit stands and some food trucks scattered along the way when you need a snack too. Go, have an adventure!

We did the road to Hana with a touring company after being advised to do so. I think we would have enjoyed it better if we would have driven ourselves, picked out some stopping spots, etc. Although interesting winding road for sure, the waterfalls and vista's are not as spectacular as we expected.

This drive is beautiful, but locals will practically run you off the road if you are not going at least 25 mph! The posted speed limit is 15 mph, yet locals we encountered were going 40-45! They were honking their horns and cursing at us despite us driving faster than the speed limit. Also, there is no phone service anywhere which makes you feel uneasy with such reckless behavior

Road to Hana ! It is the thing must do in Maui . I did not visit all of the view but the local food ! Coconut , Banana bread , ice cream…
全世界十大公路之一，如果美国一号公路用壮丽形容 的话，这条公路可以用秀丽.
54座桥30个瀑布600多个弯道（网络数据）.
没有想象中那么难（当然，哈纳小镇之后那些没有修路的可没敢开）.毕竟弯道那么多，路又滑，桥又只能容纳一辆车的位置，所以……所以，真的要减速，特别在转弯处，或者看不到前面五米的地方，都可以按喇叭（提醒对面有车准备驶进）.对自己的安全负责任，对别人也是同样的事情.

PS:
1/如果遇到当地人或车速较快的在后面跟着,你可以把车停到旁边够位置停车的地方，让他们先走.
2/没有想象中那么难开，相信自己.
3/一路上遇到好几个厕所，还有卖椰子，雪糕，面包，贝壳装饰品的小店. 不用担心没喝的，吃的，拉的[萌萌哒R]
4/牧马人，野马开篷跑车得居多，看到这些车，我都很自觉地让他们先走.[石化R]
5/每座桥都只够一辆车驶进，礼貌让车（事实，大部分游客都是很自觉地做这件事）

The return trip from Lahaina to Wailua Falls took 11 hours, 8 hours of which was driving time. Of that, 5 hours was sat at 15-20 miles per hour on very narrow, winding roads with minimal scenery except of the tropical forest and the back end of the car in front of me. There was little scenery to see during the drive, and even when you could stop, there was nothing more special than what is available elsewhere on Maui, n terms of coastline, beaches, etc. We even missed Wailua Falls on the initial pass as it was nothing more than a damp rock face, given lack of recent rain. Overall, it felt like we wasted a precious day of vacation for no great benefit.

Really disappointing! We were so excited to take this trip and the drive was very dangerous with so many cars not yielding one another… It was a beautiful drive however, when we got to Hana, we expected there to be so much more! I would highly recommend avoiding this unless you just have extra time to kill while you are in Maui. There are so many other amazing things to do that don’ take up a full day of driving windy roads! We did go back a different way through the bottom portion and we didn’t have to go back through the windy roads, but that was a nice drive and there was a lot of desert like land and beautiful views so consider going that way back! Have a great trip!

Quirky and fun road. There are a few stops on the way to enjoy ocean, water fallad, and tropical views. The vegetation along the road is spectacular. The locals are most likely tired of the tourists, they drive fast and crazy. :) Somewhat understanding when they are behind a non-local (tourist) who has no idea about his car size, neither how to drive. The road itself is mostly in good condition, changes after Hana to a much more challenging condition and better driving skills are required. ;)

Gorgeous drive! We took our kids several years prior & it has changed! The overlooks are very much grown up so not as daring to see down the cliffs. Beware of the locals! They don’t adhere to speed limits and ultimately drive on the wrong side of the road around the curves! Worth doing once! Hana was a fun stop also! Beautiful bay!

Our first stay in Maui & we felt we had to do the road to Hanna otherwise we would have missed something spectacular. We wouldn’t have! Overall an underwhelming experience. We actually enjoyed the drive to Hanna as it wasn’t too busy. The scenery is stunning. The stops were ok including Twin falls, Garden of Eden (good), waterfall where you could swim, Coconut Glens, Black beach. Hanna very disappointing very little there. Then in a convoy of cars on the way back. We are glad we did it but wouldn’t do it again & wouldn’t recommend.

Excellent tour guide. He was very informative. We had a great time. It was a long day but he made the trip fun.

My husband and I drove the Road to Hana on our recent trip to Maui. What a treat!!! The views are so beautiful. We spent two nights in Hana and that made the trip that much more fun.

Left Kihei shortly after 5 am. Enjoyed the scenic drive, one way bridges, twists and turns. Drove thru Paia and noticed charming shops here. Too early to try Aunt Sandy's banana bread. Reached Black Sand Beach around 7:30 am. Spent hour there, then drove on to reach Pipiwai Trail by 9:30 am. Hiked and enjoyed picnic lunch. Traffic heavier on drive back. Stopped at Coconut Glen's for ice cream and Ho'okipa Beach Park to see the turtles on the way back.

A few musts - have a comfortable and patient driver, download Gypsy GPS maps for the journey, pre plan and get reservations in advance for the park with the black sand beach, pack water and snacks, support the locals along the journey.
There are many beautiful sights and it is worth it but the driving is intense. We went all the way around and found the backside almost easier!

This is a FULL DAY if not a multi-day activity. The drive is strenuous, with a tight turns, switchbacks, blind corners, and "parking" for waterfalls consisting of enough room for 2 cars on the side of the road. The views are amazing. The flora is amazing. We found the locals to be extremely nice and we enjoyed the roadside stands and local flavors. There are multiple stops you can do along the road. We had planned out 10 or so spots we wanted to see and only ended up with enough time for about 5 - and that's with leaving our Ka'anapali hotel at 7am and arriving home at 9:30pm. We used a guidebooks to find some hidden spots - many of these you may drive by unaware if you don't know what you're looking for - some of these pulls-offs are nothing more than a small dirt patch. If you want to feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, in a lush rainforest, take your time and do this trip and strongly consider staying overnight in Hana 1-2 nights. If you prefer beaches, pools and relaxing - maybe this isn't for you.

I remember going on this trip years ago, it was a great Sunday drive thing to do… I know back then you could not go all the way around the island… but now you can, with a high lifted vehicle, well at least not a low sitting car. We were in a minivan, it was a little sketchy.
Please remember, this road is a single lane in all of the dangerous spots, some areas are cliffside, others, barely wide enough for one car let alone two… this not a drive for timid drivers.
It’s beautiful, but please be careful, awake and aware when driving. It took us 8 hours to go around the whole Island, Lahaina to Lahaina… we did stop about an hour and 1/2 all in… enjoy the ride !

Hopefully this review saves you the trouble. I completed the road to Hana today and I wish I didn't. Completely threw away a day. I truly don't understand the hype. There were so few things to see that it's not worth the drive. If you do decide to go to Hana, do yourself a favor and turn around within the first 10 miles. You won't miss much.

It’s going to be a full day or the better part of one if you wish to drive the Hana . Would recommend a smaller car plus it’s not for nervous drivers.

The best way to enjoy this (in our opinion) drive is to stay overnight and return the next day. Gives you a chance to make several stops

With 59 narrow one-lane bridges and 620 curves, some of them hair-pin turns, this adventure is not for the faint of heart.
But if you're like me and seek new adventures while on vacation, it is definitely a trip worth making.
Start early though, and keep track of time because no one should be on this road after dark.
You will be rewarded with some of most beautiful waterfalls and scenery on the island of Maui.
It is a dangerous and unpredictable road. On our first try, we had to turn around and go back because a giant bolder fell and the road was blocked. So this might not be the adventure you want to save for the last day.
We found the guided tours to be a little too pricey, but we did buy the Shaka Guide app and downloaded the Road to Hana tour.
It was the best decision of the entire vacation. The app is great and does not lose connectivity like Google Maps would. It also does a great job of telling you where to stop and what you will find when you stop, and then picking right back up when you start going again.
There is a reason for those "I Survived the Road to Hana" t-shirts, though, so this is not the adventure for everyone!!

To get an idea of what Hawaii looked like in its lush vegetation in the past.
The first stretch is winding, the road has 2 quiet lanes, the second can be challenging, but it is the most beautiful with its lush vegetation and waterfalls that occasionally meet

I wish it were possible to give this excursion zero stars.

We did a lot of research on excursions on Maui, and decided this was the one for us - Road to Hana. We paid our money well in advance, and even did a quick walk the day before to ensure we knew the exact spot we needed to meet (it was to be an early meeting).

When we got there, the man who met us, Sean, told us we had a couple of different options: we could go on the tour we booked, or we could go on this one!! He proceeded to show us lots of pictures of the alternative tour, and to tell us why it would be so much better, and even cheaper! We said, no thanks - we want to go on the trip we booked, the Road to Hana. We’d heard so
many wonderful things about it. He tried to make it sound like it was our decision… whatever we wanted to do… But he proceeded to give us 5-6 reasons why the other trip would be better. He said didn’t realize there would be two cruise ships in the harbor that day (how is that possible??), there would a lot of traffic on that road, and he could not guarantee we’d be back in time to get onto the ship. We would be stressed. They would have to pay for us to go to the next island, etc. etc. (We talked to others who did the Road to Hana that day -with another company- and they said there was no traffic.) He said didn’t look like we were dressed to get under water falls. (What??) We continued to try to politely say we wanted to go on the excursion that he and we had agreed on several weeks prior. It became obvious that there was some reason he did not want to, or could not, take us on that excursion. So we ended up taking the other one. Very, very disappointed. On that alternative tour, one of the highlights of that trip was closed for maintenance on Mondays! I am usually pretty calm and collected, but I was very mad at this man for ruining one of our two days in Maui.

Terrible. If you get car sick do not go!!! I got sandwich in Paia ate at coconut glens. Got coconut and banana bread which was ok. On way back I did huge vomit in car from the 617 turns. Do not do. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

Beautiful views and waterfalls! Be sure to download a self guided tour. Make your reservation for the black sand beach and be prepared to pay for parking at certain stops. Bring lots of small bills for road side stands.

An amazing trip, a bit long, but incredible sightseeing. Get an audio app for the trip. Wear comfy shoes for hiking. Food on the road was “ehh” but ok.

Worth the drive to see the blow hole and black sand beach at Hana. Waterfalls were pretty. Don’t bother with the vendors though. The Hulu Hulu chicken was a big disappointment, cold hard veggies and undercooked rice. The chicken was tasty but not worth it.

We celebrated our 10yr anniversary ! Our guide was amazing (KAIPO) He was very knowledgeable and patient with us all on our stops. KAIPO was like a brother that you haven’t seen in years and made us feel like family in the island! He treated us with water, soda and even energy drinks with snacks and our favorite candy! Can’t wait to come back again!!

Me and my wife did the road into Hāna ride starting at about 1 pm, first timers we didn’t know any better, great ride, spectacular views, very slow ride, many turns and not for an inexperienced driver. Make sure car is full with fuel no gas stations along the way until you get to Hāna. Make sure you are not in a rush, first timers drivers should take their time. Another word of advice, if someone is riding on your bumper, pull over, let the local pass. Locals know the roads and drive the road to Hāna much faster. What takes you and I, 3 hours they do in an hour and fifteen minutes. The ride back was also beautiful, much quicker, knowing what to expect! Safe travels!!!

Okay…we love Hana! The road gets us there! We appreciate locals and pull over on the many places where it is safe to pull over. Some tourists are fools…they drive recklessly and stop where they aren’t allowed. Most, truly most use caution and are responsible. Many blind curves…many times it is hard to know if someone is coming around the bend. We go every year! I buy ginger chews … they help! We love seeing the flowing water as we drive on by. The Hana beaches, especially Hamoa and Koki are phenomenal to spend time at. There is a Friday afternoon farmers market now and most locals are very kind and friendly. Hana is quiet, serene and you will see many geckos in your great rental units! It is not Wailea or Kaanapali. Thankful for the road maintenance! Thankful for the careful drivers! Thankful for…Hana!

Eric our tour guide was amazing, much better to let the driving be done by a local that knows the road. Over all well with the money and time. Awesome memories made and sights seen

We went with a tour company to take us on the road to Hana and glad we did. Would have missed some great stops along the way otherwise. It’s a long day so be prepared. We brought a change of clothing and a phone charger. It’s very beautiful. Not very many people live in that area. Lots of waterfalls to see.

We drove the infamous Hana Highway from Lahaina to Hana on an October Saturday. Because we had a B and B overnight reservation, we left at around 10- mid morning and did not feel rushed as we were not driving back until the next day. The road (according to a friend that has visited Maui since girlhood) has seen vast improvements. We found that it demanded our attention but did not scare us like our trip counter clockwise on the western Maui ring road. There wase space to pull around cars, signs were posted warning of particular spots that needed drivers to yield, there were guardrails. Most of the road was two lanes with bridges being the exception...one lane. And yes, plenty of turns to negotiate. On the way we found several spots had parking pull offs or even lots full...so we missed having the opportunity to walk among the Rainbow Eucalyptus Grove along the highway. However, we did pull in at the Garden of Eden and felt that was a very worthwhile stop offering scenic gardens with both native plants and exotic imports. And I hugged my Rainbow Eucalyptus there. Definitely recommend this stop.
We had a guidebook to help us mark the stops along the way.
Getting on the road to return from Hana on Sunday morning afforded a quiet ride back. We were able to stop at points that were full the previous day.
It is true that this road is a working road. We shared it with utility trucks and locals that needed to get from point a to point b ina hurry. We simply pulled over and encountered no rudeness on this ride. Without comparison to the Western Maui Ring road (which I found terrifying in parts) some might find the road to Hana a bit much on their stomach due to its constant twisting and turning. However, the scenery is awesome and this is a recommedned drive! Just a note that we diacovered our rental agreement specifically did not allow us to take our rental past Hana. Check ypur rental agreement!

The locals make Hana seem amazing, magical and almost mythical. The reality is there is nothing in Hana to even see. What a disappointment! While this is certainly a unique road with a lot of scenic beauty, most of the attractions along the way were either closed or nothing like the exciting spots advertised. Unless you have unlimited time and unlimited money the Road to Hana really is not worth the effort. The one highlight I highly recommend is the Halfway to Hana stand which has amazing fresh baked banana bread.

Only thing unique about the drive is waterfalls and swimming holes along the way. Very slow and winding roads that can easily cause motion sickness and these conditions persist for a couple hours each direction. If anyone in your party is sensitive to this then don't do this trip, don't underestimate how bad the driving conditions are. Road also prone to mudslides and tree falls and one of these can trap you on the wrong side of the island easily. Hana town and beaches along the way aren't worth the trouble, you will find better alternatives

Great view
Crystal clear water
Really worthy to go if it's first time for you
Traffic slow though due to so many one way drive

The most dangerous drive in my life! I have Motion sickness the whole ride also the rain and slick road was so scary. The twist and turn and one way was so terrifying. me and my boyfriend arguing the whole ride 3hrs to hana and 3 hrs back. Didn’t get to take any pictures because most of the time my eyes is on the dangerous road. I will not recommend too dangerous. And not worth the drive for the banana bread!

Download the app it’s a game changer. You must do the road to Hana. Look at pictures of the recommended places to see what you and your family might enjoy, to each it’s own and each time we’ve gone we see something new or different. We have done it like 10 times.

Must see!
Definitely recommend a tour so you can relax and enjoy the amazing views! They can show you hidden gems you might have missed! Waterfalls and rainbow eucalyptus were my favorites.
Twisty roads so take Dramamine for sure!

We decided to drive a bit of the highway to Hana since we found ourselves with a free day while in Maui {We drove to the town of Hana and turned around and drove back the way we came}. We had been given a convertible Camaro by Budget Rent a car and so with the top down, some snacks and drinks and a full tank of gas we embarked on the infamous highway. I was expecting to ask my husband to turn around and expecting to get motion sick but sitting in the front seat combined with the open top and fresh breeze of the convertible made it so I didn't feel sick at all. As a preventative measure we took an Advil and a Zantac prior to the trip, too. We stopped at the Twin Falls and hiked up to see them. I would recommend good footwear - Keens or water sock type shoes. Your feet will get wet and you'll slip in places so good shoes is a must. I definitely didn't enjoy the hike as much as I could have since I wore Fitflops. The foliage and the trails are so stunning. The swimming holes where the waterfalls are will be populated and busy but people were friendly and offered to take our photos for us. It was a very pleasant hike. Continuing the drive, we stopped at the Island Chef road side food stand {Excellent fresh fish and chips} and the Nahiku Jewelry store where I dropped about $500 Canadian on pretty jewelry and souvenirs. We continued the drive to Hana and stopped at their general store called Hasegawa Gen. Store. I bought some vegetables to cook later for supper, drinks and post cards. We turned around and headed back. Advice - get to Aunty Sandy's banana bread stand early since she closes as soon as she is sold out. We really enjoyed this drive; it took about 7 hours start to finish getting there and back to our rental in Kihei. The drive is just beautiful beautiful beautiful. I am glad we went even though we are both prone to motion sickness. It is worth driving at least a part of the highway.

We were expecting so much more. There were literally hundreds of switchbacks on our roundtrip drive. Not much to see either as the majority of the road was covered by dense foliage. We encountered a couple of near-miss accidents from people speeding coming from the opposite way and not staying in their lane. We would never take that trip again. There are so many more gorgeous drives in Maui than this one.

The Road to Hana was a terrifying experience for my husband and I. We thought that we understood that there would be some tight curves, but not the incredibly narrow roads, bridges and curves that can often only accommodate 1 vehicle. Not to mention the school buses that you may encounter, like we did. I was literally in tears after that. Unless you are an adrenaline junkie, it is not worth the stress. It is very hard to stop to see any of the water falls due to very limited parking. The only thing that I enjoyed along the way was the Garden of Eden.

too many stupid stoves wasting time at starbucks snd too many restroom stops
people are swimming in bathing suit and driver had air conditioning on full blast
we were shivering asked her to stop air conditioning she refused
meanwhile she was wearing winter clothes
a most unpleasant day

The first hour of the drive was fantastic. And then we proceeded to genuinely lose our minds. I honestly don’t remember the majority of it now, due to me not wanting to. If you are a seasoned driver, this road will still make you feel a disgusting amount of dread. If you are NOT a well seasoned driver, you won’t come back. The first part of this nightmare of a drive is on a goat hill with only one lane that you will need to pull over in to make room for the hundreds of busses that will graze an inch from your vehicle. You get to the restaurant. You most likely won’t enjoy it because you will have believed you are already dead. Then you get to the next part: Jackknife roads. I traveled with two other people, and I had never gotten car sick. This trip was the one and only time I have ever gotten car sick, and I’ve seen bull crap. You will throw up. There is no escaping it.

We were so excited to go see the road to Hana. There were a couple of beaches that were pretty, lots of winding roads, and nothing much else other than tourist traps.. It might have been nicer of it was ever sunny, but in 6 days on the island we saw the sun twice for about an hour. Dont bother with the island during rainly season. Lots of hype, nothing more than narrow roads with tourists running up and down looking for something to do .

Beautiful drive to Hana today. The guide book said to go early, but we didn’t head there until after 10:00 on a Sunday, and the traffic was very light. This made it much more relaxing. I love the tropical plants and trees, the ocean views, and the waterfalls and rivers. Don’t try to beat the crowds.. you probably won’t… so go a little later after they have gone, and Sunday seemed to be a good choice. Some restaurants closed, but we found food, and it was fine.

Don’t waste your time
No parking at stops, so much more to see on the rest of the island. being in a car is no way to experience paradise

The road to Hana has dramatic tropical beauty. I am happy I went, but I will not go again. Here is why:

1. The road is exhausting and stressful even if you are not driving.
2. There are equally or more beautiful places all around the USA and the world. It does not make sense to see the same place twice when is so much more to see.

Hana itself is a quaint pretty little town. I would not have minded staying in its only hotel for a couple of nights. If you ever decide to drive all the way, at least do yourself a favor and stay the night. This way, you won’t end up exhausted.

Wow! We downloaded the Shaka tour for The Road to Hana and it was fantastic. I would recommend putting it on two people’s phones, because even though we kept it plugged in the whole time, the phone died. We started out early, early, which I recommend. Not a ton of traffic at 6 in the morning. The road is very curvy and you go 10-15 miles an hour for most of it, because of the narrow, winding way. There are multiple times that it is only one lane, so please be courteous to other drivers and definitely let the locals pass busy pulling off onto a turn out. I loved all of the waterfalls that you get to see from the road!! We saw a few rainbows too. We drove it on a Sunday and not many of the food places were open (understandably), so I recommend bringing a cooler with snacks, drinks and a lunch. My absolute favorite place was the black sand beach area. So strikingly beautiful. A fantastic day spent exploring Maui.

This is not the same!!! We have enjoyed the road trip before but after this time - probably will not do it again. Although beautiful, the places to stop have become sparse and less interesting. We came years ago and also in 2019. The stops were amazing!! There were juice stands with Maui Gold juice , waterfalls and streams to see all along the way. Crafts and happy people working the sites. —but by 2019 - There were less people and stops but we enjoyed it still —-but the one I just did in August 2025 was just a let down. If you had nothing to compare - you may think it was still great but if you took the road to Hāna prior to covid - you know It has not bounced back. Also, the park attendant to the once public /stop at Waiʻānapanapa park now require reservations to see the area and black beach. Extremely limited reservations and the rudest woman ever turning you away if your reservation had passed the time - even with the 1 hour delay due to construction. I would NOT recommend an entire day doing this. Just go to one of the many other attractions.

If you love to drive and are in for some harrowing passages but want to see sights and experiences you won't get anywhere else - GO. The destination is the drive - make sure you stop at Black Sand Beach and get the Road to Hana app - it'll tell you the story and history of the land

We did the RTH 20 years ago and it was the highlight of the whole trip. We are back with are teenage kids and wanted them to see the magical nature of Maui. That is completely missing now. I wouldn’t recommend taking a whole day of your vacation doing this anymore. We saw 2 waterfalls the whole day where you could get up close and swim. Everything else is now dry creek beds (not sure if this is drought or water diversion for farming). It used to be the end of the day was a reward to swim in the seven pools (Ohe’o Gulch) past Hana. Now, you just look at them from 50 feet above. Another long, hot, dry 4 mile hike if you want to see more. Don’t believe any guidebook that says there is swimming sometimes. It’s just not true.

The black sand beach at the state park (WAIʻĀNAPANAPA STATE PARK) now requires a reservation. Make it well before your trip and hope you time the reservation window correctly. It’s hard to do since you don’t really know how long it will take you to get there. We were there too early and didn’t go back. Just wasted $40, I guess it’s a donation to the state. There are a few public black sand beaches, but be careful. There are locals camped on public beaches everywhere. They usually had dogs too. The dogs may be tied up, but given the response to tourists, it didn’t feel safe. Never leave anything of value in your car

After yesterday’s experience, I would say that you are probably best to turn around after the first few waterfalls. Unless you are ok with seeing everything from a distance and spending the whole day driving.

As far as driving, it is curvy and narrow. It doesn’t bother us. We go slow around corners and watch for oncoming cars. Pull over well ahead if you see a car coming. Yes, the locals will speed by you and it looks like they will side swipe you. They are very vocal that they don’t want tourists there. Signs are everywhere not to speed. Seemed ironic since the only people I saw speeding were locals. One even yelled at us when we were standing well off the road. It’s sad that this is what is becoming of Hawaii. We came for the natural sites like RTH. I doubt we will come back again. I can go to many beautiful beaches without flying 10 hours.

I would say the Road to Hana was a terrible road, both to drive on and as a passenger. It was twisty, windy, bendy, curved at 90 degree angles, was too narrow for more than one car at certain spots, had narrow bridges to cross…overall, a nightmare!! It made me dizzy and felt long, tiring, and tedious. There were some okay and quick views of small waterfalls and lots of greenery but overall, the drive was not worth it!

Fun trip! Plan all day for the ride! Lots of switch back turns and one lane sections! Beautiful scenery!
Waterfalls and chickens everywhere! Lol!

I was fine looking and driving the whole way. When we got there, there was a celebration of Aloha Days. I turned the wrong way and was stopped by a local who called me an idiot and to reverse out of the road. So I did and turned toward what appeared to be a boat launch. Having little cell service and not many places to park. I pulled to the side and a local man pulled next to us and reemed me a new for parking on the side of the turn around. I never EVER WANT TO COME HERE AGAIN! it was literally 2 mins. F you hana locals.. ill spend my money else where.

Hired a car to complete the Road to Hana and set off at 9am and returned 5pm - A great day out seeing the scenery/waterfalls/beaches etc.

Loved driving the road to Hana! We went about Noon and had no traffic at all and was able to pick and choose the great sites. From waterfalls to beaches it was amazing and we lucked out with the weather. We also stayed in Hana and that made it so much better. Form food trucks to the General store you can't go wrong with the true Hawaiian town. Driving back is much easier. Make a reservation for the black sand beach and visit the lava caves. This whole place is magical!!!

We survived it but OMG! We were stuck waiting for about an hour, once for tree trimming and once for a boulder to be removed from the road. So I knew it was a very winding trip but there are lots of one lane bridges and blind corners. The town of Hana doesn’t really have anything to offer. So it was a bit of a let down after making it all the way there. I quess it something's to try once but never again.

Be prepared for a long winding drive on a two lane narrow road. Avoid taking larger vehicles (Suburban, etc.) due to width of the road. If you want to spend time at the black sand beach, make sure that you make an online reservation at least 24 hours before you make the trip. Garden of Eden Arboretum is a great stop to see the local flora and fauna. Hana is a small town with nice food truck area, gallery that is going out of business, churches and some hiking. Beaches are the key to the key experience in Hanna. Due to the drought, the waterfalls were not as prevalent, which may have changed when the Kona Low weather system came in last week. Be on the lookout for a beach that is close to Haiku access point, that has green turtles. That experience was by far the highlight of our drive.

Overall the trip was ok. Like many say bring your own food or be prepared to spend a lot. My husband got a $16 small smoothie. My son a $18 burger and a $3 can of soda. Lots to see and do on this road. We made it to the end where it is closed down at. The downside is we had what looked like locals coming head on at us and others drivers. Almost like they were trying to run us and others off the road. We had one guy in a lifted truck blow by us and 2 other cars blowing his horn, screaming, and giving the finger to everyone. You can tell people are not welcomed.

We used the Shaka Road to Hana app and that made the experience educational and enjoyable. I highly recommend using that app - I would have been much more stressed on the Road to Hana without it. It seems like something everyone needs to do while in Maui, but while I'm glad we did it, I wouldn't want to do it again. It was an extremely long time in the car. Some of the sights were beautiful, but the town of Hana itself was rather anti-climactic. Also, the Garden of Eden costs $15 per person and I would skip it because of that.

Definitely a challenging drive! We had amazing weather and used an App to guide us and suggest stops and must see places.
Beautiful coastal views and waterfalls. I would highly recommend leaving early as we drove the last hour in the dark and was quite challenging. But I’d you take your time and allow locals and less patient drivers past, it’s a beautiful drive and well worth the time. Plus, I was amazed we only used 5 gallons of gas in our rented Malibu! Stop and get the banana bread and see the quaint church where Charles Lindbergh is buried. Just a few miles past Hano. It’s not well advertised and there are no signs. We followed the directions in our app or would have missed it.

Let’s be clear; this road is diabolical. Your arms and/or your power steering pump will get zero rest. Some sources like dangerousroads.org cite 617 turns ONE WAY (remember, you’ll have to come back), with 46 one-lane bridges. Those who get car sick need not consider this trip. For driving enthusiasts - and I’m certainly one for life - the drive is NOT actually satisfying. The road requires a constant high-level of attention, you can get stuck for long periods behind slower cars that you cannot pass, and driving it at night just plain sucks. But seeing Hana is worth the effort right? Nope. Not at all. Virtually nothing there. So why did I give it even three stars? Because it’s a unique experience, does have many beautiful views and vistas, and (perhaps fortunately) is unlike just about any other road. Be aware that the black sand beach just north of Hana absolutely requires reservations.

This is a must see for us every visit, but we have modified the very long drive to be more enjoyable and less of a driving marathon, especially for the driver. We went midweek, and left Kihei around 8:30. Traffic, especially in Paia, was light and we encountered no problems. Fortunately there are plenty of turnouts, once you get to the really windy part, to pull over and let the locals by. They are usually in a hurry and will ride your bumper til you let them pass. We took the turn-off to the left at mile marker 17, to Keanae. This road gives access to the most spectacular views, not to mention a historical coral church, and even some taro fields. There are also (clean) public restrooms. We ate our packed lunch here, walked around and took pictures of the surf . We have found this to be a more enjoyable destination than going all the way to Hana, and far less tiring. Hopefully the Maui government will not put this lovely place on their list of places to charge fees to enter.

An awesome tour. My guide Quinn made it spectacular. He was knowledgeable and humorous. Answered all our questions and then some . The accommodations were very comfortable. Quinn checked frequently to see if we were too cold or too warm. I think everyone had a wonderful day!

You have to do this if you're in Maui. The road is just unbelievable. We used the Shaka Guide to get around, and it was a good day. We did this on a rainy day, and some things were not open because of the rain.

Rarely anywhere in the world do tourists feel so unwelcome and out of place as they do here, especially in this part of the island, which we found very unfortunate. You are punished with dirty looks, oncoming traffic shakes its head when they think something is wrong and you drive too slowly or carefully on narrow roads, aggressive driving, etc. There aren't actually many stops, they charge you everywhere, and the gas station is much more expensive than anywhere else on the island. This road is so overrated and the locals are left to rot there.

Opinions are all over the place about this journey so I'll try to reconcile them. First, the drive is not that bad. You're not on the side of a cliff and most of it is two lanes. You want a more harrowing experience - drive the Kahekili Hwy on the northeast side of Maul. About 75% is one lane, with lots of hairpin turns and it's much higher up. Second, it is definitely worth the drive. Don't make the mistake of trying to stop and see everything or you'll run out of time and daylight. There is a lot of beautiful tropical scenery The falls are really nice, take pics but stop at just one to swim. Spend $15 on the GuideAlong app (formerly GyPSy) to get a great informative guide while you're driving. It is amazingly in sync with the drive! Go further than Hana to the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park and hike the trails there for amazing views of the coast and waterfalls. On drive back, app talks about the history of Hawaii. You're home in time for a dip in the resort pool and a Mai Tai.

Downloaded an app which told us all the rides, places to stop, helped us with time management. Must go to places: aunty sandy’s, the lava caves, and black sand beach ( requires reservation). The first couple waterfalls you can skip and not go to as they are small and many people stop there. The app was 19.99 and worth every penny! Recommend getting a jeep or car as a suv/ bus on the tight and narrow roads is difficult to navigate. Pay attention and drive slow so you don’t miss anything, don’t schedule anything same day as this as it last from 7am-5pm. The earlier you start the better.

Recommendation to go with your own vehicle, leaving early in the morning, to be able to stop in each of the hidden corners that this road offers: waterfalls beaches walks scenic spots and much more.
contrary to what is written by many is not a particularly difficult route. is instead very pertinent nickname, "the divorce highway"

We had a fantastic day on the Road to Hana with our driver/guide Salesi. He was knowledgeable and helpful and showed us Da Best places. We stopped many times: a bamboo forest, a turtle beach, a lava tube and a fruit stand where we sampled fresh apple bananas, coconut and pineapple among other stops. So many memories!

Most amazing drive ever. Many beautiful stops to see various microclimates and forests, including rainbow eucalyptus trees, as well as beaches and ocean views. Go early in the morning to avoid heavy traffic. Such a delight. Recommend taking two days, staying overnight in Hana.

An unforgettable experience, starting from the small town of Paia you will enter gradually into a dense mountain forest, it will seem to be on another planet!You will arrive in Hana, authentic Hawaiian town out of time and if you are adventurers Recommendation to continue the road up to the Pipiwai Trail.The road to Hana is not dangerous, you definitely need a minimum of experience in mountain roads (crank bends and little space in the lane) but the asphalt is perfect and free of potholes.Party at dawn or you will not be able to see everything it has to offer.

I live on Maui and the road to Hana has some breathtaking scenery, but please just don't go. I have only driven it a couple of times during my 35 years in Hawai'i. Why? It is treacherous, infested with terrible tourist drivers who have no respect for safety, and most importantly, the people who live there (some families for centuries) really don't want you there.

The road to Hana was great but being able to park and visit sites was severely limited, it appears there’s not a lot of water rushing down streams right now anyway so we were content to keep going. You MUST go to Aunt Sandy’s for banana bread. Turn left at first left turn on the road, you’ll see the point sticking out into the Pacific from the steep coast as you approach approx mile 20. Lots and lots of switch backs and narrow one lane bridges but you’ll get the hang of it. Hana was interesting, there’s even a golf resort now with beautiful accommodations. My 5 star rating was the road that continued from Hana all the way around the Eastern end of Maui. Much less traffic but be prepared for a very bumpy, scary road that clings to the volcanic cliffs in many places. Thrilling drive especially in a convertible as you glide under huge trees, steep jungle clad cliffs, waterfalls, narrow bridges and stunning vistas. Eventually you’ll reach a black top ribbon through mile after mile of cattle country and a steep volcanic gulch. Spectacular drive that circumnavigates Haleakala volcano that feels like you’ve gone back in time to an earlier Maui.

Not for timid drivers or those who get motion sick. Not many rest stops or food on the road. I was expecting more in Hana. The views are gorgeous. Beautiful waterfalls. A bridge is washed out so you need to take the same harrowing road back.

Such a beautiful road. Lots of 1-laner locations so be careful and drive slow. Views are very nice with lots of area to park for photo opportunity!

Go. Just go. Not for the faint of heart but if you can deal with winding narrow roads you must go. Beautiful rainforests, ocean views, beaches, rainbow trees, a lava tube tour and waterfalls upon waterfalls upon waterfalls. There were times it got a little crazy with the way the roads turned but it’s so worth it. Zero regrets.

Every guidebook about Maui says that this is a must do, and I think that might be true for certain people and under certain weather conditions, but the guidebooks mostly don't mention that driving this road is not for everyone and that rainy weather can really make the experience not worth it. Firstly, people should know that the driving experience itself can be extremely stressful for the driver. You are pretty much guaranteed to get into at least a dozen near accidents if not an actual one, the road is crowded, and parking at the various points of interest is very limited. Also, some of the locals lose their aloha spirit and think nothing of honking and flashing their lights at you to try and get you to let them pass, which is fine, but they do this at places where there are literally no places to pull over for many miles, so what do they expect people to do?

I also can't emphasize enough how long it takes to drive the road to Hana and back again in one day. If you are staying at one of the hotels on the west side of Maui, leave before 6:30 AM if you expect to get back before nightfall. Also, don't assume that you can see everything, best to pick and choose.

Finally, we did this on a day with heavy rainfall and cloudy skies, and I think it really took away from that "magical" experience that the guidebooks said this would be. Gray skies, gray ocean, and the heavy rain caused the waterfalls to be ugly torrents of brown water. We were definitely disappointed with how not beautiful and awe-inspiring this turned out to be.

So, I would say that for certain people and with nice weather, this might be the great drive that the guidebooks and other reviewers say it can be, but definitely check the weather first, and really, really look into the driving experience and think about if that really sounds like fun for you. FYI, there are tour companies that do all of the driving for you, and in hindsight, I wish that I had chosen that option.

To say this road is winding is an understatement. The road that are not able to have two cars side by side.
I thought it could be dangerous with bikes
and some people speeding! We did not hit much traffic although we did run into construction on the road that was backed up. There are hairpins turns in many places!! Roads are extremely narrow and winding!!

If you are driving to hike I think you may enjoy it much more than we did. We saw twin falls and it was beautiful the over looks over the ocean are gorgeous and the lush greenery was as well. But I did not see Aunt Sandy’s Banana bread or Sebastian or any food trucks.
There was really nothing much to do, So bring a bring a cooler and snacks.

We turned around after two hours. A kind employee at twin falls said to go to marker 22 a little past the Half way to Hana sign, we were glad we did…. Gorgeous water falls and people were swimming in them.
All in all it was a 4 hour trip for us
with very little lingering. It would have been another few hours to drive it all.
We wanted to see the west side of Maui and only had one day off the cruise ship ( due to weather).

If you have two days and are prepared to spend a lot of time driving, Stay overnight in Hana to enjoy the long tedious ride/drive.

I loved the west side of Maui best and we did not even see the best parts where I would had liked to have gone whale watching!!

Most everywhere in Hawaii is beautiful.

Mahalo

Though I did see two whales from a distance!! They jumped way out of the water!

It's amazing my husband and I are still married after experiencing Raod to Hana. It's a one and done kind of thing. Never again! There's no signs saying that the road past Hana is under construction, so guess what? You get to drive back the way you came. I had to lie down the vehicle as I was extremely dizzy from the constant turns and stopping. I understand why they do not post any signs because there are many small businesses along the way and in the small town including lodging. I also would not recommend driving with no top off (Jeep, Bronco) as it is high elevation and overcast. We saw periods of rain, some heavy. There are a couple waterfalls including a swimming hole. I do recommend stopping at some of the small businesses. Also, there is a general store in Hana, but no public restroom. Please note, move over for locals. They know how to drive the roads better than anyone...that includes you minivan drivers!

Overhyped road that has truly less-than-specacular views. The waterfalls are laughable. You really have to lead a sheltered life to admire it. Oh, and it goes on forever, and you have to return the same way. A complete waste of time.

A beautiful driving experience between waterfalls and wonderful views along a long sinuous road full of curves for about two hours (and the same on the way back) with very few refreshment points (many of which are closed) and very little traffic. Fun

We enjoyed our trip on the road to Hana and would definitely recommend using the GyPsy guide app. The narration along the way was so helpful and enjoyable to listen to. If you don’t want to take the long drive I would recommend turning at the Ke’anae peninsula. (About half way) Wait for banana bread at Aunt Sandy’s was long…

Definitely worth it. All day adventure. Beautiful waterfalls along the way. It's about the journey not necessarily the destination.

This is a beautiful drive with waterfalls, ocean views, beautiful trees and a roadside lava tube. It is full of LOTS of turns and single lane bridges, so the driver needs to be fully alert and naturally misses on some of the views. We didn’t have any issues with car sickness in our family.

We downloaded the Shaka app and purchased the Road to Hana map ($25 Canadian) and loved it. It provided history, told us about sites, suggested stops and kept us on time to ensure we weren’t driving in the dark.

Twin Falls - worth the stop and 40 minute hike. $10 to park. Porta potties available. Be prepared for rain. We wish we brought water shoes to cross the shallow creeks and water covered paths. You can swim at the water fall.

Halfway to Hana - famous banana bread (it was good not great). No bathrooms at this stop.

Waiʻānapanapa State Park - this was the highlight of our day. Black sands beach, sea cave, blow hole, etc. You need to make reservations and there is a park fee (I believe $10 for parking and then $5 per person).

Seven sacred pools - this is a national park and therefore an entry fee. $30 for a day pass, $80 for a national park pass for a year. This stop was a little disappointing. It wasn’t worth it for the extra hour of driving and the roads after Hana get worse.

Over all, we don’t regret doing it. It was a long day of driving and the teens in the back seat got bored.

The drive is an exhilarating rollercoaster through lush rainforests, with jaw-dropping waterfalls and breathtaking coastal views at every twist and turn. But it's not just about the destination; the journey itself is the star. You get to explore hidden gems, like the bamboo forest and the Seven Sacred Pools, and there are plenty of roadside stands offering delicious local treats. And yes, the "no signal" areas are real, but they're a blessing – they make you truly disconnect and soak in the natural beauty. The road may be winding, but it's absolutely worth every moment. The Road to Hana is a must-do for anyone visiting Maui, and it's an adventure that'll leave you with a deep appreciation for the island's raw, unspoiled beauty. 🏞️

Road to Hana- front and back is a bit long. The front end is beautiful and so well worth the ride. The back end road is bumpy and tiresome. Next time around I’ll be more careful to select only the front end.

I am convinced that best way to do the Road to Hana is to take one of the many tours - to let someone else tackle the many curves and narrow lanes and bridges allowing you to enjoy the many sights - the flora, the waterfalls and the spectacular coastline,
If you decide to drive yourself, the highway is both challenging and fun. It’ll keep you on your toes. The journey to the beautiful little town of Hana (and back) will take much of the day, especially if you stop to do a little hiking or swimming at waterfalls or on the black sand beaches and at the halfway point you can enjoy some snacks and homemade banana bread.
Just one of the many great things to do while visiting Maui.

This is indeed a beautiful drive with a number of picturesque stops along the way. An early start is essential to ensure a return drive before it gets totally dark. The road is generally in good shape, although it narrows to one lane (for both directions to share) in places. Past Hana (on the way to the Kīpahulu Visitor Center) the road quality starts to deteriorate.

This was a fun day but we probably wouldn't do it again! We did this in one day, but we started before sunrise in order to get to our reservation at Black Sand Beach by 7:30 am. We spent about an hour hiking the trails by the beach and then headed to the Pipiwai Trail. There is a gas station in Hana that you'll pass on the way, but it was over $6/gallon. I was glad that we did Pipiawai in the morning as it was already pretty hot. This trail was fantastic! Wear good hiking shoes and be prepared to get muddy if it has been raining. Take water with you. And go all the way to the end! The view of the falls is well worth it! We took the short hike to the Seven sacred pools after that. Then we worked our way back and stopped to see several other things. We had planned to see Twin Falls at the end, but we had seen so many other fantastic waterfalls that we didn't think it was necessary to pay the $10 parking fee to see these. Even if you don't get car sick, I'd highly recommend taking something for motion sickness if you're the passenger!

First and foremost, be prepared to drive on narrow winding roads for quite some time.

Plan ahead: Fuel up, because options are limited. Before you leave, make sure you download google maps for the area. There is NO cell phone reception for about 98% of the time. Make sure you mark the spots you want to check out with pins on google maps. The signage is either nonexistent or you might barely spot it last minute.

Other than the aforementioned warnings, some views are absolutely stunning and the change in climatic zones from arid to tropical and back to arid are just impressive. Wonderful selection of plants (if you are into that) and some gorgeous beaches. But be aware that there are some pretty scary currents, so be careful if you are not a strong swimmer of seasoned surfer.

This road is the experience you likely do once in your life. Do not miss it.

The road to Hana is a beautiful trip along the Maui coastline that's not for the faint-hearted. With beautiful beaches, coastline, waterfalls, and gardens comes one lane bridges, and hairpin turns. Our favorite spot was the black sands beach with its rockey cove and a trail to a blow hole.

Verv overrated. The best things are past Hanna (seven pools) and it’s a 12-14 hour round trip drive. Saw some waterfalls and views but who cares. I saw the same up the north west coast. Don’t waste a day on this and go see the volcano. Everyone takes this trip because everyone takes this trip. Ps. The locals hate tourists.

Just amazing to see that a place with such beauty exists! We booked a tour with Road to Hana and beyond tours and I’m soo glad we did. The road does get sketchy to drive with windey roads, parts that are only for 1 car at a time and unpaved parts. I was very grateful for our tour guide Glen who had tons of experience navigating and knowledge of the area. It is an all day tour so be prepared to be pooped at the end of the day.

The road to Hana is very unique. It is a combination of ocean view beside the cliff with waterfalls. However, this is very NEROW ROAD and in some places drivers cannot see the vehicles while come from the opposite. Also, the height of the vegetation alongside of the road sometimes block the ability to see what is coming around the curve.
Be careful!!

I'm not sure we would do this again...

It took a FULL day & we started very early. We left around 5 am & decided to drive to the end first & do the road backwards to avoid some traffic.

We did the National Park waterfall hike first which I'm glad we did because it was cooler in the morning. The hike was great & made the day worth it & it was the best thing we did that day, however, you can't even see the whole waterfall. When you get to the end, there is a sign saying you can't go past the sign. Some people went past the sign anyways, but we passed a ranger on the trail. He says he hikes it twice a week to check on things, so you might get caught. The sign says it's a $100 fine if you go past the sign.

The problem was by the time we got done with the hike we had to quickly get to the Black Sand Beach before our time slot ran out, so we only had a few minutes to see the beach then we had to back track some. The beach was very crowded. It was a beautiful beach, but I'm not sure it's worth all the driving to see it.

There were some nice views & beautiful waterfalls along the way, but I'm not sure they were worth driving all day behind slow cars for. It was very difficult to find parking at waterfalls. The vegetation along the road is very overgrown, so it's hard to see the coastal views. We went on a Sunday, so several things were closed.

We were in Hawaii for a month on 4 different islands & this was the least favorite thing we did.

We downloaded an app, which was helpful explaining some things that we would have missed. I highly recommend getting an app if you are going to do this.

When they say its a winding road, it is a huge understatement. There are many one lane bridges and zero opportunity to pass. Going to Hana we were in a long string of cars with a very slow driver at the front. We actually averaged less than 15 miles an hour so it took many tedious hours. Coming back the road was clear and it was almost a fun drive.

Recommended - Black sand beach!!!! very exotic! go explore in the cave all the way on the bottom right side when you descend to the sand beach
Recommended - Garden of Eden

No traffic if you drive early. Plan to start at Paia at around 7-8am and you will have no issues! If possible, go a couple of days to do different things.

[You can't reach Kihei from lower side of Road to Hana loop, so have to go back all the way to Paia and then back down again to Kihei - fyi...]

I highly recommend downloading an app and paying about $20 for an audio tour that is triggered by GPS location - fascinating!

Decided to drive this on a whim... was not the smartest idea. The drive was long, but incredibly beautiful! The road is gnarly... live in Colorado and used to mountain passes, this this was a whole other level. I loved the small stands along the way that sold drinks and banana bread. With more planning, we would have packed a lunch as the stands did not have a lot of substantial food choices.

We have driven the Hana Highway twice before over the times we have been to Maui. At that time we were always finding places to stop, jump out, take pictures along the way. This time, first stop, $10 to park and see the Twin Falls. So nice of them to take cash, credit cards, etc (sarcasm). Then to walk to the falls and only one of the falls was running. Further along if you wanted to stop at the arboretum - which we did not - another fee per person. Black Sands beach- make a reservation and oh yeah, $5 per person and $10 for the car. Down to Oheo gulch (7 falls) and the national park - $30 to get in unless you have a national park pass. I now know why I heard many people say they went part way and turned around.

This is a rigorous experience, punctuated by beautiful waterfalls. Total concentration is required to drive this road. Take as many breaks as you can. The restaurant Jaws was a welcome start to the day with a delicious breakfast burrito. We started out early at 700 but I think I’d start even earlier because there are plenty of vehicles on the road, and most of them don’t understand not to tailgate.

Took a shore excursion from the Norwegian Cruise Line called Road to Hana on August 11. Is was a small 8 person excursion that was wonderful! Leader was named Ray. He was great. Gave us lots of information, was always looking to make sure we were comfortable and was flexible if the group wanted to make a change. I would FOR SURE recommend Ray from Temptation Tour and this Road to Hana Tour!!!

Take Gravol and go for it. We did halfway road to Hana. Didn't find it scary uphill then but lots of twists and turns. Roads are very curvy so it can get tiring driving left right left right. But we had the Gypsy app which was amazing and enjoyed our stops. Garden of Eden was our favourite!

You should know going in that this is a very difficult driving experience. The driver needs total focus to get through endless twists and turns on very tight roads. If you get motion sickness dramamime is a must. Sure the views are really great but it's a long. long day. Don't even think about driving to Hana and bac all in one day.

The state park has by far the best scenery

Must see and do if you go to Maui. If time permits go to Kauai- it’s just beautiful and worth it. Oahu is fantastic too. Just the best

We loved it! We were very fortunate to not have a lot of traffic on a Monday. We spent ten hours for the drive there and back. The road itself was very well paved. We did see fallen rocks on the road so it is wise to go slow! (Besides the number of turns!) We stopped numerous times. We took a chilly dip in the water at Twin Falls. It is best to wear waterproof shoes for that walk as you need to cross two low water areas on the path. We also stopped at the Garden of Eden. There was a $40 U.S. entry fee. It had a variety of things to see - small art gallery, feed the birds, view of falls, view of ocean, labelled flora. We stopped at the Hookipa Beach which is called the best windsurfing beach of the world. That was awesome to see! Surfers were there as well. There was a sea turtle beach as well. The amount of flowers to be seen in their natural habitat throughout the drive was incredible!

Yes, I am glad we took the road to Hana which I did enjoy. However, some in our party felt it was long and winding. Depends on your likes and tastes. I would recommend, though some in my party would not. It is beautiful.

With over 600 turns and 54 one way bridges, you must be an excellent driver! The views are breathtaking, so enjoy the ride!

Road to Hana was one of the most amazing experiences in Maui, Hawaii. The botanical garden, beaches and the drive was the most beautiful and enjoyable experience. Lack of public toilets along the was not pleasant and kind of made me angry! How unamerican?

It would be an interesting challenge of your driving skill and guts, if you’re technically proficient on narrow mountain roads with switchbacks and sudden grade changes, and if there weren’t 5000-7000 tourists a day using it. Don’t bother. You’re probably not going to like it and besides, it’s objectively a bad thing for the locals. We are destroying the area by choking their one access to town - to hospital! STAY AWAY

First time visitors to Maui need to do the Road to Hana. You're either going to love it or hate it. It takes 3.5 hours to drive 52 miles from Kahului to Hana and that's just one way. The highway/drive is very windy, narrow, and passes over 59 bridges, of which 46 are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along route.

I suggest spending the night in Hana at the national park or at an airB&B. (Reservations are recommended.) No reason to rush back to your accommodations. Get a CD or download a self guided tour. You will hear the spots to stop and discover.

Pack a lunch and plenty of water. Don't waste your time at the Twin Falls or Mama's Restaurant. There's plenty to see, experience and enjoy down the road.

For a memorable adventure without having to make the drive, take a tour. It's a relaxing drive without the anxiety to driving.

Take advantage of the roar-side vendors for gifts and tasty food.

The Road to Hana is a wonderful way to experience Hawaii as you dreamed it would be. You can thank me later.

We were really excited for this drive, I am a nature photographer so waterfalls, flora, and fauna are my jam. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor: It POURED rain the whole way to Hana. We hoped it might clear a bit for our return trip but no, it rained even harder on the return drive. The waterfalls raged beyond their banks, the rain unrelenting, the surf was rough. I thought I was prepared for the weather with rain gear for myself and my equipment, but it wasn’t enough. I was soaked through. My camera got very wet (even with a rain sleeve). It was messy. I will put in a plug for Aunt Sally’s Banana Bread and for the food trucks in Hana — so tasty. But if you decide to go when the weather app predicts 100% rain, well, you just might want to reconsider. We were completely soaked after our first walkabout and as we drove further, it just got worse. And photos? Not very good because of the gray skies and raging water.

Negatives first: Crazy road that is often not level with switchback after switchback, blind corners, and more single lane bridges than I can count. Some of the local drivers, that may be irritated by the driving habits & carefulness of tourists, are just unbalanced & dangerous. I made a practice of not driving too too slow and pulling off to the side of the road (as soon as it was safe to do so) to let both good local drivers that were behind me, and several local idiots that were behind me, drive past me. However, some of these locals are sociopaths on a mission to endanger themselves and others and they often take their half of the road out of the middle. Sometimes a car was stopped when at a 1 lane bridge that was occupied by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction and a native driving imbecile would drive up behind the stopped vehicle (or the line of vehicles behind the stopped car) and lay on the horn as if the stopped car had someplace to go. Now the positives: great views of the Pacific, dense rainforest, tremendous variety of vegetation, flowers, waterfalls, etc. Glad we made the trip. But, if you are not a skilled driver, you are wound up pretty tight and are prone to challenge other tightly wound drivers, you are a timid driver, an intimidated driver, or a flustered driver, you may want to grab one of the bus tours.

Tom, our tour guide, was absolutely fabulous. He picked us up at our hotel. He shared detailed information on history and local life as we traveled. Scenery was gorgeous and Hana was untouched by the outside world for the most part. We even made a few unscheduled stops requested by passengers. Tom knew the local scene quite intimately and shared many fascinating stories. We stopped for fresh coconut milk from a local that was cut before our eyes. I wanted fresh ripe bananas off the tree...he accomplished. There was a local lady who handmade beautiful jewelry from local stones and lava. My wife bought a rosary made with small cut lava stones. Tom served us breakfast, lunch and plenty of water. Also, he made sure we had enough restroom breaks. We concluded the long wonderful day being dropped back off at our hotel. I HIGHLY recommend this trip to see the real Hawaii and hidden beauty.

I don't think I fully understood what the road to Hana entailed. The beginning of the drive was fun and gorgeous but be ready everyone as on the road through the mountains there are quite a few spots where the highway is two lanes and only 1 car can fit. So lots of stopping and letting cars pass/ etc. Also I wasn't aware that you should get to Hana and turn around so I took the back roads around the island back to Wailea.

This was by far the scariest drive I've ever been a part of. The second portion of the highway was 80% two lanes of traffic on what felt like LESS than one lane of traffic. Also tons of blind hills where you're sharing a lane with oncoming traffic yet can't see anything coming toward you until you're over the hill. Extremely nerve-wracking and stressful.

Not a drive I would take again.

Lots of twists and turns and narrow roads. Needed medicine for nausea and vomiting. Pretty views, a few waterfalls you can jumps from or swim in, garden of Eden on the way, black sand beach and etc but plan a whole day to get there. Very long.

Very beautiful landscapes but lots of bends and bridges
Too bad, not much signposted and very few places to stop
Several places charge a fee
Beautiful black sand beach
It's long ...

you just need to do this. when we drove it, there weren't that many other cars driving so it wasn't too crowded. driving past the town of hana, the roads get a little bit rough and it gets a lot more nerve wracking as you drive past hana itself, with some tight one way unpaved roads with cliff drops to your side. but the way to hana itself is beautiful and very drivable.

We chose to drive ourselves instead of going with a tour group, etc. The drive wasn't bad, having experience with single lane bridges and driving up mountains. The one downside was wanting to stop, as the driver, to actually see all of the incredible views but my passenger took many videos that I was able to view later. Otherwise, there were plenty of areas to pull over and stop as often as we wanted to take in all of the beauty along the highway, which we did when time permitted.

As far as must see stops, we purchased a self driving tour, that we were able to download for offline use, that instructed us as to where all of the "must see" spots along the highway were. Definitely look into these before you go because I know the Wai'anapanapa State Park requires you to purchase a time slotted reservation ticket and they do not have any cell service in the area to purchase the ticket near at or near the park. Also, screenshot the ticket when you do purchase!

TIP: We started the drive late and ran into a road closure not long after we reached the end of the road to Hana and had to turn around and do the drive all over again to get back to our condo. I mention this because we were not aware of the road closure and I want to advise future travelers to start the drive early and end it by 4pm so that if you do have to turn around like us, you're not caught in complete darkness as we were. As beautiful as the waterfalls and everything was during the day, single lane bridges and roads become quite scary when your only light source are your high beams.

Also, if you plan on visiting Haleakala National Park at sunrise during your Maui visit, do the Road to Hana the day before and just car camp somewhere near the Park since it is a stop at the end of the Road to Hana.

Hope this helps.

The Road to Hana doesn’t pass the risk vs. reward test. Everyone likes to think they’re an above-average driver, and that they can handle tough driving. But on the Road to Hana, whether you’re involved in a head-on collision is t so much about you or how good a driver you are, it’s the luck of the draw. Due to its 600 hairpin turns and 61 one-lane bridges, all it takes is for one person who is reckless or had too much to drink to come across the bridge while you’re driving across it, and bam, you’re injured in an accident. If you are injured, emergency services has to use the same darn road to get to you. And in many spits there is no cell service, so calling 911 is impossible. There are call boxes every few miles to call for emergency help, but that would mean walking the treacherous road to get to the call box. The anxiety about all this can be overwhelming for someone who logically evaluates risk, and doesn’t assume they’ll make it because they’re a “good driver.” The rewards are seeing waterfalls and some nice views, but if you’re a careful driver, only the passenger can enjoy those. There are only 2 publicly accessible waterfalls on the trip. The few other waterfalls you have to illegally park on the road to experience out of your car. When you finally get to Hana it’s a collection of buildings in various states of repair, without a cohesive town feeling. There are beaches along the way, too, but you can get waterfalls and beaches in other parts of Hawaii without risking an accident to see them.

We spent four days exploring Hana and the area which this narrow, winding road passes through. So glad we had the time to do this and didn't have to rush through it in a day. Spectacular views, bamboo forests, dips in the waterfalls - all memorable. The arboretum was good but probably not worth it if you're short on time. The highlight was hiking the coast at Wai'anapanapa State Park and then cooling off with a swim back at the black sand beach - just fantastic. I highly recommend this BUT you need to make a reservation ahead in order to enter the park and you only (officially) get three hours there.

Nice road to Hana. But beware 630 curves 70 bridges and partly one-lane road. We had a Ford expeditions and I love driving. It's tight, though. You have to rely on the other drivers.

I enjoyed it a lot and was fantastic.

But always remember you have to go back again! So don't leave too late. I don't want this route back in the dark and in Hana it doesn't have much! :

We drove up to Hana to stay several nights at the Hana Maui hotel (now owned by Hyatt). It is a challenging drive, but absolutely worth it. The best tips we got were to go during the daylight (of course), buy some motion sickness medication or ginger candies. There is also a Hana Tonic Shot that comes in a small bottle with ginger, lemon and pepper. I used that and it didn't taste terrible and it did help. We drove up the North route to Hana. It is over 600 turns so it takes concentration and slow driving. There is lots to see along the route so make sure you plan your stops to see what you want to see. Hana itself was AMAZING. The people are wonderful. The food truck areas are awesome and provided all the food we needed. The local people were also super friendly. Here are some that we loved: My Tita's cafe (loved the macadamia latte and her breads are delish!), The Broken Mouth, and at this same location there is a fish taco place and a red food truck (can't remember the name) that had amazing watermelon salad, ginger herb rice, ginger scallion noodles and there was a woman selling homemade popsicles that were unbelieveably delicious and another woman selling jewelry that was beautiful! Bruddah Hutts was fantastic as was Huli Huli chicken. We sat on the beach behind Huli and also walked along the red sand beach a bit (not the official Red Sand Beach). We went boogie boarding on the white sand beach (Hamoa beach) which was outstanding! The waves were great, not too bad a current, and only about 30 people at the max. There is a sand shower at the bottom of the stairs. This is not the place to go snorkeling. That is best at another beach that the hotel recommended. We drove down the south side of Haleakla. It was a good drive. We did it because friends had told us it was fine. The rangers at the national park will not encourage you to do it. There are some gravel portions but they weren't bad when we were there. It is a beautiful drive and you have the advantage of being on the uphill side of the mountain going down. There are similar turns at the beginning of the drive but you do see some gorgeous coastline as well. The road straightens out and you drive through cattle grazing lands too. We saw goats, a beautiful old church and many other delights.

Was disappointed. Does not live up to the hype. The drive through the forest and valleys was beautiful but I was expecting something great at the end. What I really wanted to spend more time on was the forests, waterfalls, and valleys you drive through but there are very few to no places to stop so see these areas. There are a few vista points that are beautiful (Wailua Valley State Wayside was incredible, pictures don’t do it justice). Hard to drive, especially when those familiar with the road are speeding, dangerously passing (I almost got hit head on), and tailgating. Was able to see a black sand and red sand beach but nothing spectacular. The most famous black sand beach, Waianapanapa, requires reservations at least 1-2 days in advance, even for non-campers, since the beach is in Waianapanapa State Park.

Lovely road trip. Lush greenery and abundant waterfalls all along the road. At the end there is a national park and beach as well. It’s better to do a day trip because Sat options in HANA are very limited and hard to find.

Amazing drive, you get to see all different landscapes in Maui. The round trip drive is a full day effort, about 12 hours, but the waterfalls and hikes are worth it. Would recommend going as early possible!

Yes, there are beautiful stops to make, beautiful landscapes to see, but it’s long! Especially if you are the driver.
Personally, it made me dizzy.
PLEASE NOTE, many stops require a reservation (Black Sand Beach for example) or payment (Ohe'o Gulch) but if you have already gone to the Haleakala volcano, it is valid for 3 days throughout the area. Don't be like me! Don't forget your receipt!

Okay, if you cannot drive on a twisty narrow road, please please please take a tour. The road is narrow and twisty. I race cars and was in a happy place.....until the clusterf@*$ drivers are encountered. The locals must go nuts. Amazing place though and recommend stopping at small roadside places for icecream while walking black sand. Gotta do this in a Caterham, or hot hatch

This is a must on your trip to Maui! Plan for a full day, because you'll want to make lots of stops and try different foods. Some stops have a hike and some are just a pull off. We went all the way to the Haleakalā National Park before turning around. Make sure you plan out the stops you for sure want to stop at before, and download your map. There isn't good service along the road.

It was a lot of back and forth deciding to do road to hana,initially booked a tour but cancelled it, decided a DIY. Worked out really well and happy about it. Decided which stops we’re doing and skipped the rest, only real aim was the black sand beach, registered online in advance for the timed entry for between 12-3 pm. we started bfast at coffee story maui in paia coming from kaanapali 8:00 am,then went to see the turtles in hookipa beach, got fresh coconuts too, then off to the winding hana highway, skipped twin falls and anything with a fee including arboreteum but still saw some eucalyptus trees by the highway, there are bathroom rest stops along the way, got some banana bread from Halfway to Hana but we brought snacks and water, stopped at Coconut Glens for ice cream then 12-ish PM stayed at Waianapanapa for a few hours before driving to eat huli-huli chicken by the red sand beach, driving back we stopped at the St.Mary’s church and came back to Kaanapali before it got dark, fun trip and memorable.

This was an awesome experience. We were able to explore on our own and the information provided was really entertaining. The recording was very detailed and provided helpful tips to enjoy the trip.

Not for the faint of heart or for those who get car sick. Drove ourselves and got about half way. The road is narrow and has many single lane areas. We took our time and stopped at many of the trail heads along the way.

Narrow and windy but the views are amazing! Stop at uncle Harry’s for a bite to eat. The black sand beach and hiking were some of our favs!

We traveled the Road to Hana June 5th, 2023. Started out early and drove all the way to Pipiwai Trail and hiked this before returning home. We used the Shaka Guide app (found out later many people don’t recommend this one) but it worked well for us. The ride was pretty but I didn’t feel transformed. One the was home it was dusk and as we came over a hill on a narrow road (as they often are) we were greeted by two cows, one on each side of the road. A car was headed at us so we did a quick flash of our lights to hopefully allow the other driver enough time to slow down for the cows and instead received a loud “F*** You” as they drove on by us.

Pretty rad but overall not worth the hassle and the long drive. It was quite tiring for the kids and definitely not nice enough to waste a whole day on.

We had a Sunday afternoon open so we decided to drive the road. Honestly can’t understand why this is described as an amazing experience. I’ve been to Kauai, Hawaii and Maui and can honestly say this was just not worth the time. Yes, the road is curvy and narrow, so if you’ve never driven that kind of road before anywhere else in the US, it will be uncomfortable at best. The locals don’t yield, so we were pushed into a wall and a flat tire about 10 minutes outside of Hana town on our way back. The official stops are tourist traps, or full of people who illegal park and block the yield areas on the one way bridges to swim in a creek with 50 other people doing the same thing. It should be called the road to people’s neighborhoods, which is why the locals hate everyone on the road. Wished I had spent the time somewhere else.

The waterfalls and beaches were spectacular. I recommend a tour so you don't miss anything. The last part of the tour is a little long with not as much to see.

Did the Road to Hana a year earlier with 3 adults and enjoyed exploring the area and buying yummy breads. We decided to take our 3 grands with us this year. Not a great choice as 2 of them (age 11 & 8) got car sick. Never made it to the park - stopped at "Garden of Eden" and enjoyed walking and taking pictures. The grands said they never wanted to go back to "The Road to Hana"! Make sure no one gets car sick before making the long drive.

Do your home work before hitting the road. Its extremely difficult to know when or where to stop as you're driving. Avoid twin falls, its a money grab for very poor falls. Take gravol before you go

The drive is highly overrated. The road is narrow and winding, quite tiring. There are a few waterfalls, a rainforest walk, a lava tube tunnel, and the State Park with a black beach. The reservation is required for the state park. We were not allowed in even for a few hours. Hana is a village with very expensive lodging.
The road to the south is not inviting with not paved, with potholes, one line/two-way traffic. We spent 11 hours driving. The drive on the north part of west Maui is much better. It is still winding, and narrow, with one-line/two-way traffic but shorter and nicer views.

Very very enjoyable! Mahalo Tours were so kind an friendly! Louie was the absolute best guide, he shared so much!

My boyfriend suggested we check it out, as a first time visitor to Maui, I was game. Why not? We made it about half way, and I was done. We got into a section where the ground looked unstable beside us, and no sooner did I think that, then we came upon a washed out section…if you hate heights, single lane roads, and rude locals who shout “Haole” because you won’t drive fast enough for them, don’t take this road.

Was a true experience..not for the faint of heart...Ocean, cliffs, 1lane bridges..crazy scary, but I DID it going and coming...634 turns and 19 1 lane bridges

The amount of road traffic has changed this whole experience.
Better to remember it the way it used to be .
Cars are parked blocking the only road .
Lots of waiting for the areas of single lane traffic.

We highly recommend using the Gypsy App it was awesome! We did not miss any of must see places and on the way home we got a nice history of Hawaii, which was super interesting! The road to Hana was beautiful and worth every bit of time seeing everything! We have always loved the Big Island but we will be back to Maui sooner than later.

Left Kihei at 7am was at twin falls by 8:15. Quick trail. $10 to park. Hit Aunty Sandy's banana bread. Well worth it. Went straight to waianapanapa state park (#32). The black sand beach is awesome. A must see. Spent about an hour here. You need reservations. We were able to get same day reservations for 10am. We then came back and did the Lava tubes, quick stop at the market then onto the fresh water pool and falls (#22). Headed back to Kihei and was back at 3pm. Doing all of the road is doable it will just be a long day. The road itself to drive is a challenge, stay alert and go slow. As the driver it is taugh to look the other direction. The sday we went it wasn't very crowded. We saw plenty of waterfalls and beautiful scenery. We stopped for some pictures. I would do it again.

So, this was top of every list I looked at on "amazing things to do in Maui". Personally, I think it's fairly overrated and definitely not for everyone. You have to be a competent driver, enjoy hours of twisting and turning roads and not get car sick. Obviously, the young lady with her head held out the car window in front of us didn't get the "avoid if you get carsick memo".

We started early, leaving Kihei around 6am. We got back at 6pm at night. We only got to stop at around half the stops so it would definitely be better to do a two day itinerary. Our favourite stops were probably O'heo Gulch (we did the Pipiwai trail and the other shorter trail) and Hamoa Beach. Our kids really liked body surfing at Hamoa Beach. Do your research before you go so you know what stops you would like to visit. We understood our time constraints so worked carefully with the list we'd put together before we set out. You really don't have time on the road to "decide" as the opportunity to pull in is very limited.

We are Australians so usually we drive on the other side of the road. That said, we spent three weeks driving on four of the Hawaiian Islands and generally managed quite well. But Hana Highway is pretty hard driving. Kind of like rally driving for hours. We went to Hana and back in one day and it was exhausting. Part of this was probably due to our "wrong side of the road" issues but I suspect this is a difficult and tiring drive even without that.

The road is taxing and the locals are generally unfriendly. In many cases just refusing to get over. The road past Hana gets worse so if you haven't enjoyed the drive by that point don't continue onto the Gulch.

We did the drive backwards after reading several reviews saying that was a good way of doing it. So, we drove right through to the Gulch, hiked the Pipiwai trail and the shorter half mile ocean view walk that let you view the Seven Sacred Pools. And then we started back.

In retrospect this was part of our issue. We were essentially driving AGAINST all the crazy traffic. This drive is considerably easier if you can slot in with a few other cars and drive in small groups. I can see why people recommend the "backwards" option in the busy season as you tend to be doing many of the stops at different times. The downside of that approach is a significantly harder drive so you would need to weigh that up.

Personally, I think driving and stopping at whatever is convenient on "your" side of the road makes the best sense. The road is perilous and some of the stops are just too hard once you're coming from the "wrong" side.

Road to Hana was scenic but we felt it was overrated. It wasn't one of our favourite activities in Hawaii. That said, the one thing we did really like from our day trip was a small roadside stall that made the BEST shave ice that we tried from all four Hawaiian Islands that we visited!

If you plan to visit Hana and drive around that entire section, please know it will take you all day. It’s mostly 20 MPR or slower in some parts. If you get on the early you beat most of the traffic. If you plan on visiting

We took a tour with Valley Isle Excursions, and Paula, our guide, was excellent. She explained a lot about all kinds of things on our Road to Hana. We made many stops, including the famous and delicious Auntie Sandy's Banana Bread, Black Sand Beach, huge turtles, and beautiful waterfalls, and had a tasty lunch on the way. Good experience to have if it is your first visit to Maui.

Don't go the back way. Road closed near seven pools and google maps was wrong
We ended up going part way the normal route and saw the usual falls

Fun ride in a convertible! Stopped for banana bread and Hulu huli chicken. Beautiful scenery. Very funky, and maybe a bit scary, if you stay on the road for 20 miles past Hana.

Be sure you have a lot of time and patience! It took us 7.5 hours round trip from Wailia with minimal stops. It is beautiful but wow 7.5 hours to go 150 miles!

I'd give the Road to Hana a 5 out of 10. Guess mostly do the fact that ... Not Much is Marked. Hard to find off road waterfalls or trails. We did see some wonderful sites but for how much time we spent looking for a place to pull over or a mile marker I wouldn't do it again.

A great journey (and really, a mission) to cross the highway with being sicks with all the “s”
We loved it and had a good laugh about it!

Hana is the cherry on top !

We should have taken Zofran before going

The northwest portion was absolutely amazing! The road is winding, many hairpin turns, which make sure you go slowly and enjoy the beautiful views and foliage.

A must do, however you should know the following. Can't be done in one day if you want to see it all. Takes more than 3 hours to get to Hana with no traffic. That's 6 to 7 hours of road time. No stopping!! So, I would suggest breaking it down in two days, with an overnight stay in Hana. Further, rent a SMALL car as the road is something like you have never seen before. We were there at a time when there were very few tourist due to the fire and it was still challenging. I can't imagine what it would be like with lots of crazy tourists on the road. Bring food as there is very little open anymore till you get to Hana. Download The Gypsy App, road To Hana, it was great and very informative. Once you get to Hana there are some great beaches that you can enjoy if you stay there. Going up to the falls on the Pipiwai trail is more challenging than what they let you believe. Takes a couple of hours at least., and when you get there you are quite far from the falls. I found it a bit disappointing.
Nonetheless, I'm glad we did it. Quite the experience.

I can't understand the great reviews. I think I lost five years of my life driving this road. It is narrow (often one-lane) and has dozens of blind curves and some aggressive drivers. Yes, there are beautiful waterfalls along the way, but there's nowhere to park to see them. The road is either too narrow or there are shoulders that are marked with "No Parking" signs. There are only a couple nice overlooks. There is only one reason to drive Hana Highway: getting to Waiapanapa State Park and Kipahulu Haleakala National Park. Hana is nice too. Note that if you're going to the state park, you need a reservation. I recommend driving this road at first light when there aren't many cars on it, spending a few days at the State Park or in Hana to enjoy the beautiful scenery off the highway, and driving back again at first light.

We took this tour as a last-minute replacement after being cancelled when our ship did not arrive in Maui on the previous day due to weather. Excellent tour with our guide Sean. Even though it was a shorter trip, I did not feel shortchanged in the least. We saw it all, waterfalls, black sand beach, beautiful views and a beach where there were over 100 turtles (according to the person there who counted). Word of caution: the original tour we booked does not want to issue full refund even though cancellation was due to weather and out of our control.

Super long drive... crazy traffic... totally beautiful. It was full long day roundtrip in the car for us. Glad we did it, but probably won't do it again.

We just got back from a week long stay in Maui. On our first day full day, we got up early to do the road to Hana. Yes it’s got more twists and turns than any other road we’ve been on and the going is slow. Yet we had driven this road two times previously and enjoyed it, stopping at the waterfalls and beaches along the way. In the past, we did not turn around at Hana, but instead drove around the backside of Haleakala.

This trip everything was different. The road sat Hana was closed so we had to turn around after we stopped for lunch. But that’s not the part that was disappointing. There isn’t a lot of aloha for tourists on this road. All the scenic waterfalls had no parking signs so you couldn’t really stop unless you found a place up the road and walked back. There were signs telling people to keep out and just a general vibe that you are not welcome here if you are not a local. I get it because tourists like us are clogging up the roads, some driving way too slow. We let locals pass, but others didn’t even though they drove super slow and wouldn’t use the turn out lanes. I’d be over it honestly if I lived here too.

As a somewhat frequent tourist to Hawaii, I’m very respectful of the Hawaiian people and their land, and I certainly don’t want to go to a place that I am not welcome. We first did this road 21 years ago and it was wonderful. Our second trip to Hana was about 12 years ago and still great. This time, not so much. Kinda feel like we wasted a day. No need for us to ever do the road to Hana again.

This is a terrifying drive. For the driver, it requires full focus to get through hundreds of curves and 50 bridges barely as wide as one small car. You won’t be able to take your eyes off the road for 2 hours each way. In many instances, you can’t see the cars coming at you, and there are few guardrails. The tour buses and locals drive very fast and do not budge. I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make the return drive and spent all of my time at the beautiful black sand beach worrying about it. If you are the driver, I would say it isn’t worth it.

This road is sooooooo overrated! Drove the road to Hana all the way to Hana. Could bit a bit tricky and dangerous at times. If you are not a skilled driver, take a tour if you really want to travel the road. Many signs say "Let Locals Pass" because many folks take this journey that should not. If you decide to do it, plan a full 2+ hours up and 2+ hours back without stopping. Your speed will never really exceed 25mph with blind curves that turn into one lane withe 2 way traffic, numerous hairpin curves, and one lane bridges. The best part of the trip was getting a coffee from Tita's..she has a food truck in the center of Hana. I believe that was the best Kona coffee I have ever had.

Before we left for Hawaii I watch many YouTube videos of people driving the highway so I'd know what to expect. This really helped me know where the bad curves were and how to navigate my way all the way around the loop. If you get on the Hana Highway early you will miss traffic but also miss certain food stands or activities due to them opening at 9 or after. This Highway is an absolutely beautiful drive going from the lush rainforest to the desert of Maui. It's such a fast difference in the landscape from one side of the island to the other. I can say the road on the backside is not that bad but some of the curves on the beach side cliffs don't have much of a guardrail and you do have to take them slow using your horn to alert oncoming cars that you can't see. Make sure to plan for at least 5 hours with no stops to go around the whole loop. Go and see......beautiful scenery awaits you.

A scenic roller coaster that must be seen to appreciate. I did it in reverse fashion which I highly recommend.Be respectful and careful and you’re going to have a trip to remember for ever. Incredible views in all directions, slowly soak it all in.

I feel like the road to Hana is a must do experience. But undeniably it is difficult especially if you have issues with motion sickness. And somewhat scary along those roads. We tried to go without stopping all the way to the end. so we could make it quicker and then stop on our way back but I knew that if we didn’t stop at certain places we might not get a chance on the way back. We did stop at twin Falls we saw the eucalyptus trees. We stopped at a place and are some food along the way. There were three beautiful beaches in a row close to the end. I wish we would’ve had more time I close beaches. They were beautiful. We attempted to do the Pipiwai trail in Haleakala national park. But we did not make it to the end. It was very muddy and a lot of uphill. I would recommend spring yourself with bug spray. But it’s definitely an adventure.

This is a beautiful drive! We drove from Kihei to Hana, made stops for views and hikes along the way, and it took us about 7 hours. We arrived in Paia around 7:15 and an early start felt perfect for this drive. There are lots of twists and turns, but the drive is not treacherous (at least to Hana) as some reviews make it seem. There are some blind turns, but just drive slowly. The one-way bridges are easy to pass, too. Hana itself wasn’t a super interesting town - it’s much more about the beautiful drive to get there.

It was absolutely beautiful! I would recommend you rent a jeep. I would not have made it through this in a bus. Also make sure you make a reservation at the black sand beach. Aunt Sandy's banana bread was amazing! Just know this is a really long drive and very curvy. Take your time and enjoy each waterfall and all the beauty!

Over rated. Windy roads, driving 20 km/hour the while time. Seen better water falls elsewhere. Hyped up drive. Its a waste of a day.

Fun drive, but be careful around blind curves. Almost got hit. A few places to stop on the way, but not many places to stop and take pictures, narrow 2 lane road, with lots of one way bridges. Stop for Hawaiian donuts and bbq pork.

Road to Hana - tour with Valley Isles.
Such a great day - many waterfalls and sights to see. An excellent lunch followed by a trip to black beach. Highly recommend. Our guide, Apa, was great.

Really beautiful scenery and drive. Well worth taking an entire day and making stops along the way for banana bread, scenery and sunshine. Highly recommend!

I cannot recommend enough using the App Gypsy Guide for your self-guided trip. It was as if we had a personal guide in the car with us, who told us what to stop at, where everything was, what you can consider skipping, if you are on pace to make it back before sundown, etc. It was $10 and probably the best $10 we spent during our time in Maui! It will tell you the must see stops if you are short on time. On the way back, the app narrates Hawaiian history every few minutes and is quite entertaining and keeps the ride back as good as the ride there,

You need early reservations for the black sand beach and are only allowed a 3 hour time window to visit. Make your reservation early for Waiʻānapanapa State Park- 30 days ahead they open the reservations. We wished we could have stayed here longer, but there is only so much time on the road and we did not want to drive it in the dark.

We left about 7am from our condo in Kihei and returned for dinner in Paia (Flatbread Pizza Company- delish!). We turned around 4pm from the Seven Sacred Pools stop, which is past Hana. We did not actually enter the national park there- the pools were closed to swimming and we wanted to get back before sundown anyway.

Not to miss- the arboretum. The Garden of Eden is a stop before this. We decided to wait after hearing it would be $80 for our family of 4 to get in. It does get good reviews, but the Arboretum that is further down the road is free and we still saw a bamboo forest and rainbow eucalyptus trees, which is what I really wanted to see.

Bring shoes you are okay with getting muddy- the trails are pretty wet. We could have used bug spray for the hikes we stopped as well.

If you are prone to motion sickness- prepare for this, or be the driver. There are many many turns and switchbacks.

Overall, it's a must do in Maui!

The tour guide Sale Fanuoa did a great awesome fantastic job. I'll ask for his group nextime! My family had tons of fun!!

Gorgeous! Didn’t go all the way but stopped at one beach and saw a multitude of sea turtles coming out of the water to bask in the sun
Also visited Twin Falls

Long drive to nowhere . “Spent a week there one day on the drive to Hāna “ 😂😂😂 don’t expect much when you get to Hana , nothing to do except eat from a choice of 4-5 food trucks

I am giving a high ranking as the review will remain on top and others will read it.Like most of the visitors to Hawaii, I searched for top 10 things to do and this road to Hanna was always on top. So I decided to include it in the itinerary.

I wanted to see

1. Twin Falls Maui Waterfall
2. Kaumahina State Wayside Park, Haiku, HI 96708
3. Upper Waikani Falls, Hana Hwy, Haiku, HI 96708
4. Hana Lava Tube, 205 Ulaino Rd, Hana, HI 96713
5. Haleakalā National Park
And then return to hotel

Google gave me the suggested route as in the photograph with this review.

I landed in Maui airport OGG at about 8.30am, took a rental car and straight headed to the Road to Hanna (Must see – right)

I did the full circle drive a solo driver on a rental car Sedan. My quick review is , It is not worth the risk. A lot of Hype on this and the trip is overrated. All the attractions along the way, you can safely see in other Islands like Honalulu, Kuai, Volcano , Big Islands etc. I was lucky to complete the drive without any incidents. But it may not be the same always.

It is about the road and the driving itself makes it risky. The road is very narrow with single lane at many places. Blind turns. As we are not used to honking, no one honks and suddenly another vehicle comes head on. When it rains, the roads are slippery.

I would like to suggest

1. If you have to drive this road, drive for about 10 -15 miles. Get an experience of the road and turn back. All the attractions on the road are available elsewhere.
2. If you go upto Hana, do not take the Hana back route. (Hwy 37). It is dangerous. Read other reviews (search for Back road from Hana) . Return in the same route (360 and 35). I wish I read these reviews before I took that route.
3. Download full island offline google map before you start. No cell phone or Data reception almost 99% of the road
4. Carry some cash. Local vendors along the way (coconut, Banana Bread) are good and they take only cash. Also Hana Lava tube takes only cash.
5. Do not go anywhere near Road 340. If you are offline, by mistake, you may get into 30 and 340. Luckily I did not go that side.
6. Refill tank if you go to Hana. There are no gas stations anywhere in the surrounding 50 miles
7. Plan to return to civilisation before 7 PM. Once it gets dark, the danger multiplies 100 times on these roads

Take care. Live another day to enjoy this world. No adventure or panoramic view is worth to risk it

Used the GyPSy app - it was great. Very clear, specific, and informative. Breathtaking views along the road to Hana, really enjoyed the pools and waterfalls, stopped at the Garden of Eden - SO WORTH IT! Gorgeous flora, huge variety of plant life, and some of the best views of the whole day. Even my teens really liked it! I would definitely recommend the road to Hana, the GyPSy app, and stopping off at the Garden of Eden. We thought we'd get motion sickness from the curvy roads but didn't. Went on a Thursday in Mar 2023. No traffic! All told we spent 12 hrs from start to finish (didn't go all the way around). Wish we'd had 2 more hrs of daylight! Had a pass for the Haleakala State Park but didn't make it before it closed. If I did the Road to Hana again I'd break it up over 2 days.

Our family took a tour to Hana in a Limo then was flown back to the city via helicopter. We used Temptation Tours via Viator. We didn't know anything about Hana but many told us the road is super scary (no worse than the mountains of East TN). Scott was our guide. He was knowledgeable, told us how many seconds to the next picture, pointed out so many things we would have missed. He got some really spectacular pictures thanks to him. We had the Halfway to Hana banana bread and it was heavenly. We wore scopolamine patches to be sure we didn't get sick. But he was such a great driver, these 600 curves likely would not have made us sick. I cannot tell you how awesome the trip was, Hana is beautiful, the black sand beach is amazing, and how I would only go with Temptation Tours, via Scott. AMAZING!!!!!!!

Completely overrated. Not a dangerous road but angry and dangerous local people, screaming and want ruin your Hawaii vacation. I am from Colorado and we see a lot of tourists but they are part of our lives. Tourists in east Maui are treated like invaders by some local people. It is better to go to Kauai, much nicer experience for me. I did not notice Aloha at road to Hana. Do not go there, you are not losing anything and local people can be more happy without you.

The east side of the island along the Hana highway is green and luscious compared to the west side which is somewhat barren. The highway is a winding twisty route with no passing places for over 20 miles. The speed limit for most of it is approximately 20mph. It takes a couple of hours to drive to Hana, which was nothing special! (If you are not sick first) the road is quite narrow in places and single tracks over bridges.

There are some very pretty waterfalls on route but often nowhere to park up and view them. The twin falls is one you have to pay quite high prices to get into. Great if you have kids who want to swim in the pools.

Look out for the chickens as they roam around freely. Plenty of food trucks and stops to get drinks etc. The route does give you a real opportunity to see life on Maui for the local residents.

One stopping / viewpoint with toilets. You have to reserve a time slot to visit Black sands beach via the National parks website.

Big Al’s top tips
Book your time slot well in advance and don’t take the early one unless you are nearby. It is a slow 2 hour journey so give yourself plenty of time. Take regular breaks to avoid feeling queasy. Take your swimwear if you want a swim in the waterfall pools. Follow me for other top travel tips.
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