The Hana Highway is full of twists and turns, many of them blindly winding around steep cliffs. There are also a lot of narrow bridges, which can only accommodate 1 car at a time. Lastly, since the Hana Highway is only 2 lanes wide, there are no medians to separate you from oncoming traffic.
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The road is unpaved but well-graded dirt for five miles, and at some points it is only one lane wide and has precipitous drop-offs, but at no point is 4WD essential. The only time you would need 4WD is during a torrential rainstorm—and in that situation, you should stay off the road altogether.
This depends on what type of traveler you are and how much time you have. If you'd rather not drive, and you want a guide you can ask questions to, a Hana van tour is the best option. If you want a little more control over where you go, and you want to do your own research, driving is your best option.
Can you go half way down the road to Hana, see a few waterfalls, skip the road side stands, turn around and come back? Yes, you can. Go to MM25, see the pool waterfall to the left of the bridge, and that's plenty. You'll see 4-5 waterfalls along the way, a few of them next to the road visible from a bridge.
The safest and most pleasant way to travel on the Road to Hana is during daylight hours. Leaving around 7 am will leave you plenty of time for driving and a few interesting stops.
Pull over for local traffic. Do not hold up vehicles behind you. Do not park along the Hana Highway in spaces that are not designated parking stalls. Visit State parks and County parks for access to bathroom facilities, do not use the roadsides or forest as restrooms.
The 64.4 mile Road to Hana starts officially in the town of Kahului. From there, it winds along the northeastern edge of Maui, where it concludes in the village of Hana. Cutting through high-speed urban areas and rural mountain passes, the Road to Hana offers stunning views.
Q: Is the Road to Hana paved? It is all paved but on the back side of Haleakala the pavement is very bumpy and seems to be nonexistent in some spots due to earthquakes that happened in the past in this area.
That's right – driving the Road to Hana in reverse instead of forward! This way, you'll get to see all of the sights from a different perspective while still enjoying the beauty that this historic road has to offer. And, the best part is that you avoid the crowds!
The best road trips are those where you can cruise around on the open road at your leisure, playing road trip songs or just enjoying the sounds of nature, stress-free. The Road to Hana is the opposite. It's crowded, fairly dangerous, and definitely stressful.
Tip 2: Take nausea medicine.I have a friend who took medicine before going on the Road to Hana and her group still had to turn back because she got so sick. Getting motion sickness is pretty common along this fairly wind-y road so if you can prepare in advance, that will help immensely.
It is seriously one of my favorite things to do in Maui with kids. Depending on how much time you have in Maui, it might be a good idea to find accommodation somewhere in Hana for the night and split the trip into two days; one for the way there and one for the way back.
All visitors now must have a reservation voucher in order to enter the extremely popular Wai?anapana State Park (Black Sand Beach), along the famous Road to Hana on Maui. There is a small fee per vehicle (includes all passengers) for a parking reservation (includes entry) for a 3 hour selected allotment.