Road to Hana Itinerary: Which Stops Are Worth It
Sixty four miles from Paia to the end of the road past Hana, with roughly 620 curves and 59 bridges, most of them one lane. Two and a half hours of driving without stops, and a genuine ten to twelve hour day with them. Leave Paia by 7am, before the traffic and before the tour vans. Book a Waianapanapa State Park entry reservation in advance, because non residents cannot enter without one. Make the Pipiwai Trail in the Kipahulu district your furthest point, and fill the tank in Paia because there is no fuel until Hana.
The stops worth the time
There are dozens. These are the ones that repay stopping, in the order you meet them.
- Twin Falls, mile 2. The first waterfall and the busiest. Worth it at 7:30am, skip it at 10.
- Waikamoi Ridge Trail, mile 9.5. A short loop through bamboo and eucalyptus, and the best short walk in the first half.
- Keanae Peninsula, mile 17. A lava headland with the surf breaking straight onto black rock, a stone church from 1860 and banana bread from the stand. The single best stop on the road.
- Upper Waikani Falls, mile 19. Three falls together, visible from the bridge, with almost nowhere to park safely. Look, do not linger.
- Wailua Valley State Wayside, mile 18.5, for the view up into the taro fields.
- Nahiku Marketplace, mile 29, for coconut and fish tacos, and the last easy food before Hana.
- Waianapanapa State Park, mile 32. Black sand beach, sea arch, blowholes and a coastal trail on old lava. Entry and parking need a timed reservation booked in advance for non residents, and they do sell out.
- Hana town, mile 34. Fuel, a general store, Hana Bay and Koki and Hamoa beaches just beyond.
- Kipahulu, mile 42, the coastal district of Haleakala National Park. The Pipiwai Trail runs four miles round trip through a bamboo forest to the 400 foot Waimoku Falls, and it is the best hike on this side of the island. Park entry fee applies and it is the same ticket as the Haleakala summit for three days. See our Pipiwai Trail guide.
The Oheo Gulch pools, often sold as the Seven Sacred Pools, are frequently closed to swimming for flash flood risk. Check at the ranger station rather than planning your day around them.
The timing that makes or breaks the day
- Leave Paia by 7am. By 9am the road carries a slow convoy and the popular pullouts are full.
- Book Waianapanapa first, then build the day around your entry window. Morning slots suit an early start.
- Turn around at Kipahulu and drive back the way you came. The Piilani Highway continuing round the south side is rough, unsealed in places, and prohibited by many hire car agreements.
- Allow three hours for the return in the dark if you stay for the Pipiwai Trail, and it is a road you do not want to drive tired.
Or stay the night in Hana
The better version of this trip. Sleep in Hana and the road stops being a race. You get Waianapanapa at dawn with nobody on the black sand, the Pipiwai Trail before the day trippers arrive, and the drive back in daylight with the stops you skipped. Accommodation in Hana is limited to a handful of options and books well ahead, which is the only catch.
Driving it properly
- One lane bridges: the vehicle closest to the bridge goes first, and a raised hand from an oncoming driver means they are letting you through. Do not stop on a bridge for a photograph.
- Let people pass. Residents use this road to get to work. Pull over, and you will be thanked with a shaka.
- Park only in real pullouts. Blocking a driveway or a lane is both dangerous and the fastest way to sour a community that lives with 1,500 cars a day.
- No fuel between Paia and Hana, and Hana's station keeps short hours.
- Take a rain jacket. The windward side gets several times the rain of Kihei, and the falls are best after it.
- Motion sickness is common. Sit in front, take something before you leave rather than at mile 20.
Should you take a tour instead
A guided van tour solves the two real problems: somebody else drives the 620 curves, and the guide knows which pullouts have space. You lose the ability to linger and you keep the group's schedule. If anyone in the car gets car sick, or if this is your only full day on Maui, the tour is the better choice. Otherwise drive it yourself and start early.
Where it fits in a Maui week
The Road to Hana is one full day of a Maui trip, and Haleakala sunrise is another, and they should not be next to each other because the sunrise day starts at 2:30am. Our Maui trip guide lays out a week, and the Haleakala sunrise hike itinerary covers the summit.
Have us plan the day
Tell us your dates and we will book the Waianapanapa slot, order the stops around it and tell you if a night in Hana is available. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Road to Hana Itinerary: Which Stops Are Worth It FAQs
Two and a half hours each way without stopping, and ten to twelve hours as a full day with stops. Staying a night in Hana turns it into two relaxed half days instead.
Not for the road, but yes for Waianapanapa State Park, where non residents need a timed entry and parking reservation booked in advance. Slots sell out, so book before you plan the rest of the day.
Keanae Peninsula for the surf on black lava, the Waikamoi Ridge Trail for a short bamboo walk, Waianapanapa State Park for the black sand beach, and the Pipiwai Trail at Kipahulu for the 400 foot Waimoku Falls.
Drive it if you leave Paia by 7am and nobody in the car gets motion sick. Take a tour if this is your only full day, if the 620 curves worry you, or if you would rather somebody else found the parking.
The Piilani Highway around the south side is rough and unsealed in places, and many hire car agreements prohibit it. Most people turn around at Kipahulu and drive back the way they came.
Yes, if you treat it as a full day and stop at five or six places rather than twenty. It is not worth it as a rushed afternoon, and the drive back after dark is the part people regret.
