The Road to Hana
The journey is the thing.
The planning.
When my wife and I first began the research necessary to plan our trip to Hawaii, one thing kept popping up as a “must-do” on every site we visited: The Road to Hana. This 65 mile scenic trip follows the Hana Highway, Routes 36 and 360, along the eastern coast of Maui from the town of Kahului to the town of Hana. According to our research, the luscious sites along the way made for an experience you couldn’t miss. So, of course, we added it to the itinerary and set it for July 8, 2021.
As I was laying out at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa’s grand pool on July 7 listening to the tide slowly coming in over my shoulder along the shore, I thought to myself: Why would anyone want to go on a 65 mile drive while they’re on vacation? Who wants to voluntarily spend five or more hours in a car just to end up where you started? Answer: The journey is the thing.
I can not lie to you. I was intimidated by the Road to Hana. The amount of uncertainty it presented was enough to get me thinking that maybe I could convince my wife to sleep in on July 8, pop in the hotel restaurant for a late breakfast, and then take a walk on the beach instead. I’m grateful that I didn’t. The Road to Hana should be intimidating though. When planning for it, I’d recommend not taking it lightly. Lucky for us, we talked to a few fellow travelers who provided us with some great tips. Ultimately, here’s the prep-list we came up with and followed:
Shaka Guide Maui App
Closed-toe shoes (for hiking)
Water shoes (swimming, rock jumping etc.)
Bathing suit
Sunscreen
Beach towels
Snacks
Waters
Wet-wipes
Hand sanitizer
Change of clean, dry clothes
Plastic bag (to put your wet clothes and towels in)
Cash (for roadside vendors - especially those quaint little un-manned produce stands that trusted you to leave cash)
Car chargers
Toiletries
The most important item on this list is the Shaka Guide app. This app serves as a personal navigation system with turn-by-turn instructions to help you better navigate the many twists and turns along the Road to Hana. The voice guide also shares authentic music, and stories about landmarks in addition to providing tips for stops along the way. Although there were several options within the app, we went with the “Classic” Road to Hana Tour - it might be the best $20 that we spent on the entire vacation. Without the app, we would’ve most certainly been lost or would’ve run out of daylight before we made it to Hana. The app’s nuanced expertise made it feel like you were traveling with a local who had traversed the Road to Hana hundreds of times. We made sure to download the tour to our phones the night before because we weren’t sure about the cellular service on the road.
The journey.
Our intention was to wake up early and hit the road by 7:00am and, for the most part, we hit our mark. My wife - being the proficient planner that she is - slated the Road to Hana trip for day three of the vacation. Why? Because, for us Midwesterners, our sleep cycle is still off during the first few days in Hawaii and waking up early isn’t as much of a challenge on day two or three as it would be on day nine or ten. No doubt, a pro move that paid off for us. Around 7:15am we stopped for gas in Pa’ia Town - as recommended by the Shaka Guide app. Good thing we did because there didn’t seem to be many - if any - options to refuel after Pa’ia.
One of the most beautiful things about the Road to Hana is it’s free - well most of it is at least. Another positive is that you don’t really have to hit every single destination along the way. The Shaka Guide was integral in helping us decide whether or not we wanted to stop at this waterfall or wait for the next one; to pull over and get a picture at the overlook on the corner or just find a similar spot later in the trip.
When you do want to make a stop on the Road to Hana you must be able to find parking, though, and this was also a determining factor when trying to decide if we wanted to pull over or keep driving. Most sites along the trip have limited parking and when there wasn’t enough space at certain spots we convinced ourselves that we’d find something just as special a little farther down the road - and we always did.
Our first visit was at Ho’Okipa Beach Park around 7:45am. Here we pulled off at the overlook and snapped some great photos of the beach. We also took the steps down to the sand and rocks to get our feet wet. It felt like the ceremonial beginning to the epic journey ahead.
Our next major stop was through the old village of Ke’Anae and then out to the Ke’Anae Peninsula (AKA Ke’Anae Park or Ke’Anae Lookout). We had heard that Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread was unmatched; and seeing how it was about 9:00am at this point, we were ready for a snack and to reload on coffee. First, the banana bread: Absolutely nothing like it in this world. It was somehow dense, soft, and warm all at once; buttery, but still packed with the authentic banana flavor. We got two loaves and two coffees, and then scooted on down to the Ke’Anae Peninsula. We made our way to a collection of black lava rocks bunched along the shore. It was amazing to kick around the terrain a bit and hear the waves pull against and through the rocks. A great breeze and a great view.
Probably the number one “must-do” on The Road to Hana is a waterfall. Don’t worry if you miss one, though, because there are approximately 15 along the trek; if you are lucky, you’ll experience more than one. You might recognize some of the big names: Twin Falls, Three Bears Falls, Wailua Falls. Some you can see from the road, others require a hike; some might be safe to swim in, while a few appear unfriendly to those who might want to jump in; some could be dry depending on the time of the season and the recent rainfall, but a few seem to possess a never ending stream; some charge a fee, but most are free.
West Wailua Iki Stream/Falls was a great all purpose Road to Hana waterfall experience: A small rock to jump off of, a safe swimming spot, and all of it with a 15-20 ft high waterfall as the backdrop. We put the water shoes to use and felt like we were truly experiencing the Road to Hana. The short hike - maybe 10 mins - had some elevation, a few muddy spots, and slim trails, but ultimately nothing too treacherous. Totally worth it.
When planning your Road to Hana trip you will also hear about lava tubes. A lava tube is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: A tunnel formed by flowing lava. When the tunnel is emptied of lava all that remains is a cave. Some of the lava tubes along the Road to Hana have expansive caves waiting to be explored. Some of the more popular lava tubes with caves have limited hours and while reservations might not be necessary, there is a fee to enter. Luckily, we stumbled upon a low-profile lava tube on the side of the road. It was extremely small - not much of a cave to explore - but it was cool to go in and take a look around with the iPhone flashlight. And, hey, we can say we were in a lava tube, right?
Technically, the Road to Hana ends in the town of Hana, but our ambitious day ended in the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park which is just a little farther down the road. Here we took advantage of the beautiful hike in Kipahulu called the Pipiwai Trail. The four-mile hike took around three hours roundtrip, with several unhurried stops.
Some of our favorite spots along the way included the Large Banyan Tree, which looked like a prop from the Avatar set; the Falls at Makahiku, which were peaceful and serene, not overflowing; and we also got to experience what it’s like to walk through a Bamboo Forest where the sounds are as beautiful as the sights. The breeze creates the colliding of giant bamboo stalks and the sound is enough to make you look for the nearest hammock.
The hike concluded at the Waimoku Falls. The majestic tower of water, simply put, feels unreal. Seeing it all up close like we did reassured me that we did not get cheated on our Road to Hana.
The road (less traveled) home.
There are a few options you’ll be faced with when returning home. As mentioned, the Shaka Guide provides several different maps for purchase. The “Classic” map pretty much tells you to turn around at the end and go home the way you came; another two hours in the car seeing what you already saw. Wait! Why not just create a loop and follow a circuitous trip home, allowing you to see something you haven’t seen yet? The logic was there, but, little did we know, the practicality was a bit shaky.
We decided to continue on the Piilani Highway (31) and complete the loop. It felt right at the time, but it might not have been one of our better decisions. The views were uncivilized, rugged, and rural. The roads were hit or miss - what I mean is sometimes the roads were there and sometimes they weren’t. The roads that were there were either paved, or made up of loose gravel. As we slowly made our way up and down the hills, we encountered quite a bit of both domesticated and what seemed to be wild animals. Nothing that posed a serious threat; mostly goats, and hoofed feet of all sorts scattered the countryside, unimpressed by us or our 1997 Mustang. Some were fenced in and some roamed freely. The random animal sighting provided the comedic relief needed for the long and bumpy journey back to the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. The geography was tough on the rental car. The drive was not for the faint of heart. The car time was probably doubled because of the low speed at which we had to travel on the undeveloped terrain. But the path we took did show us a side of Hawaii that we had yet to see.
All said and done: We did not see it all on the Road to Hana. One of our major regrets was not experiencing the black sand beach, caves, blowhole, tidal pools, or forests at Wai‘anapanapa State Park. One of the reasons we didn’t get to stop here was because you have to make reservations at least 24-hours in advance and we didn’t know that until it was too late. We will get it next time, though. Another thing to consider when planning your Road to Hana day is that if you miss a specific destination on the way down because there wasn’t sufficient parking, you could always plan on catching it on the way back (if you are smart enough to just turn around and head back the way you came that is).
We plan to go back to Maui someday and when we do we hope to get another slice of the Road to Hana. It seems like there are a million different ways to experience it and I get the impression that if you traveled the Road to Hana a hundred times, each experience would be unique in its own way.