The Road to Hana is one of the most popular activities in Maui. I’ve heard mixed things about the drive, but generally everyone who has done it before told me that it is a must do at least once. It is an incredibly beautiful drive along Maui’s east coastline, with some amazing stops to see stunning waterfalls, beaches, and vista points.

In some way it reminds me of California’s Pacific Coast Highway drive along Highway 1, where not only is the drive beautiful, but there are also different attractions along the way. Similarly, Road to Hana is also a tricky drive on narrow and winding roads.  Also, expect the crowds both on the road and at the various stops. Last thing, it is a long drive that takes at least the entire day so it requires a bit of planning if you want to make the most of your time. Below you can find some of my lessons learned and sample itinerary.

• How to get around: You can either pay for a tour or rent a car and drive yourself. The tours are typically shared shuttles that will stop at the most popular attractions. I recommend renting a car so you can take your time and have more flexibility. If possible, rent a sturdy car since certain segments of the road are unpaved. SGDF and I rented from a local company since they tend to be cheaper and more relaxed.
• Should I drive the entire way around: The Road to Hana drive doesn’t have to end at Hana. Most people just drive to Hana and then back to Paia, but others also drive the entire eastern and southern sides of Maui. SGDF and I decided to drive the entire way, but we recommend just circling back even if you reach the Bamboo Forest because the roads later become unpaved and there is not much to see after that.
• How long does it take: Expect to spend the whole day to fully enjoy it. Some of my friends chose to stay one night in Hana to break up the drive over two days.
• What should I bring for the drive: Water, lunch (there are a few places along the road where you can eat but we preferred to save time), snacks, phone charger (navigation really took a toll on the battery), and Haleakala day pass (if you already went beforehand, see below). Bring some cash as well in case you’re interested in purchasing mangoes or coconuts from local farmers.
• What should I prepare beforehand: Download an offline map beforehand since there are multiple areas without cellular service. Also, you will need to pay for a entrance pass (which is valid for 3 days) to enter the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park (where the Seven Sacred Pools and Bamboo Forest are). Tip: If you also plan to visit the Haleakala Summit (e.g., for sunrise or sunset) on another day, then try to do this within 3 days of your Road to Hana trip so you only have to purchase the pass once.
• What should I see: There are so many things to see and do that realistically if you wanted to cover everything, then you would need at least two days. SGDF and I heard from friends that we should be selective since some of the stops were better than others and we didn’t have much time. Below is our itinerary and I asterisked the highly recommended stops.
  • Paia Town: A cool surfer town and a great spot to grab some breakfast and snacks before starting the drive.
  • Twin Falls: Located at Mile Marker #2, these are the first accessible waterfalls of the Road to Hana. There are two falls, the Lower Falls, which are a short walk from the parking lot, and the Upper Falls, which requires a one mile roundtrip hike through a slippery trail. After walking around, we stopped by the Twins Falls Farm Stand and got a freshly squeezed sugar cane drink. If you are short on time, then I would skip this spot since it’s usually extremely crowded as it’s the first popular stop and there are so many more amazing things to see.
  • Wailua Valley State Wayside*: Located a little past Mile Marker #18, you need to carefully look for this spot. There is a tiny parking lot that at the time could only fit 3-4 cars so you may need to circle back but we still think it’s worth stopping by this beautiful vista point. Just walk up the stairs from the parking lot to catch a view of Ke’anae Valley.

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  • Upper Waikani Falls: Located at Mile Marker #19, these falls can be seen just off the road. Cars (including ours) try to stop alongside the road since there is only a tiny lot available for 2-3 cars. Be careful parking and walking to the falls. I would say skip it because it is so dangerous to stop and there are other falls to see.

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  • Wai’anapanapa State Park*: Located at Mile Marker #32, this was one of our favorite sights so I would put this one among the top attractions to visit. I personally love this park because there is so much to do. There is a beautiful black sand beach called Pa’iloa Beach, freshwater caves that I cliff jumped, hiking trails, and picturesque views of the East Maui coastline. We spent about an hour here, but I would love to come back and take more time to enjoy all the scenery.

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  • Wailua Falls: Located at Mile Marker #45 and literally alongside the road. Just be careful parking and getting out.
  • Hamoa beach*: Located 2.5 miles south of Hana and at Mile Marker #50. This is a beautiful 1,000 foot long beach filled with white sand. Our navigation system got lost but make sure you are on Haneoo Loop Rd. and go past Koki Beach. Find street parking and then a pretty steep staircase leading you down to shore. We made this our lunch spot and just watched the surfers and families take advantage of the waves.

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    Haleakala National Park – Bamboo Forest and Waimoku Falls*: This was our final stop where we decided to do the Pipiwai Trail since unfortunately the Seven Sacred Ponds was closed at the time. This was my favorite stop because it has great hiking trails and you see so many amazing things along the way. SGDF and I loved walking through the Bamboo Forest to finally arrive to the very impressive Waimoku Falls. One tip we got from other hikers was to go beyond the trail and try to get as close as possible to the falls to see it up close, but be careful since it is not marked.

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  • Backside of Haleakala: As mentioned above, SGDF and I ended up completing the entire drive all the way around from Kipahulu into Kula. Other than the poor road conditions, the reason why we didn’t love it was that by the time we got to that side of the island, it was dark so we couldn’t see much. However, we did get a glimpse of the backside of Haleakala before it got dark. It was interesting to see a rather arid landscape after driving through such lush greenery and tropical vegetation.

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