Below you'll find detailed information about the road to Hana, local tips, video, photos, & the latest updates. Maybe well do Kanapali only and then head out east? What makes it so dangerousIt's a road! However, the Road to Hana is not dangerous in and of itself, and for seasoned drivers, the trip should be a breeze. And some of those narrow and windy parts of the road are without a guard rail. So if you're interested in the Road to Hana, then you may also be interested in these top things around Maui: Waianapanapa State Park Nakalele Blowhole Lahaina Banyan Court Hookipa Beach Maui Ocean Center (Aquarium of Hawaii) Iao Valley State Monument Haleakala National Park Ahhh, the backwards Road to Hana. If you aren't planning on stopping at any of the waterfalls, trails, scenic viewpoints, etc., the drive straight from Lahaina to Hana will take a good 2.75-4 hours, depending on time of day. Any single track bridges or narrow one-car sections are marked with Give-way signs and road marking. The road leads you through flourishing rainforests, flowing waterfalls, plunging pools and dramatic seascapes. After walking it, I did not have any regrets in deciding not to drive the back road to Hana! have no issue at all, but it is narrower, more exposed, and in places has no asphalt topcoat (Dirt Track). Driving a car is dangerous. It is just not inside their comfort zone. Should I be confident in my ability to do this drive with precious cargo (my girlfriend's and my own life)? The next and last stop until you get to Ulupalakua (Maui Wine and the Ranch Store) is the Kaupo Store. The Kipahulu district of Haleakala National Park is past Hana town and well worth the additional drive. Visiting Chicago On A Budget Saving Money On Your Chicago Vacation! The Keanae Peninsula is one of the most famous Road to Hana stops. ROAD TRIP AMERICA Starting your journey to Hana on this side is a great way toexperience this side of, Day 256 of traveling the world full time! Attracted by the popularized Road to Hana, day-trippers begin to flood in by midday. Its 60ish miles of continuously bending tarmac slice right through some unbelievable scenery, with countless waterfalls, dense jungle foliage, and plunging seacliffs allowing sweeping vistas down the coast. It is a tough question to answer as if we accept this is an irrational fear it can be hard to put your finger on what exactly is the trigger! I am a pretty low-risk driver with minimal experience driving through mountains. Hawaii is known for some of the world's most beautiful waterfalls, and Maui is no exception. Your support really helps me keep this blog running! Yikes. SNORKELING SHIRTS The road to Hana is one of Maui's two most famous sights. That would allow you to pass through the most lush parts of the highway in the morning. Most folks begin their road to Hana drive from the town Paia on Highway 36 which ends after mile marker 16. Rating: In a nutshell: If you like the road less traveled, continuing on past Hana around Haleakala is an adventure worth taking. You can help by pulling over to let people faster than you by, there is nothing to be gained by holding someone up, they will get increasingly angry, more erratic, and make your trip far more uncomfortable. Need a coffee or fresh fruit after your refreshing waterfall plunge? This fear means many skip the highway and spend their time enjoying more sedate activities, like sitting by the pool. Hana Highway: 617 turns and 46 one-lane bridges in Hawaii Located on the eastern side of Maui, the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, Hana Highway is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Get your car inspected . The bridge was completed in 1926 and is one of the 80 Hana . Need to stay under a fixed budget? LANAI The area we grew up in, the rural High Peak District of the UK has hundreds of roads tighter, narrower, with more turns, more blind bends, bigger, more exposed drops, and are one lane for both directions for hundreds of miles. 1. Check out our favorite Tours here. We hoped to stop at the garden of eden but it had a long line of cars so we kept going, we made a reservation at the black sand beach. Check out this view of a beautiful overlook of a gulch. And should you consider avoiding it for legitimate safety concerns? What is the Weather Like in Chicago, Illinois? The Highway is very popular, and the narrow. (I think the back road may be closed to traffic anyway) That part of the road (going on from Hana towards Kula) is the part that is prone to washouts, etc. Ive written a lot here about this and I dont want it to sound scary, but I also want you to know EXACTLY what youre signing up for. Inside this entrance is the Oheo Gulch aka seven sacred pools and one of Mauis most iconic hikes, the Pipiwai Trail. The Road to Hana is one of the best things to do in Maui! The Road to Hana is a 64 mile stretch of road that starts in Kahului and ends at Kpahulu. The backside of Hana has some one lane graded dirt roads and rusty guardrails so the drive requires extra caution. But heres the thingits still not really unpleasant unless you know what it used to be like before there was the surge in tourists. Driving the stretch takes more than two and a half hours, even with no stops, because of the narrow, winding road and nearly 60 bridges with 46 that are one lane only. Shortly after the ranch store is Mauis only winery. Its possible that some companies offer roadside assistance coverage that you can purchase additionally and maybe this portion of the road isnt included in that. Theyll give you the very best prices, you dont have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. If you have a solid plan for where you want to stop and you just keep moving along, youll stay in front of the crowds all day and youll have a great time. Heres my best tip for driving past Hana: always try to follow a car in front of you. We are sure you will love it, if your husband is a confident driver he will have no issues at all. The road is tricky to drive and requires care, but this is very obvious to anyone driving the road and as long as sensible precautions are taken, such as, you know, slowing down for corners, more so for blind narrow bends and giving way at the one-way sections, obeying the speed limits and generally just not being a braindead moron, there really is nothing about the road to make it unsafe. Make sure your partner is aware of your fears and explain they may not be entirely rational but still real. (This is to say, they will say if something is scary, and the back road to Hana was not, to them.). Its 11 miles past Hana town and takes a little over half an hour to reach with no stops. WYOMING Plus if you are staying in a popular area like Kaanapali on West Maui it is another 45 60 minuets getting to the starting point and back to your hotel. But this doesn't stop many adrenaline junkies from taking on the route which separates Bolivia's capital, La Paz, and Coroico in the Yungas region. Heres the thingthis isnt Disney World. It connects the town of Hana with the city of Kahului. Hana, the quaint little backwater town has just the one road leading in or our and this is the drive of a lifetime! We are aware for some the road is a terrifying prospect and we are not trying to diminish that. Yes, it is remote, but there are hundreds of people driving the road, day and night, you are not going to be alone and stranded, even if you have to stop in a cell black spot. We do not think so. Mile Marker 2 Hana Highway (360) Twin Falls. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-114352716', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');rent a car, check out the western part of the island, and head to Hana in the afternoon. The trailhead is located after the bridge on your left. My go-to airline is Southwest (seriously, I ONLY fly Southwest) so I use this Southwest Rapid Rewards card to rack up points every time I fly. Driving in a caravan (even when you dont know the other people) takes away a LOT of the stress of creeping around blind corners plus the lead car has to sort out all of the passing issues with other cars ; ). It is such a unique and wonderful Road through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. There are a variety of ways you can drive the Road to Hana: out and back in one day (classic route) stay in Hana as your basecamp explore the Road to Hana over multiple days And if you just want more details (more! Im there answering questions every day and there are 7500+ other friends who have a ton of Hawaii information to share! By taking a Tour the pressure and risk are on someone else and you can take comfort in the fact this person does it daily and as they are still around, and not on the bottom of a sea cliff, they must be doing something right. Thanks for the great article, we read it AFTER our drive on the road to Hana today. This is a great place to use the restroom and grab snacks/food for a picnic somewhere on the road. It is not hard to see why either, this stunning highway runs through pristine rainforest, past numerous world-class waterfalls, and has more jaw-dropping vistas per mile than any other piece of tarmac in the world. But really, we want people to experience the road for themselves. We've been researching the attractions on the Hana Highway since 2002 when the highway first made a major and incredibly positive impression on us. Remember if you push on you have to come back this way (or the scarier, riskier back route! So when you see a car coming, yield and pull over even if theyre a ways away. Locals can be a problem as they are generally a lot more confident on the road and view the tourist as a major inconvenience. Also known as State Highway 340, it also happens to be one of the most dangerous roads in Maui. Ive also had a few people recently ask me about starting in Paia and driving ALL the way to Hana without stopping and then turning around and doing their stops on the way back. But is the Road to Hana any more or less dangerous than other roads in Hawaii, the Mainland, or anywhere else in the world? Hamoa Beach (MM 51) Heading away from Hana, turn makai (toward the ocean) onto Haneoo Road when you reach it. Starting your journey to Hana on this side is a great way to experience this side of Haleakala volcano . Oh, and 5 pm is really pushing it for a 7 pm (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? There is little cell reception, you driving around an active(ish) volcano into the wilds of an already pretty remote island chain. Also, is anyone planning a drive but is fearful of the road? They hold masses here on the 5th Sunday of every month but you can explore the grounds at any time. We find the best solution (like most things in life) is good communication. If youve just started your Hana research, heres how it works: the Road to Hana is considered to start in Paia on the north shore of Maui. for the most part, it is wide enough for two small buses to pass each other with no issue. The Road to Hana travels along the edge of many sheer cliffs. We personally have no issues at all but the fear is very real in many people and cant be dismissed. The rainforest trail starts near the National park visitors center and takes you past 2 waterfall outlooks, an ancient banyan tree, through a magical bamboo forest and eventually to the awe inspiring 400 foot Waimoku Falls. And, they also did do another one-lane road drive on Maui and for that drive, they DID think that the West Mauis back road was scary! Sounds fun? Theyve got the largest selection of rentals youll find anywhere and you can easily filter to find exactly what youre looking for. We intend to hike for 4 hours or so, and be back on the road at 11 or 11:30am, head to Koki Beach for some food truck food, and continue on to Wai'anapanapa for the black sand beach for a few hours, and be back on the road by 3pm to head back to OGG airport (with no stops) for 5pm to catch our 7pm flight. We will land in the morning, (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? OAHU While the Road is not that bad really, for anyone nervous it can be terrifying, and you would unlikely enjoy the journey. Please keep in mind that youll encounter challenging turns and narrow bridges along the way, so its important to exercise caution and take your time. Travel to or from the region of Hana to any other major population center takes several hours by car. The southern part of the highway connects Miami with the Florida Keys by miles of bridges. as Upcountry. 6) I am not a daredevil but I'm a careful driver who has never been in an accident in 32 yrs of driving due to being defensive and aware on the road. (This is NOT like the Hana Highway normal route around the north side, which is paved all the way.) We have written extensively and lyrically about the road in our other articles and we imagine if you are seriously questioning the journey you are pretty aware of what the road is so we will not go in too deep here. Pretty much everybody and their dog knows about driving the Road to Hana on Maui. NORTH DAKOTA The tarmac is smooth and well maintained. Be prepared. ZION UT This is the wrong way to do it. Assume about 45 minutes of direct driving time from Lahaina to Kahului, then another 2.5 hours (53 miles at 25mph), plus stops on the Road to Hana itself. When the drop off is only 5-10 feet below, its nowhere near as intense feeling as when its several hundred feet along the north shore (even though its two lanes). This being said, travel at your own risk. That said, of course DO take care while you are driving the Road to Hana! It sounds a little more intense than it is. Drive safe and slow, especially along these winding bits of road, specifically on . As you continue driving down the Piilani Highway youll come up on some old homes and a bunch of run down old cars. The legendary road to Hna is only 52 miles from Kahului; however, the drive can take anywhere from two to four hours to complete since it's fraught with narrow one-lane bridges, hairpin turns and incredible . The first of many Road to Hana stops, the Twin Falls is situated in the Ho'olawa Valley. You can't miss Nahiku Marketplace, just before mile marker 29 on the road to Hana, Maui. My girlfriend. On a calm day you are able to swim inside the pools. We intend to stop only at Hanawi Falls briefly (1 hour), and we understand that it is otherwise a 2 hour drive. Alelele Falls is a short hike that takes 15-20 minutes to reach. Once you leave the National Park, its less than an hour and a half drive to Kula (back to civilization). A thirty something adventure seeking, gin loving, sun chasing, temple searching, bikini wearing, outdoor enthusiast who is based on Maui and writes about Hawaii and her adventures abroad. If you ask them directly, theyll hem and haw (they give you the strong impression that its forbidden) but basically what it comes down to is they wont come and get you if you have a problem.. #travelp. Also you can't enter the Park to hike the Pipiwai Trail until 9 am. There is almost nothing about the drive that causes anxiety in us. If you need proof, the best stops on the Road to Hana, which include vibrant beaches, lush rain forests, and cascading waterfalls, attract about 400,000 visitors each year. As we made our way along the southern coast of Maui, we found the scenery to be beautiful and varied. How long does it take to drive to Hana backside? Okay, so lets get on with the questions, Theres a lot of hype about how bad the backside of the Road to Hana is. 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