Road to Hana

Photo By NealChopra

The scenic road to Hana is another top Maui bucket list item. With amazing waterfalls, lush green forests, bamboo groves, black sand beaches and amazing roadside food stalls, it can get tempting to stop everywhere! However, it will be a long day of exploring (10-12 hours!) and I suggest picking your top 7 or so stops and keeping your plans flexible. Remember, you want to save some for a future trip too!

Remember the whole experience is the beautiful drive and the stops along the way. There is nothing magical about Hana. It's a very small town :)

Tip: I strongly recommend renting a Jeep (4x4)  and driving yourself to manage your own pace versus a paid tour! Start early - say 5:30 or 6AM so you have enough time at your last stop at Pipiwai Trail (will need 2 hours to hike)

Trip Highlights

Duration - Full Day (ideal start time 6:00AM from )

Places - Paia, Haiku and Hana

Best for - Summer Day Road Trip

Travel Pace - Easy Drive

Season - Summer

Experiences - Coastal Drive, Rainforest Hiking, Roadside eats, Amazing Waterfalls with plenty of photo ops.

Trip Cost - Under $100 for 2 (Gas $50, $50 for food and drinks) (excluding rental car cost)

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Trip Route

Must have photo 📸 and food ☕️stops in the order of your drive to and back from Hana 

1️⃣ Twin Falls 💦

2️⃣ Jaws Country Store ☕️

3️⃣ Honomanu Bay 🏝

4️⃣ Rainbow Eucalyptus at Keanae Arboretum🌴

5️⃣ Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread  🍞

6️⃣ Waikani Falls 💦

7️⃣ Hana Lava Tube -🌋

8️⃣ Wailua Falls 💦

9️⃣ Pipiwai Trail🥾

🔟 7 Sacred Pools - Oheo Gulch 🌊-

1️⃣1️⃣ Hulu Hulu Chicken 🍗at Koki Beach

1️⃣2️⃣ Coconut Glen's Ice Cream 🍦

Tip: See Guide in Apple Maps

#1 Twin Falls 💦

Make it your very first quick stop. 

This is one of the first waterfalls you will see along this road trip to Hana. At the entrance you can see beautiful bamboo forests. Take a walkabout. Then you can take a short 10 minute hike to the first fall and take a dip. You can choose to do the longer hike to the bigger of the two falls (about 2mile round trip) if you have time (remember there is still lots to see)

Duration: 30 Minutes

Activity Level: Moderate (largely flat for the first fall but requires a slight uphill climb for the second one)

Good To Know: Get there by 7AM - no crowds, easy to park.you can get in and out in 30min or less. Or skip this if you have started late in the day or want to just see the bigger falls later on the trip.

Tip: Add this stop to your Day trip to Paia later in the week and save time for bigger and better spots in this road trip

#2 Jaws Country Store ☕️

Quick morning coffee stop

By now you would have been driving for atleast 1 hour (from you home base in Kaanapali), so highly recommend making a coffee stop at this perfect location just off the Highway to Hana. Grab a coffee or pastry , drink or chocolates for the drive and hit the road.

Duration: 15 Minutes

Good To Know: The area is famous for giant waves and swells, hence the name Jaws! You can come back another day to see some unbelievable surfing by pro-surfers (its not for the mortals like me).

Tip: They have outdoor BBQ lunch too, if you want to stop for that on your drive back

#3 Honomanu Bay 🏝

Short hike to secluded beach. Spend a few here

Photo By NealChopra

This is a great black sand beach within a few minute’s hike from the main highway. The hike takes you down a relatively steep descent and lush green surroundings. The beach is secluded, beautiful and a great alternative to Wainapanapa State Park, especially if you don’t have a park entrance reservation in advance!

Duration: 30 Minutes (including a 20-minute hike out and back)

Activity Level: Moderate (has steep descent and climb back up)

Good To Know: You can park your car on the roadside shoulder. Not suitable if you have knee issues!

#4 Rainbow Eucalyptus 🌴 at Keanae Arboretum

Quiet, peaceful walk under these giant trees

Photo By NealChopra

A great nature-walk stop for both the botanist and the leisure traveler. As you walk around, rare trees and plants are marked with a brief description including the origin of the region! Of course, the main draw is the beautiful rainbow-colored giant Eucalyptus trees.

Duration: 15 Minutes

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: Its free

#5 Aunty Sandy’s Bread 🍞

A Must Stop!

Keane Road, Haiku $

The signpost rightly says “ the bread you have been driving for”. About 1 hour into your drive from Paia on Hana Highway, make a stop at the beautiful ocean side bakery outpost. The smell and taste of fresh banana loaf with coffee are heavenly. Find a spot to sit around the farm area or walk a few steps to the black sand rocky beach and enjoy the bread+coffee under the palm trees!

Duration: 30 Minutes

Activity Level:

Good To Know:

Tip: They have other goodies too like smoothies but sure take 1 or 2 loaves for your home or hotel

#6 Waikani Falls 💦

For a quick dip!

Photo By NealChopra

Waterfalls are abundant on your scenic Road to Hana, but very few are easily accessible to take a dip. This one is just of the highway but not easy to get to either.

Duration: 10 Minutes

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: It's hard to find roadside parking and also go at your own risk as usually, this place gets slippery and wet.

#7 Hana Lava Tube 🌋

Amazing natural lava caves. Worth paying!

This is a neat experience to see these centuries old naturally formed lava tubes. Its a bit steep price to pay for a 15 minute self-guided trip. But if you are with family and kids, its not a bad option. Also by now you are several hours into driving and a break before you do you hike on Pipiwai Trail is helpful.

Duration: 30 Minutes

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: There is a $15 fee person - take cash only!

Tip:  If you have a reservation of Wainapanapa state park, then you can skip this. 

#8 Wailua Falls 💦

Very crowded. Make it a few minutes stop

Its a great waterfall but no parking and road is jam packed with traffic. Honestly, this was the first few months since COVID restrictions were lifted and mainland travelers were as usual driving fast and with no patience. Stop here if you can find a should spot, else skip and take a picture from a distance.

Duration: 10 Minutes

Activity Level: None

Good To Know: No parking

Tip:  Skip

#9 Pipiwai Trail 🥾

Must Do! Save time for a 2 hour hike round trip

The full hike is supposed to be incredible and the general area has a lot going - the trail and waterfalls on on side and the seven sacred pools on the seaside. This is your last stop on the Road to Hana. Lot of people don’t plan for this and run short of time when they arrive here as its still a few miles out from the town of Hana.

Duration: 2 Hours

Activity Level: Moderate

Good To Know: Requires Haleakala Park Fee entrance to park you car.

Tip:  So if you visited the Haleakala National park in the prior 3 days, then you can use that ticket here.  

#10 Seven Sacred Pools - Oheo Gulch

Same location as Pipiwai. Both are part of Haleakala NP.

After you park your car near the visitors center, you can check the map onsite and head towards the ocean via a beautiful wooded hiking trail. Trust me, the sights at the beach are simply beautiful and well worth it! Waterfalls on one side and running streams into the black sand beaches. The running water and rocks, create the so called “Seven Pools”.

Duration: 1 Hour (including hike to beach and back to parking)

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: The parking is centrally located between start of Pipiwai Trail and Oheo Gulch!. You can switch your plan around if you like.

#11 Huli Huli Chicken 🍗 at Koki Beach.

Made famous by Gorden Ramsey. Must Stop!. Late lunch (2PM) on return trip

After about 9 stops and several hours of driving, this lunch stop is to die for. Ofcourse it got famous thanks to celeb Chef Gorden Ramsey, but this roadside food stop, still maintains its simple family run business. Get the Huli Huli chicken and find a table near the beach and enjoy.

Duration: 30 Minutes

Activity Level: NA

Good To Know: Chicken runs out early. For us it was just before 2PM. But that was just after COVID…so perhaps now as they are open till 5 PM things might be different.

#12 Coconut Glen's Ice Cream 🍦

Last food stop on your return drive. Perfect coconut ice cream!

Mile Marker 27 1/2 on Hana Highway, Haiku $

Just the sight of this ice-cream truck makes you want to stop! But its a ‘vegan” ice-cream truck which makes it unique. As advertised, it’s made with love and coconuts. Plan to stop here on you return trip unless you started late :) or only doing a few stops on the Road to Hana, as they open from 11 AM to 5PM.

Duration: 20 Minutes

Good To Know:

Tip: It’s cash only. So carry enough cash on this road trip as cell coverage is poor or none at all.

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Plan Your Trip

Take this itinerary and add to your multi-day Maui Trip. Remix to adjust this itinerary to match your needs - half day or just a few hours. If you have questions on planning your trip or have feedback on this itinerary, leave us a comment below.

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