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What is Road to Hana Anyways?

If you’re not familiar, Road to Hana is one of the number-one recs for things to do in Maui, and for good reason. It’s a 42 mile winding road around the island and is considered the 5^th most dangerous road in the world…but don’t let that scare you! This was by far our favorite part of our Hawaii trip, and deserves its own post because this could literally be your entire vacation (and you’d leave fulfilled!) Everything in Maui is magical, but the Road to Hana was truly one of my favorite lifetime experiences. 

Most people will recommend you start the day super early at the beginning of the route near Paia, but truth be told, there are pro’s and cons to just about any way you make the trip. Although it’s only 42 miles, these roads require cautious driving and lots of time (at least a couple days if you do it right!) to enjoy all the wonders and hidden treasures at each stop. Most people who drive to Hana only make it halfway, and if that’s all you see, it’s still worth going. However, if you do your research and plan ahead, you can enjoy it all and won’t regret doing so. 

This helpful review of various options will help you make the most informed decision on when and how you do Hana, but my recommendation is to do something entirely different and do it backwards. Starting early in the day in backcountry gives you the benefit of a quiet start to the day, less traffic and competition with finding the stops, and the chance to see things most people never make it to on the road to Hana. My former Maui-local friend Kasey made this suggestion to us and I could not have been more thrilled with the experience! If you do this, be aware that the roads aren’t as great and as a result, some rental companies insurance policies prohibit you from driving the backcountry portion of Road to Hana, so make sure you’re in the clear before you do that!

Do’s & Don’ts for road to Hana

DO

1. Rent a jeep – they’re readily available at rental places in Maui, and even though you’ll see that “everyone is doing it” or that it’s “basic”….it’s also the best way to enjoy those roads. HIGHLY recommend roof-off jeeping for this trip. Feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and don’t worry about the inevitable misty rain you’ll experience. You’ll be fine.
2. Get an early start, and plan to see the whole road around Hana…not just half. 
3. Download the app ShakaGuide and buy the Hana tour ahead of time when you still have internet. Also here is a really easy and thorough blog of all the stops if you want to go in order (vs  backwards as I’m suggesting). 
4. Realllllly Map everything out when you have service OR ELSE. I recommend screen-shots of blogs before you hit the road if it’s something you may want to refer back to. There’s *zero* service out there ya’ll. Like…Zilch.
5. Plan extra time for The Pīpīwai Trail (top loop above seven sacred pools) – it is incredible, but make sure you budget several hours to hike it if you choose to see this stop. If you do, you must commit to making it to the end of that bamboo forest, because that’s where that MASSIVE waterfall is – DO IT. Just do it. Also, take time to enjoy the sound of those bamboo shoots striking together in the wind. It’s ethereal!
6. Come prepared. Bring snorkeling gear and towels! And cash, AND SNACKS. There’s too much to do on a Hana adventure to worry about finding food. You’ll see lots of great snack stands (cash is for that) that are fun to shop, but may not be substantial enough if you’re prone to feelings of “hanger” like some of my favorite travel buddies. If you’re in Wailea area the day before, there’s a really cute grocery store called Island Gourmet Market behind the Wailea Beach Resort that has great stuff. You’ll buy the Maui Crisps if you’re smart…

DON’T

1. _(DON’T) Try to start this trip without fuel/planning. GET GAS – a full tank the day before you leave. Gas stations aren’t 24/7 in Maui, and you’ll have a hard time finding it on the Road to Hana route whichever way you go. Trust us.
2. _(DON’T) Fix your hair or try to be too cute. This is an adventure, not a photoshoot.  Wear a swim-wear and hike-friendly shoes, bring layers for the chilly areas, and water shoes (I recommend these in particular to kill two birds with one stone)! 
3. _(DON’T) Feel rushed to just snap a picture of a stop and move on…the secret sauce to enjoying it all is to delve in…literally. Promise yourself you will GET IN THE WATER of every beach and pool you see. If you feel rushed, decide to be okay with not seeing it all and focus on quality over quantity. They all have different things to offer. In Venus pools you’ll float faster because of the salt content, in Waipanapa (black sands) beach you’ll feel like you’re walking on coffe grounds in the water, and in Red Sands beach….well you just have to go underwater and SEE that to believe it. Again, bring snorkel gear.
4. _(DON’T) Skip the best stops just because they’re hard to find. If you don’t have time for everything, I would actually skip some of the more obvious ones in favor of these! Red sand beach and Venus Pools were my favorite things we did, BY FAR, but also took a little more leg-work to find.
   • Venus pools is an easy hike, but finding it off the road is tricky. I suggest asking the locals for directions honestly if you can’t find it.
   • Red sand beach is breathtaking, but the hike down is super dangerous so go at your own risk, wear good hiking shoes, and I don’t know if I would suggest doing it with kids! Sidenote: it has also been known to be frequented by nudists, but everyone was clothed when we went. 

Backwards Guide for Road to Hana

Here’s my Backwards Road to Hana guide, based very closely upon my prior grad-school roomie (and former Maui local) Kasey’s recommendations:

Kula & Back Country Maui

Start from Kula if you go the backwards route. Plan to be at Grandmas Coffee Shop at 7:00 sharp for breakfast. This is one of Oprah’s picks when she’s in town, and is high on my list of favorite Maui eats. Get the coconut French toast and thank me later 🤤

Once back on the road, keep driving a long ways past Ulupalakua Ranch store and the vineyard/winery. Kasey directed us to a tiny town called Kaupo that has it’s own adorable general store. If you start as early as I recommended above, it’s unlikely it will be open, but we still stopped to snap a picture because it’s oh-so different from anything you’d ever see anywhere else, and just had such a charming maui vibe. Kasey tells us it’s very primitive and cute inside but we didn’t get to see! Close to here you’ll see a lot of beautiful stop-offs to gaze at the unadultered views of backcountry Maui bays like Maulili and Papaloa – each one is different and beautiful in it’s own way, and super private unlike most of those on the opposite side of the island. 

All through this area you’ll see several sweet little Maui gems. We encountered cows all along the road, chickens, a beautiful old church right off the road, and this precious fruit stand. We stopped off to get local produce for fun, and I noticed art for sale there and recognized it – turns out it is an old friend’s little brother who lives and works on the farm there. Such a small world! But I digress, Lauilima Fruit Stand is precious and worth a stop! If you have time, stroll through their little garden area and check out the awesome work they’re doing there at Laulima Farm.

Pipiwai Trail & Waimoku Falls

After you pass all of this, you’ll start seeing signs for one of the big-time Maui attractions: Haleakalā National Park, which is home to Ohe’o Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools. You’ll hear a lot about Haleakalā summit, but save that for another day! However, the Seven Sacred Pools of ‘Ohe’o Gulch in Kipahulu, is one of the scenes often photographed on Road to Hana, and it’s a quick and very easy hike down. You’ll hike the short loop to see it, and there’s no reason not to since it’s so fast. If you have time to hike the top part of this, it’s Pīpīwai Trail (a 2 mile hike through a bamboo forest) and leads to Waimoku Falls, which are one of the most dramatic falls on Maui crashing from a 400 ft height into lava rocks below. If you decide to do this, you won’t regret it, but know it’s not fast. The bamboo forest is pretty unreal and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. If you do it, take the time to hop into some of the water features to cool off throughout, and be sure and stop to listen to the sound of the bamboo clopping together when the wind blows. It’s so soothing – maybe something they should add to those white noise machines to help people sleep. Ha! 

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Maui’s Most photographed waterfall – Wailua Falls

Once you’re done and back on the road, it’ll take you through a little beautiful town called Kipahulu where you’ll find a little waterfall with a plunge pool beneath it easily located with a quick stop off and hike down. This is where my recommendation to “delve in” comes in…this spot is perfect for a swim after you’re all sticky from your Pīpīwai Trail hike. SO many people came and snapped a picture and then left (it’s impossible to miss from the road, so literally everyone stops), but we swam in it and it was glorious. You gotta swim ya’ll. You won’t regret it. Just do it. The waterfall here is called Wailua Falls and cascades from about 80 ft up.

Venus Pools – Waioka Pond

Next on the agenda…one of my absolute FAVORITE stops…Venus Pools. The official name is Waikoa Pond, it would be on the right before you get to Hamoa beach, but honestly I recommend asking for directions from locals…it requires turning off onto a smaller road and hopping a fence to locate, but it’s worth hunting for! The Venus Pools is a cove filled with beautiful rocks surrounding deep and stunning turquoise water that you can see to the bottom of. If you’re a fan of adventure, you’ll love leaping off the edge of these rocks and plunging into the jewel-toned depths of the saltiest water I’ve ever encountered. Getting out of the water once you’re in is a bit tricky, so know that ahead of time. Also, if you jump from the top cliff (45 ft) keep your legs together and clench your ass when you jump…I have a story. So worth it, but if you aren’t careful you can actually get a real life sea enema – not even kidding. Go ahead, laugh. That’s okay. Just trust me and clench your ass if you jump.

Hana beaches

Okay. So after that, you get back on the main road you’ll come to Hana town which has two main beaches: Koki and Hamoa. Kasey recommended Hamoa, so that’s where we stopped off and it was gorgeous. Not a must-see if you’re short on time, but peaceful and a great place to chill and picnic if you’d like.

Kaihalulu Bay – Red Sands Beach

After you get to Hana town which is super cute and quaint, and is also where you will find my number one stop. Red Sand Beach, or “Kaihalulu Beach” (insert heart-eyes). It’s a must-see! And a must-swim. 

The trail isn’t great. In fact, it’s terrible, and I don’t want to downplay that, because it could be catastrophic if you don’t take it seriously. If your balance isn’t great, or you’re not particularly agile, you may just want to settle for pictures. If you’re an experienced hiker, you may think I’m being dramatic. However it’s quite slippery, very fragile/crumbly, precariously built, uneven, and narrow, and people have fallen and been hurt or worse, so be very careful. If it’s been raining, it may not be safe to even attempt! From what we were told, because this trail is so fragile, it has been washed out numerous times, so the directions we were given were slightly different than what was there. That may happen to you too, but generally you’ll see people in the area and can ask if in doubt. 

We parked at the end of Uakea Road which dead ends across the street from the Hana Community Center, but I was originally encouraged to park on the road outside of Travasa Hotel if there’s space – GPS Coordinates: 20.752803,-155.981736. The trailhead (if you want to call it that) is at the beach-end of the open field across from the community center and it’s on the right side. Again, be super careful, and if you get to the Japanese Cemetery, that’s the old and super unsafe trail. In that case, turn back and find the other super narrow trail along the shoreline. If you want the beach to yourself, land there close to sunset or right after sunrise! It’s really the most breathtaking combination of water + sand contrast I’ve ever seen. Unforgettable. But leave some daylight to get back to your car safely too. 

Waianapanapa Bay – Black Sand Beach

If there’s still some daylight left on the way out of Hana, you’ll see signs for Waianapanapa State Park (say that three times fast!) – otherwise known as Black Sand Beach. This takes third-place for my favorite things on the Hana experience! The sand is much more foot-friendly than any other beaches on the Hana journey, and if you manage to get there at sunset, the water over the black sand creates a beautiful mirror effect that will take your breath away. There are a few pretty caves there too, and this is a super family-friendly beach if you’ve got kids. Lots of steps to get down to it though just FYI.

Right around this point, the end of the backwards route of Road to Hana turns into the most lush, beautiful, mystical jungle scene you’ve ever seen. As my friend Kasey warned me, the roads become “very wind-y” with super sharp turns, narrow roads, poor visibility, and plenty of single-lane bridges (FYI, every five cars it switches sides, so wait your turn!) My friend Kasey recommended Dramamine for those prone to carsickness but luckily we were okay. Kasey also highly recommended one of her favorites; Ke’anae (a cute little town and a lookout over the Ke’anae Peninsula) however we had run out of light for this by the time we arrived. It’s on our list for next time for sure! This is the point where most people are starting their Hana journey, and incidentally it’s where our first Hana day ended. We chose to come back another day to finish up some of the stops, but we did it later on in the day to avoid the morning Hana travelers and crowds, and still didn’t make it back to Ke’anae – one day!

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees & Twin Falls

If you’re still on the quest and have daylight left, or if you come back for more on another day, everyone should see the Rainbow Eucalyptus trees in their lifetime. They are whimsical but well hidden, so watch the mile markers and look closely between markers 6 & 7 to find a stop off, and/or follow this link for better directions. You’ll see a couple on the road, and if you cross the road and hop the fence, you can walk back to more. They’re stunning and so unique!

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Towards the end (or beginning if you come the traditional route), you’ll see signs for Twin Falls. We stopped because it’s so famous, and although it was pretty, I don’t consider it a must-see. Many many MANY feet have trampled those trails, so although it was empty by the time we got there, I could tell it must be jam-packed during high-traffic times. I wouldn’t recommend stopping here personally if I’m honest.

Ho’okipa Beach & sea Turtles

A better use of your time: go hang out at Hookipa Beach. If you’ve seen pictures with herds of giant sea turtles, they most likely were taken here. It is also the North-Shore beach where all the serious surfers come to practice their tricks! Pretty fun place to post-up and just people (and turtle) watch. Sunset is your best time frame for turtle peeping, but they’re apparently there all times of day, as are the surfers!

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Paia Town – the friendliest hang-out!

Once you’re through that area, you’ll come to Paia which is hands-down my favorite area in Maui to hang out. This is where Willie Nelson lives, so obviously some great vibes. Great eats, great shopping, and just a general feeling of fellowship everywhere you go. We came back to Paia several times on our short trip because we loved it so much. If you’re looking for good eats here, check out my post about our favorite Maui foodie stops on this trip!

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That sums up my Hana-Guide – I hope this is helpful for you and I hope you love it as much as we did! Feel free to comment if you go or have gone to see the Hana sights and feel like I missed any “musts”!

Click here to see what else we did while visiting

the beautiful island of Maui! ❤