By Jeffrey A. Rendall
Know what you’re getting into when you plan a trip to Hana
“I survived the road to Hana” read the T-shirts in T-shirt shops around Maui. The shirts also present the naked facts, namely that the road to Hana, or at least the “main” highway on the north side of the island, contains too many curves and one-lane bridges to count.
Wikipedia’s description helps set the scene: “The Hāna Highway (colloquially referred to as The Road to Hāna) is a 64.4-mile-long (103.6 km) stretch of Hawaii Routes 36 and 360 which connects Kahului to the town of Hana in east Maui. To the east of Kalepa Bridge, the highway continues to Kipahulu as Hawaii Route 31 (the Piilani Highway). Although Hana is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, an uninterrupted car-trip takes about 2.5 hours to drive, since the highway is very winding, narrow, and passes over 59 bridges, of which 46 are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hana, almost all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use. That one bridge, badly damaged by erosion, was temporarily replaced by a portable steel ACROW or Bailey bridge erected by the United States Army Corps of Engineers until a permanent replacement was built in 2009.
“In August 2000, the highway was designated as the Hāna Millennium Legacy Trail by President Bill Clinton, with the trail start designated in Pāʻia. The Hana Highway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 2001.”
Thus the legend goes. Having visited Maui a number of times over the years, I’d never yet taken the infamous “Road to Hana”. Maui veterans had cautioned against it even though the scenery is breathtaking in spurts and, contrary to storied reputation, you can find human-maintained stopping points on the journey.
Those who think they’ll defy the odds and make it to Hana quicker than the recommended time should dismiss those notions before even starting out. We were fortunate to attempt the road earlier in the day when traffic was lighter and we managed to handle the one-lane bridges and “Yield” designations reasonably quickly.
And it still took us over two hours to reach Hana after leaving Paia, which is the last full-service stop on the road. After that, prepare for the turns, narrow bridges, frustrated local drivers and, on at least one occasion, a “Prepare to Stop” warning that I inadvertently didn’t heed. I thought the vehicles were just stopped on the road… thankfully I didn’t drift into unseen cars heading in the other direction.
There’s a “Halfway to Hana” stop on the road after you’ve already endured the better part of an hour testing the car-sickness resistance of the passengers in the back of the minivan. Driving the Road to Hana is arguably just as “thrilling” as a windy, twisty thrill ride at an amusement park. But I can’t vouch for the endurance of the passengers. The road just goes on and on and on and on. The only way to know you’re possibly getting close to the end is the time expired.
Upon reaching the east side of Maui, the road becomes much more “normal”, though there wasn’t a ”Welcome to Hana” sign suggesting you’d made it. The windward side of Maui, like it is for the other Hawaiian Islands, is the rainy side. We chose what looked like the driest day during our visit and were rewarded with sunny skies in Hana, which we fully appreciated.
One thing you won’t necessarily find there is an abundance of touristy accommodating shops, food joints and … friendly residents. We pulled off the main road to make a pit stop and were informed by a very grouchy local resident that we couldn’t use their (public) facilities, and we had to locate the “baseball stadium” bathroom down the street instead. So much for the “aloha” hospitality in Hana.
We also noticed that the town doesn’t really “open” until 11 a.m. Why, I don’t know, though it appeared as though being there “early” not only avoided the crowds, it also got us there before the resident workers began their routines. For example, we kept seeing signs for “Huli Huli” Chicken, but the vendors were all closed. Why? Too early in the day, I guess. But we also saw a sign reading – “Available until it sells out.” Based on the number of cars heading in that direction, that’s no joke.
Huli Huli chicken, we heard, is grilled with a sweet Hawaiian sauce and herbs. It sounds delicious, but again, the establishment was closed when we arrived at the beach. There were other signs for Huli Huli chicken, but this outdoor store was the original. It comes highly recommended from the reviews we read.
We didn’t know it at the time, but we’d reached Koki Beach, which was practically empty in the ten o’clock hour, except for several state workers performing their “normal” duties. Since there weren’t any cars in the parking lot, I just decided to park our minivan, from which a very thin groundskeeper informed me that I’d parked the car in his “pile” of leaves he was blowing. So I moved it.
Koki Beach is breathtakingly beautiful. I can see why locals like it, though it supposedly is not a great place to swim because of treacherous ocean conditions. Based on the angry looking sea just off the coast, I can believe it. Though you can’t find a better spot. We struck up a conversation with another state employee/groundskeeper, who informed us that the southern route from Hana was an option going back, though some of the road is tricky – and dangerous – to navigate because of one-lane conditions and no guard rail protecting the cliffs.
Since nothing was open when we got to Hana, and we had members of our entourage waiting for us back at Kaanapali for later in the day, we decided to head back towards the more developed side of the island, figuring we would stop at some of the places we’d come across on the Road to Hana on the way there.
This is not the ideal way to tour the north side of Maui, but we’d heard about the scenery along the road and also the presence of some spur-of-the-moment type stops where we could get out, gather images and video, use the bathroom, and head back expeditiously. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend following this itinerary, since it feels very rushed and not wholly satisfying, but there are lots of things to do on Maui and time is limited in most cases.
This being said, the drive away from Hana was MUCH more crowded than the one we encountered in the morning, mandating a good number of pauses at “Yield to oncoming traffic” signs and then continuing when we thought it was safe. As a side note, we heard about an accident on the Hana highway that closed the road for most of the day we left Maui. Believable. But glad it wasn’t us.
We’d passed a number of state parks on the way to Hana in the morning and made mental notes to stop there on the return route. You can see waterfalls from the road at these locations and you’ll know they’re close when cars parked along the highway – mostly in designated areas – accumulate. We didn’t have too much trouble locating a spot, but I chock it up to a case of luck.
Waianapanapa State Park Beach was one such sojourn, close to mile marker 32. There are signs indicating that you need reservations to enter, and there are no same day reservations available. If you’re going to do the Road to Hana and hope to spend appreciable time there, planning ahead is essential. Some places require fees and 30-days advance notice to enter. Don’t be left out in the… well, not-so-cold.
If there was one aspect of the Road to Hana experience that wasn’t satisfactory, it was the fact it felt too rushed. Navigating the road isn’t hugely stressful, but it’s the type of driving where you can’t “relax”, even for a moment. The passengers get to enjoy the view, but the driver had better keep focus on the twists and turns and on the lookout for oncoming traffic. There are numerous semi-blind spots. And the local drivers aren’t courteous, which I suppose is understandable.
You probably shouldn’t brave “the road” without snacks and drinks, though, as I’ve mentioned, there are a number of places to stop if you’re desperate. You may feel as though you’re driving on a distant planet – at times – but every tourist-laden location isn’t all that far from civilization, is it?
Our final stop on our drive to and from Hana was at Ho’okipa Beach Park on the outskirts of Paia on the north shore of Maui. Renowned as a place for surfers, the park is also known as the windsurfing capital of the world, a fact I hadn’t appreciated until our most recent trip. It’s a terrific place to watch the surfers and windsurfers, but during the summer months there are sea turtles lounging on the beach (It’s against the law to disturb the turtles).
Like everywhere else in Hawaii, the scenery is unrivaled, and you’ll gain a special admiration for the surfers who paddle out to the breaking waves. It’s an incredible lifestyle.
Parking at Ho’okipa can be a challenge, but be accomplished with patience. Many people looked like they’d packed for a day there. One more great place to spend time on the Road to Hana.
Given the constraints, is the Road to Hana recommended? I would say a qualified yes. I would’ve been disappointed if I hadn’t done it. Cross one more item off the Maui bucket list.
Previous Hawaii (Maui) Blogs:
Going to Maui (Hawaii)? Part I — Tips – Who and what to bring and why bigger is better
https://www.golfintheusa.com/going-to-maui-hawaii-part-i-tips-who-and-what-to-bring-and-why-bigger-is-better/
Going to Maui (Hawaii)? Tips, Part II – Saving money in Hawaii, and Lahaina offers sadness… and hope
https://www.golfintheusa.com/going-to-maui-hawaii-tips-part-ii-saving-money-in-hawaii-and-lahaina-offers-sadness-and-hope/
Going to Maui? Part III – Touring the ocean depths from the comfort of an air-conditioned building
https://www.golfintheusa.com/going-to-maui-part-iii-touring-the-ocean-depths-from-the-comfort-of-an-air-conditioned-building/
Going to Maui? Part IV – Plan golf in Hawaii? — and what you can’t do without (hint: it’s Costco membership)
https://www.golfintheusa.com/going-to-maui-part-iv-plan-golf-in-hawaii-and-what-you-cant-do-without-hint-its-costco-membership/
Going to Maui? Part V – Beer on the beach and the hipp(-i-)est town on Maui’s north shore!
https://www.golfintheusa.com/going-to-maui-part-v-beer-on-the-beach-and-the-hipp-i-est-town-on-mauis-north-shore/