Travel Channel

I am traveling with a group that thinks an 8-hr tour on the Road to Hana sounds boring - 8 hours looking at a road? What can I say to talk them into it? - they want to go to Lahaina.

Hi. If you want to see some of the most beautiful places in Maui and not tourist traps, Hana is awesome. So many beautiful waterfalls and pools to swim in. Also quiet beaches. You'll see gigantic leaves, bamboo forests and beautiful tropical flowers. It is kinda similar to Jurassic Park! They have little smoothie stands and knick knack stands along the way run by locals. Who knows. You may see a v. raptor.

The road to Hana is a must-do when visiting Maui. The trip will fill your entire day, but you'll be amazed by the beauty that surrounds you. This is definitely an instance of the trip being about the journey, not the destination. BTW, when we visited, we rented a GPS unit that had an audio tour of the road to Hana from a place called Geo Trek. It really helped us know where to stop and was much better than the CD we'd used previously. I'd highly recommend renting one when you visit.

I agree the road to Hana is a must do. The black sand beach and the waterfalls were wonderful. To make the trip exciting there is a place to go Powerered Hang Gliding and see the views from the sky. The company is called Hang Gliding Maui.

The trip is worth it.

Having been to Maui several times,(my goal is to move there)I agree that Hana is a great road to travel. But to do it justice, start out early in the morning with a really good map, a full tank of gas, and a cooler/picnic basket. Stop at as many of the places you can that are marked on your map. If you can spend the night, do so!! Start out fresh the next day and then head on over to Lahaina for some great tourist shopping and if possible go to David Paul's for dinner. The scallops are divine.

I can't say much in addition to what yall have already said--except that I was there last week. That's beside the point though. Hana is a rough ride because it's so long, but the scenery is spectacular. It's one of the reasons I enjoyed Maui more than I did Kauai and Oahu. However, the road that leads through the national park is closed, so don't take that route. We tried that and were rather irritated when we found out we couldn't go that way.
By the way, we stayed in Kahului (nice, relatively non-touristy area about half an hour from Lahaina, and it's where the airport is) and it took us about two and a half hours each way.

I agree the road to Hana was beautiful. That being said, I would never do it again. There were 4 adults in our car and all of us were getting car sick. We turned around midway and headed back. The drive is nerve wracking at best. Remember that once you reach Hana, if you rented a vehicle on the island, you have to turn around and do the whole thing over again to get back. The roads past Hana aren't supposed to be driven with a rental car (although I'm sure some do) I suppose being in Hawaii, I wanted to be at the beach, snorkling or participating in water activities. Just another perspective.

I just got back from Maui. I have been on the road to Hana many times. Each time it is an adventure. I have gone all the way around the island that way. Now you have to turn back because of the earthquake that happened on the Big Island last year made part of the unpaved road even more unsafe. Stop at the road side stands and pick up some coconut candy. It is really ONO!

Enjoy.

There is a book that all who go to Maui should get. It tells you how to find places not on maps. It is called Maui Revealed 3rd edition. It is well worth the $20 you will spend on it. There were several sites to see that the book explains how to find down to a rock on the side of the road.

Could someone give an update on kiheikitty's comment that the road that continues on from Hana is closed due to the earthquake in '06? I will be traveling there in November '08 and would love to go back (from Hana) a different way if possible, even it it's a bit rough.

Cathy

Cathy we were on Maui the end of March 08 and the road was stilled closed due to the damage done by the earthquake. We went as far as the 'Seven Sacred Pools'. I hope the road passable by the time you visit in November. Good luck!
Heidi

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Originally posted by cgrewe:
There is a book that all who go to Maui should get. It tells you how to find places not on maps. It is called Maui Revealed 3rd edition. It is well worth the $20 you will spend on it. There were several sites to see that the book explains how to find down to a rock on the side of the road.

I agree, the wife and I spent a week on the island for the first time (25th wedding anniversary) and this book was excellent.

My family and I will be visiting Maui in July for the second time. The first time we were there we skipped the road to Hana because of heavy rains but I would like to try it this time. Can someone give me specific information about the condition of the road and passability. I'm used to driving windy mountain roads with tight turns but I'm very anxious about driving on roads with sheer drop offs and cliffs. Is this something that I need to be concerned about?

It is a must do. Lahaina is cool too, but you will not need as much time there. Start early for road to Hana, road is very curvy, treacherous in spots, but absolutley GORGEOUS!! You will need to leave early thoough if you want to make it to the pools, hubby and I did not have enough time to because I slept in that day You probably do not want to drive the road in the dark unless you are a local.

It's not as bad as Highway 1 in California, but road is one lane in spots and very curvy-unless they have changed it within the last 8 years, but it well worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by vagirlonthego:
My family and I will be visiting Maui in July for the second time. The first time we were there we skipped the road to Hana because of heavy rains but I would like to try it this time. Can someone give me specific information about the condition of the road and passability. I'm used to driving windy mountain roads with tight turns but I'm very anxious about driving on roads with sheer drop offs and cliffs. Is this something that I need to be concerned about?

If you decide to go, stop for the banana bread. You'll see the stands on the side of the road. They bake the bread fresh every day and they make the perfect snack on that long road trip.