Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are plenty of travel companies, but these are our favorite websites and resources for planning an unforgettable trip. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Car rentals are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you! We always use Expedia's easy to use platform for comparing hotels. To keep cell service while traveling, we always use Airalo’s easy eSIM’s (no installation required). For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the America's and Europe, and Klook for tours in Asia. Just in case, Safetywing is what we use for travel insurance. Lastly, our packing list for any international or domestic travels.
What to Expect & Best Tips for Driving the Road Yourself
Driving the Road to Hana can seem like a daunting challenge, especially if you've heard the many stories of motion sickness, winding roads, and dangerous accidents. After driving it ourselves, we gathered our best tips to help you fully enjoy your journey getting to and exploring Hana - however, if you're unsure about driving it yourself or you want to be able to fully enjoy your day without planning for any of the logistics, we highly recommend booking a guided tour of the Road to Hana that takes all the hassle out of planning your road trip.
After reading through our best tips, we recommend browsing our list of best places to stop, choosing 5-10 places that are your favorite, and doing half of them as you drive to Hana and the other half as you drive back. This way you can refuel, have some lunch, and make the most of your day!
Best Tips & Recommendations :
Our Favorite Tours on Maui :
- Road to Hana with Lunch - Molokini with Turtle Town Snorkeling - Haleakala Sunrise Tour with Breakfast
Our Complete Mile Marker Guide for the Road to Hana
Mile 0 : Ho'okipa Beach Park
This beach is located right after the town of Paia, and is a great stop to relax and take in the views, however, we don't recommend spending too much time here since there's so much else to see on the Road to Hana! Mile 2 : Twin Falls This area has a large paid parking lot, and you'll have two options for waterfall viewing - either a super short hike to the Lower Falls or a one mile roundtrip hike to the Upper Falls. Mile 4 : Huelo Lookout Here you'll find a cute, small fruit & shaved ice stand with a parking area, and after a few short steps that go behind the stand, you'll see a beautiful, panoramic view of the island! Mile 6-7 : Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees The Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees are one of the most popular spots that tourists hope to see when driving the Road to Hana. There are actually two different areas here to see these famous rainbow eucalyptus trees, the first with a small pull-off nearby that'll make you take a short walk back towards the trees located on private property (you can only see them from the road), and the second a little further down the road with limited parking. Mile 10 : Garden of Eden This local arboretum is absolutely beautiful, and although it costs $20 a person it offers some incredible views and photo opportunities, plus it's also where we went waterfall rappelling!
Mile 14 : Honomanu Bay
This black sand beach is actually a bit more rocky than sandy and the road to get down there can be very bumpy, so we ended up parking at the top before the turn off and walking down, but the views here are incredible! Mile 16 : Ke'anae Peninsula You'll want to stop here for stunning coastal views, a few fruit stands, and a great chance to stretch and have a snack! Mile 17 : Halfway to Hana This local food stand is one place you'll want to stop at for their famous banana bread, supposedly crowned the best in Hawaii - or switch it up and get one of their banana bread sundaes! Mile 18 : Wailua Valley State Wayside These beautiful, sweeping views of the mountains and valley below is another great opportunity for a stretch and snack break! Mile 20 : Upper Waikani Falls Also popularly known as the "Three Bears Waterfall" due to the fact it has 3 waterfalls of different sizes (nicknamed after Goldilocks & The Three Bears) is easily seen from the road, but if you're lucky enough to find a parking spot then you can also hike down to get a closer look! Mile 22.5 : Pua'a Ka'a Falls This easy hike begins from a small pull-off on the road and brings you to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole with a rope swing, there's even a few people that enjoy cliff jumping here, plus if you continue up the trail past the first swimming there's another, more "hidden" upper falls to enjoy as well. Mile 24 : Hanawi Falls This waterfall can be a bit harder to get to compared to the other waterfalls on this list, and we ended up parking a little further up the hill and walking down (which you'll want to be very careful doing on the busy road) to enjoy the views of the falls from the bridge. Mile 29 : Nahiku Marketplace This small marketplace is the perfect place to stop if you're feeling a bit hungry, want a snack, or just want to stretch your legs and enjoy a coffee! Mile Marker #31 : Hana Farms Roadside Stand Another great spot to stock up on locally sourced produce and other goods, like tasty banana bread and cookies!
Mile 31 : Hana Lava Tube
The Hana Lava Tube is arguably one of the most popular stops on the Road to Hana, last we checked admission is $15 per person for a self guided tour. (UPDATE : Unfortunately, the Hana Lava Tube has been temporarily shut down due to a government archaeological inventory with no reopening date as of now.) Mile 31 : Kahanu Garden This local botanical garden features native Hawaiian & Pacific Island plants, their self-guided tours begin at $18 per person and it's a great place to stop if you want to learn more about local flora. Mile 32 : Wai'anapanapa State Park If you want to visit this state park you'll now need to plan ahead and make reservations for park access, but considering you can also find sea caves, arches, and a few coastal hiking trails here - it's worth it. Mile 34 : Hana Town You've made it to the town of Hana! This is the perfect spot for lunch, or dinner depending how long you've been enjoying the stops along the Road to Hana, and we recommend heading across the street from Hana Ranch Restaurant to a small cove of food trucks and trying a few different local bites! Mile 42 : Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) These beautiful pools are located inside Haleakala National Park and are best viewed when the water is high with recent rain. You'll need to pay the National Parks entrance fee which is $30 per car for the day, and then head out on the .5 mile Kuloa Point Trail. Mile 42 : Pipiwai Trail This 4 mile, round trip hike goes right above the Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) and through a bamboo forest, ending at the stunning, 400 foot Waimoku Falls. Mile 45 : Wailua Falls The last waterfall on our list is Wailua Falls, a stunning 80 foot waterfall that's said to be the most photographed waterfall on the entire island of Maui. There's a large parking area here right across from the falls making it easy to spot without a hike. Mile 50 : Kaihalulu Beach This red sand beach is one of the more unique on the Road to Hana, however you'll need to be able to traverse the often hazardous trail that often has loose rock and mudslides as well as a steep cliff on one side. Mile 51 : Hamoa Beach Located right outside the town of Hana, this beautiful sandy beach is known for being a great spot to go body surfing with stunning cliff views. You can also continue to Koki Beach for a red sand beach that is a bit easier to access than Kaihalulu Beach. Mile 53+ : Backside of Haleakala National Park If you continue to drive all the way around and finish the road as a loop rather than turning around, the views are absolutely stunning, however this section of road can get much worse than the Road to Hana, and most people turn around here. You can expect beautiful views, but also one way lanes, mudslides, and very narrow lanes.
Watch our adventures in Maui here!
Other Hawaii Blog Posts :
-> 10 Best Things to Do on Maui -> Best Places to Eat in Maui -> Complete Guide to Oahu
Pin this Guide to the Road to Hana for Later!
|
Hi, we're Deborah & Tyler!
After our first move to Alaska, we decided to take a gap year and visited 30+ countries on a budget of $100 a day. This blog shares our best budget saving travel tips & international itineraries.
Our Ultimate Guides!
Hundreds of hidden gems to use in real time. Including places to stay & eat. 
\\\ Our blog is free to read, but some links may be affiliates. This means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you. Learn more here. \\\
Categories:
All
|
|
© COPYRIGHT 2026. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PRIVACY POLICY |