Consolidated "Road to Hana" thread
Mar 10, 2012, 6:10 am
#211
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Road to Hana - March 8, 2012
A friend of mine shared this with me; looks like the recent storms had a pretty dramatic effect on parts of the Hana Highway...
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Mar 10, 2012 at 6:23 am
Mar 10, 2012, 8:12 am
#213
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Mar 11, 2012, 7:24 pm
#214
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This has probably been discusse before in this thread but I searched and didn't see anything quickly.
We travel there frequently and have made the trip around the northeast side of Maui from Lihue to Kapalua a number of times. We call it the mini-Hana. We like it because we think it has very similar views to the Road to Hana but it only takes about 2-3 hours depending on stops.
We travel there frequently and have made the trip around the northeast side of Maui from Lihue to Kapalua a number of times. We call it the mini-Hana. We like it because we think it has very similar views to the Road to Hana but it only takes about 2-3 hours depending on stops.
Apr 25, 2012, 2:19 pm
#215
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Has anybody done the road to hana in reverse? Starting in Kahului and going counter-clockwise, through Kula, Keokea and around through Kaupo and Hana and back up.
Any benefit to doing it this way? Assuming road 31 is open and not washed out..
Any benefit to doing it this way? Assuming road 31 is open and not washed out..
Apr 25, 2012, 6:10 pm
#216
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The main issue would be that most of the traffic is in one direction, esp. on the way "back"; that is, in the a.m., people are headed toward Hana, and in the p.m., going back to the major tourist locales.
Given that there are many places where the traffic is one lane only, it could be irksome to buck traffic; however, if you spend most of the day seeing the sights, by the time you get to Hana and on the road "home," you will be joining the throngs!
Might be a good way to go, if you want to hit the O'heo Gulch Park (7 sacred) pools for a morning visit first, before through Hana, and seeing all the other sights along the route.
Given that there are many places where the traffic is one lane only, it could be irksome to buck traffic; however, if you spend most of the day seeing the sights, by the time you get to Hana and on the road "home," you will be joining the throngs!
Might be a good way to go, if you want to hit the O'heo Gulch Park (7 sacred) pools for a morning visit first, before through Hana, and seeing all the other sights along the route.
Jun 21, 2013, 8:15 pm
#217
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Road to Hana backwards?
We've driven the road twice, once only making it to Hana Bay, and once to O'heo Gulch with only 30 minutes to spend before heading back to get to Paia before dark.
We're going again next week and want to be sure to get to the Waimoku Falls Trail. It looks like getting there from Ka'anapali is faster going through Makawao and around the south west corner. Aside for the rental car company restrictions, which I'll check, any problems with the plan of starting this way, then taking the drive to see all the sights in the north-westerly direction?
Any concerns driving the stretch along the south coast these days? I've driven Saddle Road and find all the "warnings" amusing - it's nothing more than a typical back country road around where I live.
Any chance I can use Oprah's shortcut?
We're going again next week and want to be sure to get to the Waimoku Falls Trail. It looks like getting there from Ka'anapali is faster going through Makawao and around the south west corner. Aside for the rental car company restrictions, which I'll check, any problems with the plan of starting this way, then taking the drive to see all the sights in the north-westerly direction?
Any concerns driving the stretch along the south coast these days? I've driven Saddle Road and find all the "warnings" amusing - it's nothing more than a typical back country road around where I live.
Any chance I can use Oprah's shortcut?
Jun 21, 2013, 9:48 pm
#218
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Having lived in Pittsburgh, I can testify that driving there in the winter is much more dangerous than driving to Hana. However, if you pull over on the side of the road in Pgh, you are unlikely to risk falling off a cliff, which could occur on the road to Hana. Drive and park safely! Aloha.
Jul 10, 2013, 11:37 am
#219
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We will be in Maui for 1 week at the end of August. Our schedule is flexible and we have the choice to do the drive any day between Saturday and Wednesday. Are any days better then others when it comes to traffic?
Jul 10, 2013, 6:40 pm
#220
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I don't think traffic will be very different weekend/weekday - I suspect most tourist are like me and don't pay attention to the date/day, and there isn't a lot of local traffic on that road.
If you're just arriving, doing it the first day might work well. You'll be up very early Hawaii time, so any businesses/activities/etc won't be open. And if you're in Wailea/Lahaina/Ka'anapali, it takes an hour to get to the beginning of the good part. So leave at 5am and be past Paia in search of waterfalls not long after sun-up, beating almost all of the crowds.
It also gives you plenty of time. We left Ka'anapali just before 7a last week and still had to keep an eye on the clock to leave Kapahulu in time to beat sundown. I could easily have used more time on the Pipiwai Trail.
(Haleakala for sunrise is another 1st morning choice - 2nd morning you'll still be up early for Hana)
If you're just arriving, doing it the first day might work well. You'll be up very early Hawaii time, so any businesses/activities/etc won't be open. And if you're in Wailea/Lahaina/Ka'anapali, it takes an hour to get to the beginning of the good part. So leave at 5am and be past Paia in search of waterfalls not long after sun-up, beating almost all of the crowds.
It also gives you plenty of time. We left Ka'anapali just before 7a last week and still had to keep an eye on the clock to leave Kapahulu in time to beat sundown. I could easily have used more time on the Pipiwai Trail.
(Haleakala for sunrise is another 1st morning choice - 2nd morning you'll still be up early for Hana)
Jul 11, 2013, 1:21 am
#221
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I don't think traffic will be very different weekend/weekday - I suspect most tourist are like me and don't pay attention to the date/day, and there isn't a lot of local traffic on that road.
If you're just arriving, doing it the first day might work well. You'll be up very early Hawaii time, so any businesses/activities/etc won't be open. And if you're in Wailea/Lahaina/Ka'anapali, it takes an hour to get to the beginning of the good part. So leave at 5am and be past Paia in search of waterfalls not long after sun-up, beating almost all of the crowds.
It also gives you plenty of time. We left Ka'anapali just before 7a last week and still had to keep an eye on the clock to leave Kapahulu in time to beat sundown. I could easily have used more time on the Pipiwai Trail.
(Haleakala for sunrise is another 1st morning choice - 2nd morning you'll still be up early for Hana)
If you're just arriving, doing it the first day might work well. You'll be up very early Hawaii time, so any businesses/activities/etc won't be open. And if you're in Wailea/Lahaina/Ka'anapali, it takes an hour to get to the beginning of the good part. So leave at 5am and be past Paia in search of waterfalls not long after sun-up, beating almost all of the crowds.
It also gives you plenty of time. We left Ka'anapali just before 7a last week and still had to keep an eye on the clock to leave Kapahulu in time to beat sundown. I could easily have used more time on the Pipiwai Trail.
(Haleakala for sunrise is another 1st morning choice - 2nd morning you'll still be up early for Hana)
Jul 13, 2013, 1:07 am
#222
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I'd agree that the day of week doesn't matter at all, just go the day that suits you best. Going backwards seems like it would work great to me if you're willing to drive the controversial stretch of road. Oheo in the morning would be a lot nicer than in the afternoon when it can get busy.
Jul 13, 2013, 7:44 pm
#223
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We've driven the road twice, once only making it to Hana Bay, and once to O'heo Gulch with only 30 minutes to spend before heading back to get to Paia before dark.
We're going again next week and want to be sure to get to the Waimoku Falls Trail. It looks like getting there from Ka'anapali is faster going through Makawao and around the south west corner. Aside for the rental car company restrictions, which I'll check, any problems with the plan of starting this way, then taking the drive to see all the sights in the north-westerly direction?
Any concerns driving the stretch along the south coast these days? I've driven Saddle Road and find all the "warnings" amusing - it's nothing more than a typical back country road around where I live.
Any chance I can use Oprah's shortcut?
We're going again next week and want to be sure to get to the Waimoku Falls Trail. It looks like getting there from Ka'anapali is faster going through Makawao and around the south west corner. Aside for the rental car company restrictions, which I'll check, any problems with the plan of starting this way, then taking the drive to see all the sights in the north-westerly direction?
Any concerns driving the stretch along the south coast these days? I've driven Saddle Road and find all the "warnings" amusing - it's nothing more than a typical back country road around where I live.
Any chance I can use Oprah's shortcut?
We did it in reverse last December. Hardly any traffic. In a couple of places the road was either heavily patched or hard packed gravel. Neither was a problem.
Apr 18, 2014, 1:11 pm
#225
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4WD isn't really necessary unless you plan on going off the beaten track much (if there are areas for that). We drove the whole way in an economy car (I don't recall but it was a small compact 2-4 door car). It was just two of us as well. The only problem was my wife getting car sick and having to drive most of the way (she doesn't have issues when she's the one driving). A convertible might be fun but probably check the weather beforehand. It did rain on us in some parts but it wasn't so bad.