econ

I'd recommend checking the local sunset time on the date of your trip and compare with estimated start/finish time.

I just did the drive out there after a 6 hr flight (although taking the forest route), and I was still pretty tired by the time I got to Hana. About 2.5 hr drive.

Luckily I didn't experience any congestion or gridlock to the extent that the article describes. Definitely more vehicles compared to the last time I did the drive a few years ago, but other than the occasional short wait at the very narrow sections to let other vehicles pass, the traffic flow kept moving at a good pace. For some stretches, there were no other vehicles in sight.

RedSun

Just back from our trip to Maui. I did not read this thread before our our Road to Hana trip. Here are my comments:

1. The Road to Hana definitely is good to go and cross of the bucket list. But since this is blogged too much, I feel this trip is over-rated overall.
2. A lot of the hot spots are waste of time. A lot of them are very similar. The Twin Falls is nice. But the owner has started collect parking fee.
3. The Garden of Eden is a tourist trap. I did not do the research. When we drove to the gate and saw the $20/person entrance fee, it was too late to turn back. We did not even spend a lot of time there with a short trip.
4. Sure travelers can do with a regular car or convertible. But SUV is much better. A lot of roadside places are off road. I've seen at least two cars got underside clipped with some bad sound from the bumps. My full size SUV never had any problem. A lot of fun climbing up and down the mountain road.
5. I decided against doing the back road or do the reverse trip. There is not much to see. I've done a lot of driving (one driver) and my gas foot got tired. And I did not want to have to back my full size SUV down the steep road 30' or longer. Not worth it just to try it. No regret. We already skipped a lot of "attractions" on the road to Hana.

The best decision I made was to stop at Hana-Maui Resort for one or two nights. This would split the Hana trip to 2 or 3 days. Hana-Maui resort is very hard to forget. We all enjoyed the sunrise from the lawns at the resort. This is the highlight of our Maui trip. Not the Road to Hana trip itself.

At Hana, we visited both Black Sand Beach and the Red Sand Beach. Best experience with the Hana trip. I'd rather spend more time there, than spending the time driving the back road away from Hana.

There was also a second Black beach in Hana. No one was there. You can certainly do a nude sunbathing and no one cares....

mtofell

Great report and thanks for sharing. I've been living on Maui (roughly 1/2 time) for 2 years and have yet to do it. I get the feeling this is like locals that live in Las Vegas - they only go to the strip when people are visiting. I guess I'll wait for some friends to come to town who have to see it. A local resident accurately put it: Every couple comes back ready to get divorced. Sure, it's beautiful but all day in the car on winding roads full of stop/go traffic will test any marriage.

I did go as far as twin falls and was not impressed at all. I'm from Oregon and could quickly list 10 waterfalls far better than that.

RedSun

To me, it is more of a bragging right of completing the road to Hana. Yes, I found the "attractions" on the road underwhelming. I skipped a lot of them. But the overnight stay at Hana-Maui resort is a wonderful experience. It feels you are in the world of your own. It is totally different from the town of Hana.

COSPILOT

I enjoy the back way, less crowded and a few hidden gems to stop at.

cnh

I'm taking an 8-night solo trip to Maui next month, and am planning on experiencing the Road to Hana. I'm looking for feedback/advise on how I am planning on taking the journey.

For the majority of the stay I am staying in Wailea. I am planning on renting a car for the journey Saturday morning at 8:30am with a return the next day at 4:30pm. I know the start time is late however on Saturday that was the most permissive car rental time frame I could find within a reasonable distance to my resort.

I have an accommodation in Hana that night so I was thinking of driving straight to Hana and then using Hana as a base early the next morning to see some of the sights closer to there, including the 7 pools, black sand beach (will get a reservation), and others. I definitely would love to make at least some stops on the way to Hana the day prior, however I will have luggage in my car and have heard of the risk of theft and car break-ins. If anyone has suggestions for less risky stops I'd happily take those. My plan would be to leave my luggage secure at the hotel, and then pick it up after visiting the nearby sights for my journey back.

Thanks again in advance for the feedback, I definitely want to make the most out of the Road to Hana, with the considerations of the relatively late start from Wailea, going solo, and having luggage in my car in mind.

747FC

Nothing to share except that I've seen tourists who secure their valuables in their trunk while at the site of the theft, which does not make sense at all. Put your luggage and any valuables in your trunk before you leave your hotel and don't open that trunk until you get to the next hotel. Make sure you don't have anything visible in the car's interior.Park nearby lots of other vehicles if you can, as there is safety in numbers.

scubadu

You do realize that if someone is willing to break into a car, they are probably willing to break into a trunk as well, right?

I think people vastly overestimate the safety of using a trunk (no matter when they actually put the stuff into the trunk)

Regards

cnh

Now this adds another question I have. I was thinking of renting a car similar to what I normally drive, which is a Mazda CX-5 (crossover SUV). But it has a hatch trunk that one can see inside. Should I get something like a sedan, or like you said would it not matter anyway?

747FC

How kind of you to educate me. Mahalo!

DELee

Far easier to bash in a window and grab than going directly after the trunk. That being said, depending on the vehicle having a trunk release, once they're in the passenger compartment, they'll then be in the trunk PDQ.

And having a rental car with a bar code is going to stand out anyway. Back visible or not.

David

scubadu

Do you believe what I said is incorrect?

Regards

scubadu

Well, I think your second sentence made my point. If one is willing to bash in a window, they will, ipso facto, have access to the trunk. Are you aware of any current generation rental cars that don't have a trunk release in the passenger compartment? I am not.

Yep, for sure. Honestly, I do sometimes make decisions on what we'll do, say on the day we are leaving if we have had to check out of an Airbnb or something and it often drives my wife crazy, but when you have bags that have iPads, Laptops, cameras, etc. it just stresses me out to even trust leaving it in the trunk in some locations...

Regards

Mysterier

Pro Tip: If you're driving the Road to Hana yourself, pull off to the side to let tour vans and cars faster than you pass so as not to impede traffic flow.

mtofell

As a fulltime resident on Maui I finally took the plunge and drove to Hana and continued on around the "back way". We're in a bit of a tourist lull after school stated and before all the winter vacations so I figured this was my best chance. Overall, I'm glad I did it but doubt I'd do it again. The road is narrow, winding and slow. I can't even imagine how backed up it could get with lots of traffic both ways. There are probably 20+ one-way bridges and pinch points.

The scenery is nice but I actually found the back way far more beautiful. The drive along the southern edge of the island is really cool. I made the drive in my trusty 2008 Honda Odyssey minivan and it was fine. There's really not much in the way of clearance or traction issues but the road on the back way is pretty bumpy. Also, some of the locals come screaming around the corners as if there won't be anyone there so be careful. There really aren't any cliffs or drop-offs that don't have guardrails and it's really not a scary drive. That being said, it's still a moderate to extreme drive so I'd advise against it for novice or scared drivers. I got stuck behind someone for about 10 miles who never should have been out there and it was torture (both wasted time and watching them panic literally at every turn).

I agree with many that say it's an overrated drive but probably worth doing if you're only going to be here once. And, I suppose with that road clogged with tourists that less traffic on the roads I'm on.... so yeah - go for it. It's awesome