Aloha! If a vacation to Maui is in your near future, you are in for adventure and unique excursions that you can’t find anywhere else. This island of Hawaii offers rustic country land, lush jungle areas, and luxurious beach-front resorts. If you are visiting the island, I will have a separate Maui Trip Itinerary blog post. This specific blog post is to save you hours of researching and provide you with lots of information on the exceptional excursion known as the famous Road to Hana!

The Road to Hana is an out-and-back route that is about 125 miles roundtrip as you follow switchbacks through the lush jungle and along the stunning coast. The scenic drive can be completed in roughly 5 hours without stopping, but you need to allow a full day for fully experiencing the Road to Hana! Plan for about 10-12 hours of adventure, so a full day excursion! It makes for a long day, but it is definitely iconic!

Transportation

There are companies that you can book Road to Hana excursions through. If you go the company excursion route, they will have your stops pre-determined and will provide you with all the information you need during your excursion. So this blog post is for those of you who are adventuring on their own as you drive the Road to Hana! It is nice to drive it yourself for the full experience, to choose your most desired Road to Hana stops, and determine how long you want to stay at each spot.

Of course, if you are driving it yourself, make sure you have your car for the trip! We booked a car rental for our whole time on Maui. Jeep rentals are common and fun for the Road to Hana, but if you are budget traveling like I was, an economy small rental car works great for the excursion as well! You do not need 4-wheel drive for the Road to Hana. I said it was an out and back drive. Technically there is a back road that you can take after driving the Road to Hana one-way, but it is not recommended as it is often closed due to weather conditions and construction without notice and is a route that is preferred to be left for the locals.

Road to Hana Tips

Plan ahead

You can do the Road to Hana spontaneously if you want, but if you don’t plan ahead, you are going to miss special stops and have trouble with managing your time on this eventful excursion. There are so many sights and hikes to consider that you ultimately can’t do every single thing on the Road to Hana. I researched for hours and picked which sights and stops interested me the most.

Planning ahead is also important for the popular stop, Waiʻānapanapa State Park which is the black sand beach, because you need to make time-specific reservations ahead of time. The reservation slots are opened to the public 30 days in advance.

start early

As mentioned, there are countless sights such as waterfalls, botanical gardens, and hikes on the famous Road to Hana. Given that the Road to Hana journey can take 10-12 hours, you should start your day early! We personally started at 7:00 AM. Several stops along the Road to Hana have limited parking spots, so it is smart to get a head start to beat some of the crowds. We visited the Road to Hana in July of 2026 and were surprised by the lack of crowds, so hopefully you get lucky and don’t encounter much traffic on your visit as well!

limited cell service

Along the Road to Hana, phone service is very limited, so download google maps ahead of time! We downloaded maps for Maui all together to be able to have access when offline.

fill up with gas in Pa’ia Town

The Road to Hana starts in Pa’ia Town, so grab some gas before you start your journey! There is one spot around halfway to Hana that sometimes has an open gas station, but I recommend just starting the adventure with a full tank. We did not have to get gas again after filling up in Pa’ia Town.

Set odometer to zero and count mile markers

While driving the Road to Hana, most stops don’t have big signs pointing you in the right direction, so this is another reason that planning ahead is kind of essential for completing the Road to Hana. After filling up with gas in Pa’ia Town, start driving. The mile markers of Highway 36 will ultimately reset. Set your odometer to zero at the start of Highway 360 which is shortly after mile marker 16 after you have been driving along the coast from Pa’ia Town. The mile marker signs will then start counting up, so then you will use the green mile marker signs on the side of the road to keep track of your route and where your planned stops will be as well. The transition from Highway 36 and Highway 360 can be a bit confusing, but it just adds to the journey.

let locals pass

Road to Hana seems like such a remote area nestled between the coast and jungle, but locals still live among the cray switchback roads and hills. Of course, first-time drivers are more cautious as they maneuver the road’s curves. The locals are comfortable navigating the road, so out of respect, pull to the side and let the locals pass. The locals showed their appreciation when throwing up a shaka.

plenty of switchbacks – motion sickness

The roads curve back and forth, have one-way bridges, and involve a lot of stopping and going along the route. If you get motion sickness, I recommend taking some dramamine before starting your adventure.

Itinerary Items

Alright, time for the fun part that is full of photo opportunities and adventure! My list below consists of the sights and excursions that made my top list of options, so not every single stop is included. Out of this list, there were only a couple of stops that we opted out of while on the Road to Hana, so I will be sure to give you all of this information!

Twin Falls – Mile MArker 2

Twin Falls is a popular Road to Hana stop where you embark on a short walk to a couple waterfalls. You can swim next to the waterfall here if you so choose! Parking is limited at Twin Falls, and there is a $10 parking fee. We debated visiting Twin Falls, but opted out because of the cost when there are other bigger waterfalls on the route that are free. We also know that most of the early visitors start here, so we chose to keep driving and get ahead of the other early risers. I wanted to include Twin Falls in this blog though, because it is a popular stop!

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees – Just past mile marker 7

You will notice that the mile markers are not exact and there aren’t touristy signs pointing you in the direction of the top attractions. This is the opportunity for you just to adventure, be flexible, and be on island time! Beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees can be found along the Road to Hana. After you pass mile marker 7, keep your eye out for these trees with colorful bark as you continue driving.

Ho’okipa Beach

You can search Ho’okipa Beach which is located near Pa’ia Town prior to the road switching to Highway 360. This beach is a popular spot for surfers, and sea turtles can be found on the beach here too. When we stopped here, there was a beautiful rainbow stretching over the coast, so we were off to an incredible start!

Aunt sandy’s banana bread – mile marker 16

Aunt Sandy’s banana bread is a must! Banana bread has become a tradition for those visiting the Road to Hana. Aunt Sandy’s banana bread is so delicious! When we visited in July of 2026 the banana bread loaves were $10 each. We bought 1 loaf and split it among 2 of us. Aunt Sandy’s opens at 8:30 AM and is closed on Sundays, so plan accordingly!

Ke’anae arboretum – mile marker 16.8

The Ke’anae Arboretum is a free botanical garden that is home to more of those unique rainbow eucalyptus trees with red, yellow, and green stripes in the tree bark in addition to many other species of trees and plants. We opted to continue driving, but those who visit the arboretum tend to spend about 30 minutes here.

Ke’anae Peninsula

Immediately after Ke’anae Arboretum, there is a side street that deviates from the Road to Hana. There is a sign for Ke’anae Peninsula, so that was helpful. The peninsula is just up past Aunt Sandy’s shop. Ke’anae Peninsula can be seen on your downloaded maps as well. Grab some banana bread and enjoy the views at Ke’anae Peninsula!

Ching’s Pond – just before mile marker 17

Ching’s Pond is a pretty pond that some visitors stop at, but we opted out of the stop after doing some research. It is a sacred visit for many locals, and I read that some locals prefer that tourists do not visit this site out of respect. Also, when looking up Ching’s Pond, you may see pictures of cliff jumping, but this is not recommended here as it is not a safe spot for cliff jumping.

halfway to hana – miler marker 17.5

While on the Road to Hana, and getting halfway to Hana, you can find a “Halfway to Hana” sign. You can also purchase some food or beverages here before continuing your journey.

Wailua Valley State wayside – mile marker 18.8

Visit Wailua Valley State Wayside, walk up a short flight of stairs, and look out for a beautiful waterfall landscape! This is a quick stop, but how awesome to just pull off on the side of the road and be greeted by stunning views!

upper waikani falls (“Three bear falls”) – miler marker 19.5

These waterfalls are situated along your route as your driving. There isn’t a parking lot to get out here, but as you cross one of the many one-car bridges, you will see the powerful waterfalls out your window.

pua’a kaa state wayside park – mile marker 22.5

Waterfall sights are endless on the Road to Hana! If you are interested in another spot outside of Twin Falls where you can swim in front of a waterfall, check out Pua’a Kaa State Wayside Park. There was a cute dog accompanying his owner here who was selling coconuts which made us smile, so maybe you will encounter them as well.

hana farms – just past mile marker 31

At the Hana Farms stop, you can find a cute shop with farmer’s market items such as fresh foods, clean skin products, and artsy souvenirs. There are also bathrooms here and a restaurant.

Across the street, we saw a place where visitors could go and cuddle cows too. Island Cow Cuddles takes walk-ins to cuddle cows such as the furry highland cows. We walked over to see them but didn’t pay for the cow cuddling activity. I believe the price was like $25 per person for the animal encounter excursion if that interests you.

wai’anapanapa State Park black sand beach – mile marker 32.2

Wai’anapanapa State Park is a must on the Road to Hana! It is a gorgeous black sand beach. But don’t forget, if you want to visit the black sand beach, you need to make a reservation ahead of time! Click the link to make a reservation. Parking is $10 and an entry is $5. You have to make a time-specific reservation, so plan accordingly. We booked a reservation time of 12:30-3:00 PM, and since we we had a car, they told us that we needed to arrive within the first 30 minutes of the reservation.

Haleakalā National park – mile marker 42

Haleakalā National Park costs $30 to enter, but the entry ticket is good for 3 days. We bought our park ticket in-person, so advance reservations are not required. I recommend using the park ticket to complete some hikes on your Road to Hana trip and then in the next day or two going to drive the Haleakalā summit which is not located on the Road to Hana.

After entering Haleakalā National Park, I recommend doing 2 popular hikes. First, the Pipiwai Trail is a 4 mile out and back trail that takes you to see 2 waterfalls and through a bamboo forest. The giant waterfall at the end of the hike is Waimoku Falls. This hike takes about 2 hours. Plan on your shoes getting very muddy.

The second hike we did was to see the famous Seven Sacred Pools. The Seven Sacred Pools are also referred to as Oheo Gulch or Pools of ‘O’heo. Know that there is no swimming allowed here. This is a 1.1 mile hike that takes about 30 minutes.

hamoa beach – mile marker 50

We opted to turn around after the 2 hikes at Haleakalā National Park, but if you want to see one more beach at the end of the Road to Hana, Hamoa Beach is further down the road!

Conclusion

The Road to Hana is an iconic excursion to embark on! Take loads of jaw dropping photos and enjoy the adventure! If you have any questions or further suggestions, type them in the comment section!

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers to driving the famous Road to Hana and making connections around the world. To read my other blog posts, check out the destinations tab on my website.