You're meant to treat the bridges similar to a 4 way stop in that whichever car reaches the bridge first has the right of way. Read about my favorite luxury resorts, boutique hotels, honeymoon resorts, family friendly resorts, and condos (many under $100/night!). This is a great spot to park, stretch your legs, shop and grab a bite to eat! 10 Best Museums In Chicago Which Museums Should You Visit In The Windy City? Along Maui's rugged eastern coastline is the peaceful town of Hna, considered one of the last unspoiled Hawaiian frontiers. By far the majority of people turn around once they reach Hana and drive the same road back to Paia. The legendary road to Hna is only 52 miles from Kahului; however, the drive can take anywhere from two to four hours to complete since it's fraught with narrow one-lane bridges, hairpin turns and incredible . Maui's "road to Hana" is a curvy coastal road with views of cliffs, beaches, waterfalls, and miles and miles of lush rainforest. The biggest mistake most people make when visiting Hana is trying to do it all in one day. GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS TN NC The Road to Hana is an absolutely stunning road trip to take on any Maui vacation, and is 100% a must-do. Next up is Ulupalakua. Most of the road is one lane with pullouts. The trailhead is located after the bridge on your left. Now lets get to the exciting part the best stops along the backside road to Hana! The steep valleys encrusted in the jungle start off the imagination and you half expect to bump into a Dinosaur. Its 11 miles past Hana town and takes a little over half an hour to reach with no stops. Period. You really should be more fearful driving to the airport or shipping in Walmart, are you going to buy an I Survived Wallmart Kahului?. Is this even possible? Makena Beach Intiaz Rahim/Flickr Road to Hana. . What are your fears and doubts? They will be miserable. Road to Hana Tips, Tricks and Advice How to Survive the Hana Highway! Ahhh, the backwards Road to Hana. As we made our way along the southern coast of Maui, we found the scenery to be beautiful and varied. There are a variety of ways you can drive the Road to Hana: out and back in one day (classic route) stay in Hana as your basecamp explore the Road to Hana over multiple days Leave the driving to someone else and enjoy the ride with your family. Besides the black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park, this really is the crown jewel of the Road to Hana. If theyre open ; ) Ill note here that the National Park does NOT have water or snacks for sale so since the Kaupo Store is undependable, make sure you have everything you need once you leave Hana. This is the honey bee sanctuary. Check out this view of a beautiful overlook of a gulch. Of course if you only want to drive the back side of the road to Hana because you want to reach Haleakala National Park Kipahulu District sooner, you can turn around after exploring the park and drive back the way you came. If youve just started your Hana research, heres how it works: the Road to Hana is considered to start in Paia on the north shore of Maui. This is one of the most dangerous places in Hawaii. BIG ISLAND The Road to Hana is generally known for it's 52 miles of winding turns, liable to cause nausea and dizziness among even the most experienced road trip enthusiast, as well as it's 59 Lara Croft-esque stone bridges nestled in the thick Hawaiian jungle. The second English expressway on our list, this scenic road was recognized by the United Kingdom's Road Safety Foundation as one of country's most dangerous roads in 2010. Whether on your own or on a tour, you will see the gorgeous scenery of the rainforest, including . Accidents are common and you may be more likely to have a small bump, brush a wall/banking, or get stuck in a ditch than regular highways, but you are less likely to actually injure yourself than on most roads in Hawaii. It is! Then wed arrive in Nahiku about 3pm. This snake-like road is 52 miles (84 km) long and runs from Kahului to Hana. We know for most people the Hana Highway is fine. They are indeed blind corners (you cant see if anyone is coming around the other side), but its not actually that scary. Then once they've reached their intended destination, they will turn around and drive back the way they came. The Road to Hana travels along the edge of many sheer cliffs. WHAT TO WEAR HIKING, 2023 Flashpacking America | US outdoor travel blog, Road to Hana tour reviews on getyourguide, swim shirts with UV protection like these, Why a personal swim buoy is an essential for snorkeling and swimming in the ocean. If you havent already, you will soon understand why thisis a perfect spot for them. Before I go onif you want to read my other Road to Hana posts, you can find them here: MY favorite Road to Hana itinerary, tips for driving the Road to Hana, and where to stay in Hana (in case you decide you want to spend the night). We intend to hike for 4 hours or so, and be back on the road at 11 or 11:30am, head to Koki Beach for some food truck food, and continue on to Wai'anapanapa for the black sand beach for a few hours, and be back on the road by 3pm to head back to OGG airport (with no stops) for 5pm to catch our 7pm flight. So if the Road is not particularly dangerous, or even that scary why does it have such a fearsome reputation, and why are so many terrified of the road? However, it also comes with a fearsome reputation, and strikes fear into the hearts of many. If you have ANY questions about planning your trip to Hawaii, you can join my free Facebook group here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Nahiku Marketplace. It sounds like its changed a lot since you drove it, sounds more fun like that! My girlfriend. Besides that, I just dont think youre going to make that much of a difference on the crowd levels at each stop by doing it in reverse. HALEAKALA HI On Another Note: If youre looking for a condo or vacation rental for your trip, I always book with Vrbo. You need to be at the airport 3 hours before your flight and it's a 3 hour drive from Wainapanapa IF you aren't behind a slow train(qnd the traffic will be very heavy during that time you are headed to the airport) also if weather caused a downed tree or landslide you are just stuck. YELLOWSTONE WY Side Note: If youre looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. We've been researching the attractions on the Hana Highway since 2002 when the highway first made a major and incredibly positive impression on us. There are plenty of tasty restuarants in Paia to choose from. 2) Is this too late in the afternoon to see safely in early August? If you only have one day, theres still a lot to see, so snap a picture and be on your way. We read that sunset is around 7pm so we're thinking this is safe. Know that theres a possibility that youll have to reverse if a car is coming in the opposite direction. Maui's Road to Hana is one of the most famous (or infamous) drives in the world and in my opinion is the #1 don't miss thing to do on Maui. Driving a car is dangerous. MAMMOTH CAVE KY JEWEL CAVE SD, HAWAII TRAVEL PLANNING The backside road is VERY different from the front road and definitely worth experiencing. This fear means many skip the highway and spend their time enjoying more sedate activities, like sitting by the pool. It sounds a little more intense than it is. Kaumana Trail, Saddle Rd, Hilo, HI 96720, USA 13. Most folks begin their road to Hana drive from the town Paia on Highway 36 which ends after mile marker 16. This is a great place to use the restroom and grab snacks/food for a picnic somewhere on the road. 10) Lastly, is it wiser to hire a local driver to pick us up and drop us off at each location? As always, I would never recommend a product or service that I didn't truely believe in. The Signs of fear are an elevated heart rate, sweaty palms, increased alertness, and a sense of dread and fear. The Scariest thing I have ever had to confront in my lifeMy wedding speech! My friend and I visited Maui in 2019 and neither of us was brave enough for the drive. Please keep in mind that youll encounter challenging turns and narrow bridges along the way, so its important to exercise caution and take your time. Report inappropriate content dusty56438 Saint Cloud. This is great to know thanks. If you ask them directly, theyll hem and haw (they give you the strong impression that its forbidden) but basically what it comes down to is they wont come and get you if you have a problem.. THEODORE ROOSEVELT ND Ive written a lot here about this and I dont want it to sound scary, but I also want you to know EXACTLY what youre signing up for. Soon you will come up on St. Josephs Church, this is such a beautiful piece of Maui. Our guide had lots of experience in driving to Hana via the southern route, thus making it much safer compared to attempting it on our own! We do not think so. The main part of the Road to Hana which is not particularly dangerous means the drive that most people do. The Road to Hana is also called the "Divorce Highway". Serious accidents involving tourists on the Highway are rare, compared to the rest of the islands where tourists accidental deaths are higher than average! So just drive the route thats going to give you the best overall experience and dont be worried about trying to be too strategic. There are closer beaches to the airport like in Kihei which is considered south Maui. at stops along the Road to Hana and they wonder if they start in Kula and do a reverse loop around the island if theyll run into fewer crowds and get a head start on their must see list. BADLANDS SD And heres my disclaimer: I am neither encouraging or discouraging you to make this drive. 1. Heres the thingthis isnt Disney World. What is scary to some is nothing to others. The main thing that makes people fear the road is reputation! Speeding on the road to Hana is super dangerous and you might also have to deal with slow vehicles: spend one night in Hana in stead than rushing your visit! It takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to complete depending how long you stop and take it in. Overall i am a confident driver so it was fine, but I can definitely see many drivers not making this drive all the way to Hana town. Assume about 45 minutes of direct driving time from Lahaina to Kahului, then another 2.5 hours (53 miles at 25mph), plus stops on the Road to Hana itself. Yes, it's curvy, and yes, you do need to be careful around blind curves, but it's paved all the way and not bad to drive. PICTURED ROCKS MI Get on my Email list to see what Im up to and all the best travel content! The last gas station until you get to Hana is right next to Grandmas Coffee House which is one of the best breakfast spots on Maui. Make sure your partner is aware of your fears and explain they may not be entirely rational but still real. Hanawi Falls. Just three of the many many reasons to love the Road to Hana. Alelele Falls is a short hike that takes 15-20 minutes to reach. Eventually, the Hana Highway turns into the Piilani Highway. But heres the thingits still not really unpleasant unless you know what it used to be like before there was the surge in tourists. The Road to Hana has 617 turns & 59 bridges, many only 1 lane. Manawainui Gulch. Google has no clue what the drive times are on Maui and Hawaii in general. **Mama's Fish House. What we wanted to do in the west was bathe in the waters of Kanapali (which we hear is a world class beach) and maybe (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? 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