Driving the Road to Hana: A Mile-by-Mile Guide

The Hana Highway is not a drive you rush. It is roughly 64 one-lane bridges and some 600 curves of waterfalls, rainforest and ocean lookouts that unspool along Maui's wild eastern coast. Treat it as the destination and it becomes the best day of the trip.

Start at first light

The single best decision you can make is an early one. Leave Kihei or Lahaina by 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. and you will reach the famous stops before the tour vans. The road is narrow, slow and shared with people who live and work along it, so the goal is never speed — it is having the waterfalls to yourself.

The stops worth making

• Twin Falls (Mile 2) — an easy first waterfall and a fruit stand to fuel up.
• Waikamoi Ridge Trail (Mile 9.5) — a short loop through bamboo and towering eucalyptus.
• Ke'anae Peninsula (Mile 16.5) — black lava, crashing surf and old Hawaiian taro fields.
• Wai'anapanapa State Park (Mile 32) — a jet-black sand beach and sea caves. Reservations are required for non-residents; book ahead online.
• Pipiwai Trail, Kipahulu (past Hana) — a four-mile round trip through a cathedral of bamboo to 400-foot Waimoku Falls.

Drive with aloha

The bridges are one lane: yield to oncoming traffic, and pull over to let locals pass rather than holding up the line for a photo. Park only in marked areas, never block a driveway, and take your trash with you. A little courtesy keeps this road open and welcoming.

Most visitors turn around at Hana town or the Kipahulu pools and drive back the way they came. The full loop continuing around the south side is spectacular but rough and remote — check road conditions and your rental agreement before attempting it.

Photo: Jonathanking / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)