13 Reasons To Drop Everything And Drive Maui’s Road To Hana
By Megan Shute|Published April 11, 2016
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
Maui’s Road to Hana is perhaps the most popular scenic drive on the island – and possibly all of Hawaii. This infamous 64.4-mile highway that stretches from Kahului to Hana is popular not for the destination – Hana Town – but for the incredible journey it takes to get there.
The Hana Highway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and while it only takes two and a half hours to make the 60-some mile journey, there are several killer stops to be made along the way that will easily make the trip a full day, or even two. Here are 13 reasons you don’t want to miss this unforgettable drive.
1. The highway features 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide.
5. You can see the beautiful Makapipi Falls – which plummets into a striking blue pool from – from the road. There are a few others, like Wailua Falls, you can also see from the highway.
8. There’s no beating the amazing roadside food stands on Hana Highway – grab a plate lunch from the Ka Haku Smoke Shack, banana bread from the Halfway to Hana stand, and a fresh smoothie from the Huelo Lookout.
9. There are some majestic lookout points as well, to take some killer photographs of Hawaii – like the Wailua Valley State Wayside, just past mile marker No. 18.
10. You can also do some amazing hiking off the Hana Highway; we suggest the short, but slippery hike to the base of Wailua Falls or the Waikamoi Ridge Trail.
11. If hiking isn’t your thing, why not stop at Ching’s Pond, a magical little swimming hole that many locals dive into from the bridge above – though we definitely don’t recommend that.
13. You can’t forget about the magnificent Garden of Eden, a 26-acre botanical garden with beautiful lookout points, waterfalls, and a plethora of native Hawaiian plants.
