Planned in Wanderjoy
Road to Hana Adventure 2026
Maui, Hawaii · Mar 2 – Mar 5 · 4 days · 12 stops
🌴 Hana Rules: • STAY OVERNIGHT in Hana (2 nights ideal) — day-trippers do the whole thing in a rush; you'll have the beaches to yourself before 10am and after 3pm • Waiʻanapanapa requires advance reservations ($15/car, gowaianapanapa.com) — book before you leave • Gas up in Pāʻia; the next station is Hana, 52 miles and 620 curves later ______ 🚗 Driving: • Leave Pāʻia by 8am to run ahead of the tour-van convoy • Use the pullouts — locals drive this road to work; wave and let them pass • The backside loop via Kaupō is legal and beautiful; most rental agreements just exclude towing there. Skip it if it's been raining ______ 🍌 Roadside Food: • Aunty Sandy's banana bread (Keʻanae, cash, sells out by ~1pm) · Twin Falls farm stand sugarcane juice · Hana ballpark food trucks ______ 💡 Tips: • Download offline maps — cell service dies after mile marker 5 • Mosquito repellent for every waterfall stop; reef-safe sunscreen everywhere else
Pāʻia · Mile Marker 7 · Mile Marker 2
7:00 AM · Pāʻia, Maui
Last real town before the highway — gas up here (there's no station again until Hana) and grab breakfast and picnic supplies at Kuau Store. Leave by 8am to stay ahead of the tour vans.
9:00 AM · Mile Marker 7, Hana Hwy
Trunks striped in green, orange, and purple line the road near mile 7 — the bark peels in layers that each cure to a different color. Use the wide dirt pullout and watch for traffic.
10:30 AM · Mile Marker 2, Hana Hwy
First waterfall of the drive: an easy 20-minute walk to two swimmable falls. Parking is $10 at the farm stand — their banana bread and sugarcane juice earn the stop alone.
Mile Marker 10.5 · Keʻanae · Waiʻanapanapa State Park
8:30 AM · Mile Marker 10.5, Hana Hwy
26 acres of rainbow eucalyptus, bamboo, and the Jurassic Park opening-shot coastline view. $20 per person but the manicured trails and picnic tables are the best leg-stretch on the highway.
11:00 AM · Keʻanae, Hana Hwy
Detour down to the lava-rock peninsula where waves explode against the shore — and Aunty Sandy's banana bread, baked fresh until it sells out (usually by 1pm). Cash, $8 a loaf, worth it.
2:00 PM · Waiʻanapanapa State Park, Hana
Jet-black sand, sea arches, and a freshwater cave pool. Entry + parking reservations ($15/car) are MANDATORY and sell out days ahead — book your 12:30–3pm window before the trip.
Hana · Kaihalulu Bay · Hana Hwy
9:00 AM · Hana, Maui
The 1910 general store is the town's living room — snacks, poi, and the famous t-shirts. Slow down to Hana speed: the food trucks by the ballpark open around 10:30.
11:30 AM · Kaihalulu Bay, Hana
A hidden cinder-cove where the crumbling red crater wall meets deep blue water — one of the few red sand beaches on Earth. The clifftop path is short but sketchy when wet; wear real shoes.
3:00 PM · Hana Hwy, Mile Marker 45
An 80-foot ribbon of water right beside the road — the easiest big waterfall photo of the whole trip. Park in the pullout past the bridge and walk back along the guardrail.
Kīpahulu · Piʻilani Hwy
8:00 AM · Kīpahulu, Haleakalā National Park
The best hike on Maui: 4 miles round trip through a creaking bamboo tunnel to 400-foot Waimoku Falls. National park entry is $30/car and covers Haleakalā summit too — keep the receipt.
11:30 AM · Kīpahulu, Haleakalā National Park
Tiered pools cascading straight into the ocean, a short walk from the Pīpīwai trailhead. Swimming is often closed after rain — check with the ranger station, the overlook is stunning either way.
1:30 PM · Piʻilani Hwy, Kaupō
Loop home the 'forbidden' back way: raw lava fields, empty ranch land, and the lonely Kaupō Store. The unpaved stretch is fine in dry weather in a normal car — just check the forecast first.
