My friend and I visited Maui in 2019 and neither of us was brave enough for the drive. Want to read more? The road is narrow (a generous one lane road with plenty of spots to pull over and let someone pass) and winding and there are quite a few blind corners, but generally speaking, the road also isnt very high up in these portions as it is on the front side. While to fully overcome the fear requires repeated exposure we find with the right attitude, a good amount of care and respect for the road, and a little can-do attitude many people find the Road FAR less intimidating than they originally feared. We know for most people the Hana Highway is fine. We find the best solution (like most things in life) is good communication. We can now offer our visitors 20 years of expertise on this beautifully scenic drive. 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! There are beaches in the Hana area. Hazards aside, you're not giving yourself nearly enough time in either direction. Period. Make sure your partner is aware of your fears and explain they may not be entirely rational but still real. They hold masses here on the 5th Sunday of every month but you can explore the grounds at any time. Most visitors tend to zip to and from Hana with a checklist of sights to photograph. Read the fine print as driving the back road to Hana, Maui maybreach your rental car agreement or insurance. The back road to Hana is not like this the whole way, or even most of the way, but it is there! Along this road, there are 620 curves (who counted all of those?) Okay, so lets get on with the questions, Theres a lot of hype about how bad the backside of the Road to Hana is. Mmmmkay, If you think any rental car company is going to come get you if you have a problem ANYWHERE, you have more faith in them than me. NATIONAL LAKESHORES My post captions are full of travel tips and I have a ton of story highlights and videos with great info. The only sketchy part is if you're driving along the cliffs edge backwards into Hana on the waters edge. I will say, the paved road is still pretty narrow and even though theres no drop off on either side, if you see a local (anyone really) coming to meet you, pull over as far as you can and stop where theres a good place because they will come BLAZING through. A lot of locals go off the road in there even and die. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have ANY questions about planning your trip to Hawaii, you can join my free Facebook group here. So heres the scenario: people read about long lines of cars, limited parking spaces, and crowded hikes, waterfalls, etc. It only costs a donation and just remember you are off-the-beaten path Maui so dont expect much. What is it about the road that strikes terror into your heart? The road to Hana is composed of three different roads highways 36, 360 and 31. Ewa Beach, Oahu Robert Linsdell/Flickr The National Drug Intelligence Center mentions the high use of methamphetamine in Ewa Beach as well, and according to AreaVibes, you have a 1 in 27 chance of being a crime victim. Standing up and talking in front of others caused untold anxiety and could only be faced with a LARGE amount of dutch courage. P.S. There is no beach, but the rocky coastline is spectacular as far as scenery goes. The road is tricky to drive and requires care, but this is very obvious to anyone driving the road and as long as sensible precautions are taken, such as, you know, slowing down for corners, more so for blind narrow bends and giving way at the one-way sections, obeying the speed limits and generally just not being a braindead moron, there really is nothing about the road to make it unsafe. Malama Aina which means take care of the land. So most people drive the Road to Hana as a day trip, as an out-and-back drive. We personally have no issues at all but the fear is very real in many people and cant be dismissed. (This is NOT like the Hana Highway normal route around the north side, which is paved all the way.) 10 Best Museums In Chicago Which Museums Should You Visit In The Windy City? A very anxious and scared driver is a dangerous one. 1-2 Week Maui Itinerary, Best Time to Visit: Best Time to Visit Maui. Ahhh, the backwards Road to Hana. You can wear mosquito repellent, but there's not much you can do about the traffic. I just drove this twice in May when traffic wasn't heavy as it is now. And should you consider avoiding it for legitimate safety concerns? The best stops along the backside road to Hana, Tips for driving the Reverse road to Hana, Alelele Falls which you can find on google maps here, Everything you Need to Know about Haleakala National Park, 10 Tips to Know Before you Travel to Maui, 21 Mistakes to Avoid on your First Trip to Hawaii, If youde like to see a video of driving the back way to Hana check out this. The Road to Hana is over 50 miles along Maui's rugged north shore and east side with 600+ tight turns and about 50 one-lane bridges. One of the best places to view Hanawi Falls is from the Hanawi Falls Bridge. 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. Also, if you want to follow along on my travel adventures in real time, you can follow me on Instagram (@caitylincoln). So you are trying to figure out whether you should do a Road to Hana tour or if you should do the Road to Hana on your own! Heres my best tip for driving past Hana: always try to follow a car in front of you. When driving the Highway, We tend to be calm as Hindu cows. Dont miss it! Im there answering questions every day and there are 7500+ other friends who have a ton of Hawaii information to share! 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. As always, I would never recommend a product or service that I didn't truely believe in. This towns contains the Ulupalakua Ranch Store. Makena Beach Intiaz Rahim/Flickr As you continue driving down the Piilani Highway youll come up on some old homes and a bunch of run down old cars. Yes, if you drive straight from Paia to Hana, you might see less people at the spots near Hana, but by the time you start working your way back to Paia those spots are still going to crowded. So many people dont really plan their trip to Hana and end up starting out late in the day and just stopping wherever they see cars so those stops along the north shore are still going to have visitors all day long. If you couldnt look out and see the ocean, youd probably think you were in parts of Texas or another western state. Hiking Shoes - If you want to hike. The Road to Hana is also called the "Divorce Highway". For most of the drive, a very narrow road winds through lush, green forests. The water that cascades down creates a small pool at the bottom of the falls that you can swim in. In terms of the road, no there aren't cars falling off of it all the time (I mean, it happens, but) and it's not that scary to me if you are used to winding mountain roads. 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.. Is 3pm too late in the day to head out from Kanapali to Hana? Well sure, there was that one time where I encountered a truck on a more narrow and winding part of the Hana Highway that made my heart skip a beat. The Jungle Canopy envelopes the road leading to mild claustrophobia and an uncomfortable sense of being consumed. There is little cell reception, you driving around an active(ish) volcano into the wilds of an already pretty remote island chain. For comparison, there was a mom and daughter duo that I met at the Maui hostel that I was staying at who did the back road to Hana, and they thought it was fine. Leave the driving to someone else and enjoy the ride with your family. Oh, and 5 pm is really pushing it for a 7 pm (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The Road to Hana is by its very nature one of the most dangerous things you will do on your Maui Vacation! But, if you do keep driving, you will end up on what is known as the back road to Hana! Yes. Ive written a ton of posts that will help. Ive also had a few people recently ask me about starting in Paia and driving ALL the way to Hana without stopping and then turning around and doing their stops on the way back. PICTURED ROCKS MI 4) I'm imagining that not too many cars fall right off the road so the outside lane consideration may not really be that important - am I right? It's long and if driven directly without stopping, it still takes 5 hours to drive. I say if youre brave enough to get to Hana and Kipahulu, you might as well go the whole way around! We are aware for some the road is a terrifying prospect and we are not trying to diminish that. ANSWER. I think nearly all of us have some kind of phobia, some irrational, spiders, birds, outdoors, speeches, heights, flying. When the drop off is only 5-10 feet below, its nowhere near as intense feeling as when its several hundred feet along the north shore (even though its two lanes). The main part of the Road to Hana which is not particularly dangerous means the drive that most people do. The road is very comfortable for one car to drive on, the problem comes when you pass another car. Snorkeling at Molokini is one of the best things to do in Kihei. The bridge was completed in 1926 and is one of the 80 Hana . If you havent already, you will soon understand why thisis a perfect spot for them. Itll avoid the uncomfortable situation of figuring out how youre going to squeeze past (or backing up) once youre on them. RtH has too much traffic and has been widened and or paved in most scary sections. It is a long and difficult drive on a narrow winding mountain road. Quite a few people continue on past Hana to the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park where you'll find the Oheo Gulch (aka Seven Sacred Pools) and the Pipiwai Trailhead. Just three of the many many reasons to love the Road to Hana. There are 620 bends, many of them extremely sharp or hairpin turns, over the course of that 64 miles. The Road to Hana is high up on many peoples Must-Do Maui itineraries. The Surface is pretty well maintained but is often wet, slippery, and covered in jungle debris. However, it also comes with a fearsome reputation, and strikes fear into the hearts of many. **Kaulahao Beach aka Kuau Beach Park. In some ways, winding roads are beautiful and make for a peaceful drive while road tripping. People that make it all the way to Kipahulu are usually the ones that ask about turning back and retracing their path back through Hana and on to Paia or driving through (continuing clockwise around the island) the backside of the Road to Hana. Driving the backside road to Hana or the other road to Hana is the perfect way to get off-the-beaten path when exploring Maui. BIG ISLAND Its mostly paved, but there are some portions that are gravel or a roughly graded cement. I certainly wouldn't go all the way to Kaanapali then drive to Hana. This will leave you with a deeper understanding and connection to Hawaii. Also you can't enter the Park to hike the Pipiwai Trail until 9 am. Along this coastal drive, you'll find a number of hikes, waterfalls, rainforests, and gorgeous beaches. Kipahulu is home to some of the Road to Hana's most famous stops from the Pools at O'heo (Seven Sacred Pools), Pipiwai Trail, and Waimoku Falls. Besides the black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park, this really is the crown jewel of the Road to Hana. Your support really helps me keep this blog running! the answer is an unequivocal YES! more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. Hi Im Jess. We did have some locals honking at other cars, we made it a habit to just pull over and let others by which made it a better experience. The backside of Hana has some one lane graded dirt roads and rusty guardrails so the drive requires extra caution. Unsubscribe at any time. I wouldn't suggest driving through Kahakuloa to any tourists. This means you are taking all the risk when driving the reverse road to Hana. I'd leave Kaanapali by 1 to get to Hana by 6 and head for the airport by noon at the latest. Your other option is to turn around and drive back the way you came or continue around the island on the Hana Highway a.k.a. Just curious why do you feel this to be a better choice than enjoying a couple hours at the beach first? Does the inside lane/outside lane play more into the safety of it than the road conditions themselves? 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. My favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free flights to Hawaii. Its the quintessential Hawaiian mom and pop shop and its a great place to grab a cold drink and use the restroom. would find such a tight narrow twisty track nightmarish. It becomes a dirt road for long stretches and even though we left for the day at 7AM, after a few stops and not really rushing we ended up in a situation where we were driving the most treacherous parts after dark (we almost hit a cow at one point, as herds will just wonder over the road in certain parts). You will need to allow more time than you have. Shortly after the ranch store is Mauis only winery. BRYCE CANYON UT Google maps said 2 hours but I guess this is what happens when a bot gives you directions? Is this even possible? But you can completely avoid this dangerous and scary part of the Road to Hana by making it an out-and-back drive on the Hana Highway. I guess depending on what youre most interested in seeing/doing you could try this, but here are my thoughts: I strongly recommend driving the Road to Hana the right way or clockwise from Paia for a couple of reasons: 1) youll be on the inside lane the whole way around (no hugging the tight shoulder where theres a 200 foot drop off mere feet away from your tire) which is a bigger deal when youre driving on the road past Hana. As we made our way along the southern coast of Maui, we found the scenery to be beautiful and varied. I'll add, no, the late afternoon shouldn't be an especially dangerous time to drive the road (but it will take longer than 2 hours from the start of the RTH, let alone Kaanapali); you absolutely don't need a 4X4 (I prefer smaller (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The road is endlessly winding and many corners are seriously blind. That said, of course DO take care while you are driving the Road to Hana! It is then easy to imagine that people from Urban Los Angeles, used to colossal Freeways (which put the fear of God into us!) We read that sunset is around 7pm so we're thinking this is safe. So if you REALLY know its just going to be too much and even the thought of it is keeping you up at night, Its time to let the pros do the driving. It is not a place for nervous drivers, and if even attempting the Hana Highway is questionable for you, do not even consider the back route. We highy recommend doing a tour with large windows, an experienced local guide, and only going to safe, legal, epic spots! Just indicate into one of the MANY pull-outs and let them by. The first of the road to Hana stops you'll come to is Paia town. So if you have no problem with the highway spouting off you dont see the big issue isnt particularly helpful to those that do fear it! Hanawi Falls. Who thinks of these things? 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