The Road to Hana

One piece of advice I would give to anyone traveling the Road to Hana is to stop and spend the night in Hana. The best waterfall on the island is past the town of Hana and is a 4 mile roundtrip hike, moderately strenuous, which you will be too tired to attempt if you try to do the drive to Hana and back to wherever you are staying in one day. In fact, I wish we would have spent three nights in Hana, because contrary to what you may read elsewhere, there is a lot to see and do beyond Hana.

If you are following along with our itinerary, you will know that we stayed at the Paia Inn, in Paia, which is the town located at the beginning of the Road to Hana (which is actually named Hana Highway). We headed to Paia Bay Coffee for breakfast at 7am. It is literally a block away from the inn. The food was great, very fresh, and delivered in a reasonable amount of time. You eat in a cute, tropical courtyard. It opens at 7 am and is a great place to fill up before you start your epic road trip.

Before we started our journey, we decided to take a quick peek at the beach, which we should have spent the afternoon at the day before, but United Airline’s severe understaffing and poor management, led us to arrive in Maui at 11:53 pm instead of our scheduled 2:30 pm. Paia Inn has a private entrance to a beautiful beach. Of course, all beaches are available to the public, however, the public has to enter in designated areas. This sometimes leads to a bit of a hike to get to the beach, so the private entrance is a nice perk for staying at the inn. The inn also provide towels, beach chairs and boogie boards for their guests.

It was a lovely beach and I was very happy that we were planning on spending the night in Hana and were not in a rush so that we could explore the beach for awhile.

We were so focused on the water that we walked right past this fellow. As we were heading back to the path to leave a woman called out and asked me if I had seen the turtle. I thanked her profusely as I went running past her, which was quite funny since the turtle obviously had no plans on moving and my ‘speedy approach’ was completely unnecessary. If you’ve read my posts from the Big Island, you will know that I have a minor obsession with sea turtles and I was thrilled to see one at the very first beach we went to.

Next up, was a quick stop at the lookout over Ho’okipa Beach. I knew this beach was a very popular spot for turtles and since we missed out on visiting it the day before, we decided to take a quick peek (knowing that we would have some extra time in Paia on our last day and could go back).

Time for some I Spy! Can you find the five turtles on the beach? I was thrilled yet again and knew that we would go back on our last day to go down to the beach and take a closer look. Was I glad I did, when we went back there were 118 turtles! I took this picture from the parking lot at the beach. It is a decent size, but it fills up fast. We pulled in right as someone was leaving and got a great spot. People also park all along the road down to the beach and there was some more parking at the far end of the beach. It is a very popular beach, not only for the turtles, but also for surfing.

If you walk to the end of the parking lot, you can get a great view of the surfers riding the waves. The colors in the ocean are simply phenomenal, so many shades of blue!

Moving on….time to find one of the infamous waterfalls on the Road to Hana. We happened to be quite lucky. The island had an unusual amount of rainfall for several weeks before we arrived, so all of the waterfalls were extremely full and rushing. Although we contended with a lot of fog and clouds, the rain stayed ahead of us almost the entire day. We only got sprinkled on for a few minutes at one of our later stops. Remember, you are driving through a rain forest and should assume at some point you will likely get rained on, but the showers generally pass quickly and shouldn’t deter you from making the journey.

Our first ‘official’ stop (according to my itinerary) was Twin Falls. It is quite easy to find, as they have a sign, parking lot, and food truck at the entrance to the walking path to the falls. The falls are located near mile marker 2, on the right side of the road, approximately a 19 minute drive from Paia. The websites I visited and the guidebooks I read said that you could swim here. Although it was possible to access the water, the water was moving too fast to try to swim here during our visit. Not to mention that the color of the water was less than enticing, at least to me.

Here is a short 30 second slow-motion video of the falls.

The falls flowed right down a rocky hillside, which we had fun exploring until I could no longer handle the mosquitoes, who decided that I would be a great source of nourishment. I had read that mosquitoes could be a problem, they were for me, not for my husband. I decided to stop at the food truck to see if they sold mosquito spray. They did, all natural, too. It was about 90% effective.

We also purchased a smoothie, which was just ok, nothing special. If you headed out in the morning with out eating, this is your first option. They also had jewelry and small souvenirs. This stop also offers port-a-potties, although they were not super clean. They also ran out of toilet paper, so I went back to the food truck and got some napkins. There are walking paths here, but they are dirt, so on rainy days they will be muddy and slippery.

Our next stop was unscheduled, we saw a bunch of parked cars along the road, so we decided to park and get out to see what everyone was stopping for.

We were pleasantly surprised by our finding. Again, another reason to spend the night in Hana. You will see cars pulled over at various places, that you did not know about, and you will want to have the time to stop if you feel like it, and wander around with out rushing back to the car to get to your next stop. I am not sure exactly where this is located. It was after Twin Falls but before Waikamoi Nature Trail.

There will be some falls that you can see from your car (depending on rainfall-we could see a lot). If you are in a slow moving line, you can just take pictures out of your window. We were there during the off season, so although there were cars on the road with us, we were never at a standstill unless we were waiting our turn to cross one of the many one lane bridges. You can get an idea from the photo above how the rainforest grows right up to the road. The whole trip looks similar to the photo above…green, green, green. The nice thing about the traffic is you are going so slow at times that it makes it easier to find the places you are looking for. We still ended up missing stops 5 and 6 on my list.  I believe we missed stop 6 because I was still looking for stop 5. One must be adaptable on the Road to Hana.

This is technically Stop 2 from my list, Waikamoi Nature Trail in the Ko’olau Forest Reserve. Everyone talks about all of the waterfalls on the Road to Hana, but they do not always mention the amazing rain forests. We loved this stop! It is located between mile markers 9 and 10, on the right side of the road. It is about a 20 minute drive from Twin Falls (of course, that would vary immensely due to traffic).

I would say that it is a quick .75 mile loop, but some parts of the path are a little more slow going than others.  Again, rainy days make for muddy, slippery trails, so be careful, but go! One word of advice, if you have any intention of trying to get close to the waterfalls or hike in the forest, do not wear flip flops. My husband was in hiking boots, because United misplaced one of our suitcases, and I was in hiking, water sandals. You want to wear something that can get wet, but will offer you a lot of traction.

Did you know that there are Redwood trees in Maui? To say that they were impressive would be an understatement. Are you beginning to see why you do not want to feel rushed while driving the Road to Hana? We just “Wowed” our way along the path, reveling in the peace and beauty that surrounded us.

Back on the road…pulling in to spots on the left on your way down is not recommended, because crossing traffic near blind turns can end badly. It is recommended that you see things on the right on the way down and the left on your way back. On the far side of the road is a bamboo forest, we hiked through one the next day in Haleakala National Park. The road is as twisty and turny as you’ve heard. It is a series of curves all the way down. It never lets up. You really need to go the speed limit here, if you cross into oncoming traffic’s lane they have nowhere to go. There are also bikers on this road and you probably won’t see them until you are practically on top of them. The locals will be driving faster, do not attempt to go their speed. They know what they road will do next, you do not. If you have a long line behind you, you are expected to pull over as soon as possible to let others pass. It is an amazingly beautiful, yet sometimes terrifying, drive. If you are not the driver, there is so much to see that you can distract yourself. My husband and I took turns driving which allowed us both a chance to really appreciate all of the stunning scenery.

We also took turns making videos of the drive.

Ahh, the iconic Halfway to Hana stop. We weren’t planning on stopping here. I had read that the food wasn’t that good and that the best banana bread was to be found at Aunt Sandy’s (which we accidentally passed, it is a few minutes drive off the main highway). We changed our minds because I felt like I wanted to say that I’ve been there. We bought some banana bread, it was burnt, and two shaved ices. The shaved ice was pretty good, the banana bread was not. The reviews were all correct, plus the workers were crabby, slow and somewhat rude. We tossed half the banana bread and decided to go back and find Aunt Sandy’s, as we had realized as soon as we passed the turn off, that we missed the road to the best banana bread on the island and knew exactly how to find it. It was so much better! Fresh, warm, moist and not burnt! They do not have a website, but if you google the name a map will come up with its location and some photos.

Aunt Sandy’s also happens to be located right across from Keanae Lookout, between mile marker 17 and 18, which was another planned stop on our list. It is on Keanae Rd, which is located at one of the curves in the road. If you are heading south, you will essentially go straight onto the road instead of staying on Hana Highway.

This was a pretty little spot that we spent a little time exploring.

Time for I Spy, round two. How many waterfalls can you see on the cliffs leading to the ocean? Again, a benefit for us, visiting after the island had received so much rain. There were so many waterfalls! The strength and intensity of recent rainfall determines the size and speed of the falls, some of them dry up all together after periods of time with no rain.

Our next stop was amazing, I literally could not get all of the waterfalls in one picture. There were seven that we spotted, I could only get five of them in at one time. You can see this view from the parking lot. This is the view looking inland. You may find this spot named either Wailua Valley State Wayside Park or Wailua Overlook. It is located before mile marker 19 on the right side of the road.

There are a set of concrete stairs that you climb to the overlook. If you take the stairs up, you will be able to see Wailua Village. The church that you see in the picture is named Our Lady of Fatima Shrine and is made entirely of white coral.

Our next stop was Three Bears Falls, also known as Upper Waikani Falls. The falls are located a bit past mile marker 21, on the right side of the road. Many people think this is the best waterfall on the Road to Hana. However, if you take the time to spend the night in Hana and then continue farther down the road past Hana, you will have the time and energy to hike the Pipiwai Trail, which ends at Waimoku Falls, and they are utterly spectacular! Not to diminish the beauty of the Three Bears Falls, they are certainly worth the effort to get to.  I read in a blog post that there is a muddy trail that will lead you down to the falls. I am not sure where that trail was, these falls are very close to the road and nothing resembling a trail stood out to us. We were all ready so close to them that it didn’t seem worth climbing down a rocky, wet, muddy slope to get a little bit closer.

This picture is a close up of the mini waterfall which was running down the side of the cliff next to the Three Bears Falls. One reason why these falls are so popular is that they rarely disappoint. The water here is not diverted for sugar irrigation, so they are generally pretty full, which means you don’t arrive expecting to see a rushing waterfall and are greeted instead with a trickle. I promise you, you will find yourself savoring the moment while you are viewing these falls.

Here is a short, ten second clip of the falls.

Our next stop was very easy to find, with a well defined parking lot, bathrooms, picnic tables and walking paths. You will have to walk across the road from the parking lot to the park.

Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside Park was a lovely place to stop. It is located between mile marker 22 and 23 on the right side of the road, however, parking is on the left side. This was the only spot on our entire drive where we got rained on. The rain was light and was over in less than five minutes. It didn’t stop us from wandering around, it just stopped us from taking photos for a bit.

As we were driving to our final stop for the day, we encountered three more significant waterfalls. They were not included in any of the guidebooks that I read or the websites that I visited. I am not including them here because I can only tell you they were located between mile marker 23 and 32, which isn’t very helpful. What is more helpful is to keep an eye out for a lot of parked cars and get out to see what everyone is looking at.

Here is a 27 second short video of the falls.

Amazing, spectacular, beautiful, fun….not enough words to describe Waianapanapa State Park. It is located past mile marker 32. A remarkable black, volcanic sand beach, plus lava rocks and cliffs jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, sensational waves crashing into the cliffs, sea caves, blowholes and sea arches line this state park. There is ample parking at the park and they have cabins for rent (you would need to book very far in advance and the cabins do not contain linens, they would be defined as ‘rustic’). There are over 3 miles of trails ending at Hana Bay. In fact, the park covers 120 acres, there is so much to see here that I was extremely disappointed that I did not allocate an entire day just to spend at this park.

First we visited the black sand beach, then we headed over to the blowhole that we could see to the right. This one is well marked, plus you can’t help but notice it while you are standing on the beach. It is fun to watch and during the bigger ‘eruptions’ you will get sprayed with water, which feels great on a hot day. It was very windy here, I’m not sure if that is normal for this area, but the day we were there it was extremely windy.

This park isn’t your best choice for swimming. It does have some bay areas that are a little more protected, but the waves are strong and relentless, so if you do wander in, stay near the beach. You are free to explore the entire park, including the cliffs. I am sure at some point you will see someone doing something that makes you wonder if they are purposely trying to eliminate themselves from the gene pool. We saw people trying to get near the bottom of some steep cliffs while the cliffs were being pounded by waves.

This is an example of those waves. They are fun to watch from a distance. We are actually farther away than it looks in this photo, I was zooming in. There are other people standing on the other side of the cliff that you can’t not see because of the wave, but they are getting soaked. It was funny watching them, as none of them seemed to realize that they were going to get drenched where they were standing. Every time a big wave came in, we would hear someone scream and see them running away. When approaching any area with strong waves pounding the shore, it’s always best to stand back and observe for five minutes or so, as some of the waves will be smaller and lure people closer in. Also, look at the ground to see if it is wet. One guideline for being safe near blowholes is to stay where the ground is dry, also at high tide, you need to be farther away. If you want to get splashed, there are plenty of places you can stand and still be a safe distance from the edge.

My husband took dozens of videos, but he was on a slow motion kick so you don’t get to be amused by the tourists running away when they realize they are going to get really wet.

I would have loved to spend more time here, we did stay for about an hour, but by the time we got here, we were really tired. The Road to Hana takes about 2 hours with no stops. We took over 7 hours to reach our condo in Hana. We were able to take our time at each stop, stop as many times as we wanted to, and not feel rushed at any time through out the day. After an hour here, we were hungry and worn out. We had been up with minimal sleep for 24 hours because of our debacle of flights on United the day before (although we did sleep for 7 hours in Paia before starting down to Hana) and we wanted to check out our condo, which was located directly off of Hana Bay.

We absolutely loved everything we stopped to see and do. The drive is stressful, because of all the blind turns, bikers, cars randomly stopped around a curve….you get the idea….so not having to drive back that day massively relieved stress. We also loved being in Hana and staying at the Hana Kai Maui Condos. There are some things I would have done differently. I would have absolutely stayed an extra night in Hana. We stayed two, I would have stayed three. Day two was spent exploring past Hana and will be the topic of the next blog. I would have used the extra day to spend at Waianapanapa State Park. I knew how remarkable the park would be, but I underestimated how tired we would be (of course, I also did not think I would have spent almost 24 hours trying to get to Maui, when it should have taken 10 hours) and I thought we would have been able to see more of the park on our drive down. I also would not have wasted any money at the Halfway to Hana stop, Aunt Sandy’s is the place you want to go.

Finally, if you were following along from my itinerary blog post, you will notice that we did not stop at Kaumahina State Wayside Park. We meant to do it on the way back and we simply forgot. It is a lovely park and I wish we would have remembered to stop there. By that time, I had Haleakala National Park on my mind and completely forgot to stop here. We also never found the large turnout which was supposed to have a view of the twists and turns of the highway. Honestly, I don’t think it exists. The road is so surrounded by rain forests that the only way you could get a shot like that would be from a helicopter….so ignore stop 5. We also missed Ke’anae Arboretum, probably because I was still looking for the magical turnout with the view of the highway. We did make quite a few unplanned stops, which were all delightful, so we didn’t feel as if we had missed out when we accidentally drove past something.

I LOVED the Road to Hana and recommend it 100%. If you go, allow yourself the luxury of time and stay in Hana for a couple of nights. There is so much to see and do, you won’t be sorry! As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as Fine Art Prints and Digital Downloads at full resolution for purchase through Savor the Moment Photography Shop. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure  the image is available.)

More Things to See and Do in Hana

The Seven Sacred Pools

Visiting the Red Sand Beach

Hiking the Pipiwai Trail

Oceanfront Accomodations in Hana

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