I left my hotel in Kaanapali around 5:30am and headed towards the Kīpahulu Region of Haleakala National Park with the GPS directing me south of Haleakala to make a loop around the island. The Road to Hana stretches north of Haleakala and wraps around the eastern coast to the southeast corner of Maui. When my GPS routed around the south coast, I was all for taking the less traveled route, avoiding some of the tourist traffic that I was guaranteed to encounter on the road to Hana. Never did it cross my mind that my low clearance Nissan Altima rental could potentially have issues along the highway.

As I drove, I was greeted with a beautiful sunrise as a drove through rural farms along the south coast. There were no stores, gas stations, or public buildings, just small farmhouses and rolling hills. It was a very windy road with many one-lane bridges, but luckily there were no other cars to contend with. I didn’t realize why until the paved highway transitioned into mix of gravel and patchwork paving. I was still almost twenty miles from the Kīpahulu visitor center so it was a slow, bumpy ride. This was the first time I had ever been motion sick from my own driving! I thought about turning back for the sake of the rental’s suspension, but detouring back to the road to Hana would have added over three hours onto the already seven hours of driving I had planned for the day. That being said, both the car and I made it to the visitor center after a quick stop for a fruit bowl from a beautiful little far near Kakanoni Point. It was the freshest, most delicious fruit I’ve ever had!

Although it was a super long day with seven hours of driving, the sights along the Road to Hana was totally worth it. Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls was the one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done so I highly recommend it if you’re in the area. And below are a few of my favorite stops along the Road to Hana!

Wailua Falls

This was my first stop after leaving Kīpahulu. The waterfall was impressive but right off the highway resulting in huge crowds. I only stopped for a minute and it was worth it, but I wouldn’t try to stay here too long or take lots of pictures because of all of the tourists.

Hamoa Beach

I heard about this beach because of the creamy soft sand and the clear blue water. It’s fairly popular for surfing, but when I got there the surf was harsh with huge waves crashing close to shore. It looked like it was about to rain as well so I didn’t stay long.

Kaihalulu Beach

The red sand beach is definitely one to visit if you’re driving the road to Hana. It was a short but treacherous ten minute hike from the road where you can park (but there are only a few spots so get there early if you want to stay). Definitely make sure you have good footwear to get to the beach. I didn’t go all the way down to the beach because I was pretty tired and the undertow was too strong to swim. It was a really cool sight from the cliffs above though!

Makapipi Falls

This waterfall is underneath a bridge on the road to Hana. Be careful when visiting this one because the one lane bridge is very narrow and lots of cars drive through. Looking down at the falls from above was pretty unique, and seeing it plunge down into the pool 40 feet below. Apparently this one is weather dependent, but when I was there the rain made it a sight to see.

Wailua Valley State Wayside

This lookout is a short five minute hike from the roadside pull off for gorgeous views of Wailua Valley. You can see cliffs and waterfalls far into the distance towering over a lush green valley below. When the weather is nice you can see Haleakala crater as well. When I was there, it was cloudy and mysterious making for some really interesting views as well! Definitely worth the quick stop.

Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread

Seriously the best banana bread of my life! They make it with the sweet little apple bananas native to the island. Their haupia ice cream was excellent as well. It’s only a short detour from the road to Hana and totally worth it for a quick snack!

Ho’okipa Beach Park

This overlook yields gorgeous views of the ocean and north coast. I stopped here for a while, watching surfers in the waves below. It was fairly busy but it was a large area with lots of parking so it didn’t feel too bad.

Twin Falls

This is arguably the most popular attraction on the road to Hana with lots of traffic every day. It’s a short ten minute walk to the falls, and it was pretty cool although maybe not worth the stop. I personally preferred other falls that I had already seen that day without the crowds of people, so I just made a quick stop here before going back to the hotel.

Although I only had one day to explore the Road to Hana, I had an amazing time seeing many of the most beautiful sights. I found that the areas that I loved most were those that were the most difficult to get to. The countryside west of Kaupo. Getting to it is the tricky part! The road is often closed to be sure to check confirming that it’s open before trying to drive through an take a high clearance vehicle if possible. I wish I could have had more time to spend on the Road to Hana, but what I did see was amazing and I would love to go back and spend a few days driving around and lounging on the beaches. This was one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii and I highly recommend that anyone visiting Maui try to see some of these gems on along the Road to Hana. See the map below for all of the stops that I took along my way!