What makes the road to Hana famous is the plenty of beauty in the form of colorful surroundings, lush vegetation, picturesque views, flourishing rainforests, dramatic seascapes, plunging pools, and so many waterfalls. The road to Hana is all about the journey and not the destination where you will experience adventures at every corner. Hana town is a very charming little town with no hustle and bustle so the drive is less about hurrying up and reaching Hana and more about enjoying the adventure.
The road to Hana is 64 miles of winding road that contains 600 sharp turns, 65 hairpin switchbacks, and 59 one-lane bridges. Twin waterfalls, adventures in rain forests, and black sand beaches are the most popular sights on the road to Hana. If you are driving to Road to Hana for the very first time, start early and don’t spend much time on each stop as it will prevent you from covering maximum spots. A guided road to Hana tour is chosen by many first-time tourists as it is considered safe and more productive when compared to self-driving or CD tours. Driving to the one-lane bridges, blind corners, and winding roads will exhaust you and make your trip less enjoyable.
8 Best Road to Hana Stops for a Day Trip
The incredible road to Hana features many sights and stops that make it one of the go-to destinations on Maui. Here are the best stops that you can enjoy on your next trip to the road to Hana:
- Ho’okipa Beach Park
Ho’okipa Beach Park is a famous destination on the historic Hana highway and is nestled in between the town of Paia and Haiku Town Center. Indubitably, Ho’okipa is one of the most renowned beaches in Hawaii recognized for various watersports activities such as surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, paddling, and more. It has also gained popularity due to the migration of the Hawaiian green sea turtles. The beach park offers much more than just beauty and cool aloha vibes.
- Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees
By the side of the road around mile markers 6 and 7 there is a cluster of mesmerizing rainbow eucalyptus trees. These unique trees have multi-colored bark that peels off revealing new bark below in streaks of vibrant orange, blue and green.
- Twin Falls
Twin Falls is one of the most amazing and easily accessible waterfalls on the road to Hana. The lower falls are located at an easy short walk from the parking lot where you can also grab freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, coconut candy, and locally grown fruit from a stand. Tourists have to cover a one-mile roundtrip hike through a beautiful trail to reach the upper falls and have a bath in the freshwater pool.
- Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden is one of the top spots on the road to Hana. It’s a beautiful arboretum that has even been recognized by the State of Hawaii for proper land use management and conservation practices. The grounds are perfectly maintained and feature over 700 labeled herbaceous species, rich tropical varieties of flowers, plants, trees, and more. There is a fantastic art gallery full of Maui souvenirs and locally made gifts that you can adore and purchase. Tourists have to pay a $20 fee to enter the Maui Garden of Eden.
- Ke’anae Peninsula
The Ke’anae Peninsula is located at a short diversion from the main road and is just past the Ke’anae Arboretum on the left. At the end of the peninsula, you will find a parking lot, baseball field, and public toilets. People fall for the view of the coastline and the pretty waves crashing into the rocks. While driving down the main road, you will find Aunty Sandy’s stand which is popular for freshly made banana bread. It also serves Maui snacks, smoothies, and lunch packs.
- Halfway to Hana Stand
To enjoy the most scrumptious and fresh treats stop at the halfway to Hana stand. The most authentic banana bread is served here along with many others including ice cream, shaves ice, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and more. It gets crowded in the afternoons as it is one of the best fresh food stands on the road to Hana.
- Upper Waikani Falls
Past halfway to Hana is Upper Waikani Falls which is a great location to put on your road to Hana things to do and visit list. There’s no parking at the falls so tourists have to drive an 800ft pass to the parking area and come back walking to the bridge to enjoy their time witnessing waterfalls. The freshwater pool is there to swim but the short trail to the pool is slippery and steep.
- Wai’anapanapa State Park
Wai’anapanapa State Park is one of the favorite destinations of the tourists as well as locals and it requires an entry fee and reservations 14 days in advance. No same-day entry is available on the road to Hana. Turquoise waters, unique black lava pebbles, and luscious natural greenery make it the most stunning spot on the road to the Hana tour as visitors can spend plenty of time doing and enjoying water activities.
