Road to Hana: Complete Mile-by-Mile Stop Guide

The Road to Hana is 64 miles of the most beautiful coastal drive in Hawaii and arguably in the United States. The Hana Highway on Maui's northeast coast winds through more than 600 curves and over 50 one-lane bridges, past waterfalls that drop straight from jungle into the road, along sea cliffs, through banana groves and taro patches, and past roadside stands selling fresh banana bread on the honor system. The point is not reaching Hana. The drive is the experience. Leave early, bring food and water, download offline maps, and do not rush it.

Planning the drive

Leave Kahului by 7:00-7:30 am. This puts you ahead of the main tourist wave and gives you the best light for photography in the morning. The road narrows quickly and tour buses do not start arriving until mid-morning.

Fill your gas tank before leaving Kahului. There is one gas station in Hana (expensive) and no other fuel options along the route. Do not start with less than three-quarters of a tank.

Download offline maps. Cell coverage is intermittent along most of the route. Google Maps and Apple Maps both support offline download; download the area the evening before. A physical backup is worthwhile.

Choose 5-7 stops, not 20. Stopping at every listed attraction creates a rushed, exhausting day. Pick a small number of things you genuinely want to see and give them enough time. The drive between stops is itself the experience.

Mile-by-mile stops guide

Miles are measured from Kahului (Pa'ia is around Mile 9, where the highway officially begins). All GPS coordinates are given as decimal degrees for direct entry into mapping apps.

Mile 2 - Twin Falls (GPS: 20.9019, -156.2597)

The first major waterfall stop, accessible via a short 5-10 minute walk from the roadside parking. Two tiers of falls drop into a large swimming pool. Privately owned; a small donation is requested at the entrance kiosk. Easy and very crowded by mid-morning. Go early or skip if pressed for time -- better falls lie ahead. The trail continues further for about 30 minutes to the upper falls, which are larger and less visited.

Mile 9 - Huelo Lookout and Pa'ia (GPS: 20.9162, -156.2479)

Pa'ia is the last real town before the road narrows. Stop here for gas (last reliable fuel station before Hana), food, coffee, and any supplies you need. Mana Foods is an excellent health food store for snacks and sandwiches. The Huelo Lookout roadside stand sells fresh banana bread and tropical fruit; it is one of the better stops on the early section.

Mile 11 - Garden of Eden Arboretum (GPS: 20.9037, -156.2167)

A private botanical garden with 26 acres of native and exotic tropical plants, multiple overlooks, and access to the Puohokamoa Falls viewing area. Entry fee applies (approximately $20 per adult). This is one of the best-maintained stops on the drive and worth the admission for those interested in botany or dramatic views. The upper and lower falls here are among the most photogenic on the route.

Mile 12 - Kaumahina State Wayside (GPS: 20.8889, -156.2039)

A free state park with restrooms, picnic tables, and a sweeping ocean overlook. One of the best viewpoints on the early section. The view north toward the Ke'anae Peninsula and the ocean is wide and dramatic. The restrooms here are the last reliable ones before Ke'anae. A good place to stretch, eat, and take in the view.

Mile 16 - Ke'anae Peninsula (GPS: 20.8523, -156.1624)

A short detour down Ke'anae Road leads to a flat, isolated peninsula of ancient lava reaching into the ocean. The Ke'anae Congregational Church (1860) stands alone among taro patches. This is one of the most authentic and least-touristed stops on the drive -- a real working community that has been growing taro here for generations. Treat it quietly. The roadside banana bread stands here are outstanding. No facilities.

Mile 17 - Ke'anae Arboretum (GPS: 20.8612, -156.1693)

A free state arboretum with a short walking trail through native Hawaiian plants, introduced trees, and active taro paddies. One of the best spots on the drive to learn about Hawaiian agriculture and native ecosystems without crowds. The trail continues to a small stream pool. Allow 30-45 minutes. Free; no reservation needed.

Mile 22 - Upper Waikani Falls (Three Bears Falls) (GPS: 20.8199, -156.1343)

Three side-by-side waterfalls visible directly from the road at a small pullout. One of the most photographed sites on the drive. No hiking required. Beautiful in full flow after rain; can slow to a trickle in dry spells. Stop briefly and move on; the pullout is small and backing up traffic here is inconsiderate.

Mile 24 - Wailua Valley State Wayside (GPS: 20.8061, -156.1212)

A free overlook above the broad Wailua Valley, with a view of the valley floor's taro paddies and the mountains beyond. One of the more serene views on the drive. Short walk from the parking pullout. Free; no facilities.

Mile 32 - Waianapanapa State Park (GPS: 20.7618, -156.0050)

The black sand beach. This is the most distinctive physical stop on the entire route. The beach is made of wave-worn black basalt pebbles (not sand in the soft sense), with dramatic sea arches, sea caves, and blowholes along the rocky coast. The surrounding vegetation is bright green against the black stone and vivid blue water. The color contrast is extraordinary.

Reservation required. Out-of-state visitors must reserve day-use access in advance at dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp. Admission: approximately $5 per person plus $10 per vehicle. Restrooms and picnic facilities available. Camping is also available with a separate permit. The cultural site here includes heiau (Hawaiian stone temple) remains; treat them with respect.

Mile 36 - Hana (GPS: 20.7596, -155.9898)

The town of Hana is small, quiet, and deliberately uncommercialized. It has a gas station (the last one until after Kipahulu on the return), a few stores, Hasegawa General Store (a local institution since 1910), and a handful of restaurants and food trucks. Hana itself is the destination in name but the experience is in the landscape, not the town. Stop for fuel and food if continuing to Kipahulu. If this is your turnaround point, explore Hana Beach Park and Red Sand Beach (Kaihalulu Beach, a short hike from Hana town, unmarked -- ask locals for the current access path).

Beyond Hana: Kipahulu

The road continues past Hana another 10 miles to the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park. This is where the best of the Road to Hana experience lies, and many day visitors never reach it.

'Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) (GPS: 20.6640, -156.0422) is a series of tiered freshwater pools above and below the road that feed into the ocean. Swimming is periodically closed for safety after heavy rain when flash flooding risk is high -- check with rangers at the Kipahulu Visitor Center on arrival. When open and conditions are favorable, swimming in the lower pools is one of the most memorable experiences on Maui. The Pipiwai Trail begins here: a 4-mile round trip through a towering bamboo forest to the 400-foot Waimoku Falls, one of the best short hikes in Hawaii.

Haleakala National Park entrance fee applies at Kipahulu ($35 per vehicle, valid for 3 days including the summit). The Kipahulu Visitor Center has rangers, restrooms, and interpretive exhibits.

The return: Highway 37 back road option

From Kipahulu, most rental car agreements require you to return the same way you came (back through Hana). There is a back-road option via the Piilani Highway (Highway 37) that continues south and west around the bottom of Haleakala, connecting back to Kahului. This route is shorter in distance but slower due to road quality, and a section near Kaupo is unpaved and subject to damage. Most major rental car companies explicitly exclude this route from coverage. Check your rental agreement before using it. If permitted, the south coast section offers dramatic views of the barren southern lava fields that are unlike anything on the northern route.

Driving it respectfully

People live along this road. The residents of Ke'anae, Hana, and Kipahulu deal with hundreds of tourist cars daily. Use pullouts to let local vehicles pass (they will have a better sense of the road's rhythm than you do). Do not stop on blind curves or block driveways to take photographs. Roadside fruit and vegetable stands often run on the honor system; pay what is asked.

The land along the Road to Hana is largely privately owned. Do not enter private property for waterfall access. Many sites advertised on social media are on private land where trespass has caused conflict with landowners. If a path is not clearly public or posted as open, stay out.

This kind of consideration is what respectful travel in Hawaii looks like in practice: moving through a place as a guest, not a consumer of scenery.