Haleakala Summit and Hana in two days -- best route?
 

Hello, we will make our first trip to Maui this summer. We are staying 6 nights in west Maui with one night in the middle (double booked) in Hana. Can we leave West Maui, do The Haleakala Summit at sunrise then proceed to Hana from there?

Also, once we leave Haleakala, can we take the backside to Hana and stop to do the Pipiwai Trail and Oheo gulch, then spend the night in Hana, while the next morning continue the road to Hana backwards toward Paia? I want to make frequent stops without being rushed.

Is this advisable? I also thought maybe we could proceed to Hana first, then the following day do the summit at sunset, but I'm afraid I'll regret never knowing if the sunrise is really that spectacular.

How bad is the drive on the backside? I've read very different opinions, rental car contract issues, etc, but I really want to see as much as possible, however I do want to come out alive :).

Thank you in advance.

Well...Hana is *a* middle...the middle of nowhere. The middle of Maui is closer to Maalaea.

You don't need to drive the backside of Haleakala at all, and I wouldn't do it on the outside of the road -- or if my rental car contract forbids it. It is a good idea to drive directly to your lodging in Hana FROM Paia, check in, then investigate beyond your lodging -- traveling back TOWARDS Paia the next day, against the traffic of people doing "The Road" in one long day. Most people do Haleakala + Upcountry in one outing -- perhaps including Iao Valley for an hour or so.

Is it not possible to do Haleakala either sunrise and sunset in combination with Hana since I'm devoting two days to this portion of our trip?

Don't know since I did them on two separate days but I refuse to get up in the middle of the night when on vacation, we drove up late morning and had a nice view. It is colder than heck so take a jacket, and then had a nice lunch UpCountry which we really liked. Road to Hana was totally underwhelming to myself and my late husband but we had been spoiled by the North Shore of Kauai. I am sure you will have a lovely time, most people really like it.

Yeah, you could do Haleakala for sunrise and then the RTH, but if you're wanting to drive the backside, I'd think you'd want to do it on the inside, uphill lane.

Check your map. Do you see that you take Rte. 37 from Kahului up to Puklanai? Do you see that then you take Rte. 377 (very winding road) up to the volcano? You would then have to take Rte. 377 back down again to Pukulani to Rte. 37. You'd be OK as far as the inery, but beyond that you would be on Rte. 31, driving on the *outside lane* of a narrow and mostly unimproved road until you get to Kipahulu. (This is slow going and more of an endurance run than 'fun' in my book. It is prohibited by many rental agency contracts because of the poor condition of the road and because they don't want to come help you if you have a problem.)

Thank you for the advice. I'm leaning now toward two separate trips on two different days. Thinking of doing Haleakala on one day, and the RTH the next. Also, thinking of devoting just one day to Hana, and not spending the night. I really am determined to do the Pipiwai trail though. I've read several places to drive straight to the trail (or beyond), do the hike then make stops on the RTH on the way back. Can I do this all in one day?? I read such varying opinions.

There's absolutely no reason you couldn't do the Sunrise Summit then shoot over to Hana on the back route. It'll actually be better since you'll encounter less traffic on that side at the time of day. I've traveled both routes to Hana several times and in both directions and while it's not fast, it's not a big deal. Take your time and you'll likely find it rather pleasant.

Here's what I'd do:

Day 1
Hit the summit for Sunrise. Take the back route to the Pipiwai Trail. Do the hike. Drive to Hana. Check in. Eat. Explore. Sleep.

Day 2
Explore. Drive the Hana Hwy back to Paia. Enjoy the stops along the way. You'll actually be less rushed than most people who drive over and back in one day.

Important tips: take warm clothes for the summit and plenty of snacks for the road.