cmaples

Leaving for Maui in 2 weeks and finalizing plans. What are some must see sites on the road to Hana?
Thanks

Loungin

The best thing you can do is buy the CD that guides you through the road to Hana. I can't remember if the rental car companies give these out or if you have to purchase them in a store, but definitely make sure you get one. It tells you exactly when and where to stop and what to see. The road to Hana is a great experience. Also, the rental car companies will tell you to not drive past Hana all the way around the back side of Maui. DO NOT LISTEN to them. Make sure you drive all the way around. It only adds about another 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to the drive. The scenery is unbelievable. I would absolutely do it again. Have a safe trip. Maui is incredible.

kikahead

I would agree with Loungin, we went everywhere in our rental car (even in the "no-go" areas) and has no problems. I would also recommend buying "Maui Revealed" as it has tons of tips for the Road to Hana. Just note that we never found the first waterfall listed and another couples we ran into on the road couldn't find it either. We were there the wrong time of year; maybe that's why.

bluefan

cmaples, search for other Road to Hana posts and replies from Loungin, Doug, myself and others and you're bound to find many "must see" sites mentioned. Definitely agree that having a guidebook like "Maui Revealed" is extremely beneficial for doing this trip!

Hey kikahead, are you refering to the "four falls" from Maui Revealed? I gave the book to a buddy so I'm not sure if it's one of the first ones mentioned, but if it is, I too missed it! I ended up hiking quite a ways in the rain and muck before realizing I was on the wrong trail!!! Bummer, but I thought the book was great nonetheless.

Retired_teacher

Purchase the guide tape that the Shell station out by the airport sells; it's usually listed in the free rental car maps. The tape will give you all the sites by milepost markers with narration about each stop. We also drove back around the south side of Maui in a rental sedan. There were a couple of tight places, but it's passable in good weather. I would not have wanted to attempt it with rain, however. There were several spots where you could see that the road washes out with flash flooding. So read your rental agreement, keep an eye on the weather, and enjoy an entirely different perspective of the leeward side of the island.

RachelG

The road to Hana is definitely something that you must do, but only once! My most vivid recollection is my oldest son throwing up 5 times on the trip--you would think that eventually his stomach would be empty, but no. Seriously, make sure you hike down to the black sand beach that is near Hana. It is really beautiful.

Doug

Hey cmaples,

Agree with all of the above posters, especially kikahead and bluefan who recommended buying Maui Releaved. This guidebook was terrific is telling you exactly when and where to stop and where to look to spot certain waterfalls, trailheads to hikes, ...

And as bluefan mentioned, there has been numerous previous posts about the Road...do a search and you'll get lots and lots of information.

One thing I would tell you is too leave EARLY (7ish if you can get yourself up that early)....the Road to Hana is a very long journey, especially if you stop at most of the highlights described in M.R. Also, the earlier you leave the less traffic there is on the road....more opportunity to glance around and enjoy the beautiful scenery.