We'd like to see the sunrise on the Maui volcano, but don't want the bike trip down (for medical and other reasons). Also, because we're staying in the northwest side of Maui, we know it's a long trip just to do the Hana Road and back (without staying over in Hana, and skipping the volcano). Leads us to questions:

1. Are we nuts to want to drive our own car (one-day trip) from way up on the NW side (Ritz Carlton) at 3AM, get to the volcano for sunrise, back down to the Hana Road, go as far as the Seven Pools by mid-day and then drive all the way back to the NW corner? We know we could B&B at Hana but that's xtra $$ for us.

2. How far away is public parking on the main volcano road from the top where you can do the sunrise? Is there a shuttle from the base/Hana Rd, or from a midway parking lot to the top?

3. If we skip the Hana Rd self-drive, do just the volcano, are there van services without the bicycle part so we don't have to wait for bike off-loading etc when sunrise is done?

4. Other advice from the experienced on our hypotheses?

I have seen several sunrises from the top of Haleakala, and have always driven myself. BUT, I always spent the night before in a nearby hotel (in Wailuku or Kahului) to shave an hour off my leaving time. Even then, I had to leave the hotel by 3:30.

It is bumper to bumper traffic going up but not so bad going down because some people hang around, some leave right away, etc. I don't know exactly when the bikes start downhill because they never interfered with my leaving.

You will be very tired and I DON'T recommend doing the sunrise and the drive to Hana in the same trip. To be perfectly honest with you, I was tired of the drive to Hana within an hour. And there was nothing worth seeing in Hana, anyway. So you might want to think about doing the sunrise and then doing the first hour or so to Hana and then turn around and come back. It is definitely NOT the type of road you want to nod off on!

I've been once and didn't see bumper-to-bumper traffic. Don't let that one comment stop you from going. Everyone's experience is different. There were other vehicles there when we arrived, and there were two in front of us, but in no way was it bumper/bumper. Time of year might make the difference. So far, beither of you has indicated when. Let me be the first : October 26th.

You will be tired, that's for sure.
Public parking is right there at the observation point - a short walk - and there's a public restroom.
I'd be interested in reading comments by here_today...

Now that I read this again - We drove to Hana, with the audio tape in the rental car. The tape suggests points of interest, based upon mile markers. A couple of the mile markers are either overgrown or missing for other reasons. Not a huge deal, but funny for us, as we thought we missed one, turned around and re-traced our drive and learned that we didn't "miss it" after all. It simply wasn't there any longer.

The road to Hana and back was told to me to be extremely rough. It was suggested that our rented Jeep Grand Cherokee was too long of a wheelbase to make the turns. I couldn't believe the BS I heard at the hotel bar at GWR. If I had a rubberband gun, I would have shot this guy later.
In some places, it is rough dirt. There's some cattle grates. There's some areas that were paved so long ago that need to be re-paved. Once you round the bend and can see the curvature of the earth over the ocean, there's miles of road that is new and so smooth, a person could rollerblade on it easily. Doing this loop is like a safe adventure. Enough of the unknown to keep a person driving onward to see what's next, but also it is civilized enough in some areas that you know everything's gonna be allright.

There may not be any Top Five spots that people talk about to see in Hana, but I'll bet they are there, nonetheless. There's certainly enough along the way. A camera enthusiast would really enjoy this drive. We saw the seven sacred pools and ate lunch there. Swam, took photos. The usual. The black sand beaches, there's a touristy garden off a side road (near a good-sized fruitstand) that was closed at the time we were at the garden gate...There's tons more to do on the road to Hana...Anybody else chime in here???

Anyone who drove to Hana and saw "nothing" there gypped himself. There are countless sights along the way including waterfalls, dramatic overlooks, pools in which to swim and a black sand beach, Wai`anapanapa (complete with blowholes, lava tubes and land bridges). We rented a house there a dozen years ago and visited, among others, two great beaches, Red Sand and Hamoa, the Fagan Cross overlooking the Bay (whose residents were obliterated by a tsunami in the 1940s), the Queen's birthplace (a short swim), trails, and, up the Road, the Pools and Lindbergh's grave, just scratching the surface. The scenery on the back side is world class. Even Hasegawa's General Store is great entertainment and a fascinating look at another time for most of us. My young children thought it the highlight of our drive there last November. The peace at night when the daytrippers left was priceless. May it ever be so.

We were in Maui just about 3 weeks ago
. Anyway...The road to Hana was the highlight of our trip. But, you can't just drive the road..you must stop! As they said in Maui Revealed, It's the journey not the destination!!

Suggestion: Do sunrise at Haleakala the first morning there. We did & drove from Kaanapali at 3am. Since we're from the east coast, it felt like 9am to us!

The drive there takes about 45 mins and we did not encounter bumper to bumper traffic going up the well paved road to the summit. This was in May. We took great time lapse photos of the sun coming up with the clouds below us.

The access to Haleakala summit is not from the same area as the Hana Highway, so would definitely advise doing these on separate days. There is no shuttle.

As previously stated, it's the many beautiful things to see along the way that make the Hana drive interesting and memorable. Hana is nice, and seeing the 7 pools & bamboo forest & waterfalls at that side of the national park was enjoyable as well. The Hana thing is a full day, and would probably be best when you are better rested and adjusted to time change a few days into your trip.

Also, that info about the Grand Cherokee is inaccurate, as on our way back from Hana we followed a local in a Grand Cherokee in torrential rains and they handled the road like a pro at 30-35 mph with no problems whatsoever.

Well, luckily we're not all alike or the world would be a boring place. I know only a few of us have posted about how unimpressed we were with Hana and the trip there. Maybe it was because we lived in Hawaii and had already experienced the black sand beaches, waterfalls, etc., but my husband and I were truly bored with the trip. Hasegawa Store was not that different from other old stores on Kauai and Oahu at the time. As I said, this is only my opinion and a few others I know (all whom lived in Hawaii).

On the other hand, we never tired of the sunrises (or sunsets), or hiking, at Haleakala. We went at different times of the year but my memory of the worst traffic up was a full moon in September, and obviously the full moon had something to do with that. I was never lucky enough to experience no traffic at all. We always stopped to eat on the way back, in either Makawao or Kula.

At least we agree to not do the sunrise and Hana in the same day!

We just returned a few weeks ago; believe me, you CAN'T do all that you planned in a day. It took us two unrushed days just to do Hana and the pools. We left for Hana on our first morning from a hotel by the airport; it's easy to get up early that first day. If you can change your other hotel reservations for the first few days, you will save time and money. I get car sick, so I took Bonine (a must if you get at all queasy)and was fine. We stopped in Paia for a box lunch - it took us all day to get to Hana, as we stopped to hike numerous times. (That first fruit stand has samples - try them all and buy!). You don't need a jeep; we even took some unmarked dirt roads just to explore ( found a secluded beach for our picnic lunch) and had no problem whatsoever. Don't miss the Black Sand Beach in Hana (State Park), especially the cave right off the beach, or the Red Sand Beach - follow the trail and keep going til you can't go any further. We rented a place cheaply on the beach just for the night and went on to Seven Sacred Pools the next day. When hiking, go beyond them and through the Bamboo Forest; it's an awesome hike and there is passion fruit everywhere to eat. Finally, make reservations at Mama's Fish House on your return trip (late afternoon) - fabulous and I don't even like fish!
We didn't do the mountain drive, so I can't comment on that. If you want to do it all, probably it would be best to spend the night in one of those upcountry B & b'S on the way back from Hana.