We are going to Maui next month (have been there before) but have never done the Road to Hana. Most of our friends say "skip it." I am in the process of reading the Hana section in MAUI REVEALED and am wondering if there are enough sights along the way that we could turn around without going all the way to Hana. I would like to see waterfalls, lush and ocean scenery and maybe a little hike and picnic. Any suggestions would be appreciated. (We are 56.)

Aloha emckeeve,

Personally, I would'nt miss it... I loved Hana, we stayed 1 night there in the middle of our stay on Maui, and it afforded us the time to leisurely explore the area. It really is lovely if you're not racing to "get through it".

Do a search for "Hana" on this forum & and you'll find a wealth of info.

Enjoy!

Hana is not your destination--the journey itself is the destination. You can turn around at any point.

My family and I have driven the road, with Maui Revealed as our guide, and there were so many beautiful sites along the way, we never made it to Hana itself..... we swam under waterfalls, ate a picnic lunch overlooking the most beautiful vistas imaginable.

The beauty is breathtaking.....don't miss it

How could someone say "skip it"? I'm as unpatient as anybody when it comes to driving but it is too beautiful to skip! Start early and take your time. You'll be glad you did!

In my opinion, Hana is not that impressive but the area past Hana is. Hiking up to and swimming in the seven "sacred" pools was amazing. The view is incredible. Also, although rental car companies forbid you driving all the way around the island, I found that the road wasn't bad even in a sedan.

When we planned our trip, we had several people advise us not to do the Road to Hanna. We decidied to take a guided tour instead of driving ourselves. We loved the adventure and loved not having to drive and actually see all the sites. The tour only had 12 people and we stopped at varies sites. We were given enough time to look around and explore. Also if we wanted a pic opportunity along the way, we just told the driver and he stopped. We went all the way around and had a wonderful set lunch in Hanna. Our driver was full of personality and provided excellant stories and history of Maui. It was a great experience.

There is certainly a lot to see before you get to Hana, but as stated before, it's the journey, not the destination. Think of it as "driving the Hana Highway" as opposed to "the road to Hana" because there's not much IN the tiny town of Hana itself, it's all the sights up and down the highway that are awesome. People get this narrow focus sometimes and get to Hana and are upset that there's no "there" there.

Enjoy the ride, check out some waterfalls, a black sand beach, some beautiful vistas, and turn around whenever you desire, or go all the way around...the backside of Haleakala is breathtaking, and you can see to the Big Island if it's clear and the entire Kihei/Wailea area at one point in the drive.

We stayed two nights in Hana to really explore, and we barely cracked the surface of what there is to see; we could have stayed a week and not been bored (but we love hiking). You will see some incredibly beautiful and unique places and if you've never frolicked in a waterfall, how can you turn down the opportunity??

I have a very detailed trip report on our July 2003 trip to Maui here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34436140

Let me know if you have any specific questions!

love
roxy

Thank you for your thoughtful replies.

If you are going to spend the time to drive to a certain point just to turn around, you might just as well skip it! We did the whole thing in about 8 hours. If you spend 3 or 4 hours driving, then turn around, you'll miss 3 or 4 hours of scenery you'll never see! On your way back to Paia you'll see the same thing twice. That doesn't make sense! The Maui Revealed book is a great book, but not much help on the Road to Hana. Be real clear in understanding the mile markers or you'll miss a lot-like we did.

To tommyd. So you're saying we should make the full circle? I don't want to make the drive just to make the drive. The point of the day trip for us was to see some of the sights along the way and spend time there - not just drive and look out the window. Can we do that in 8 hours and have quality time along the way?

No, emckeeve, you do not need to do then entire drive to have an enjoyable day. I often take short day trips to various points along the north shore or into east Maui. Each drive is different--the weather and the sky changes, I see something I missed before... Take a short drive or make a day out of it, but enjoy yourself. I think too many of those who dislike the "Road to Hana" do so because they went on a forced march with overbuilt expections. It is just a road that happens to travel through some very beautiful terrain. You'll know if this something you find enjoyable better than some strangers on a message board. Pack some water and snacks in the car and head out. Go as far as you want and then come back. Take in the sights, open your windows and listen, smell the floweres. Stop when the muse hits you. Think of it as a Sunday drive, not a forced march or the Paris to Dakkar road rally.

I thought Maui Revealed presented a great deal of info and EXCELLENT maps and directions for the Hana Highway, pointing out many waterfalls and places to visit along the way, and using the mile markers on the map and referring to them in their directions. They even give instructions on how to cross one lane bridges. How can you misunderstand mile markers? And can you explain how the book was "not much help" on the Hana Highway?

love
roxy

Could you tell us who these strange people are who told you to skip the Road to Hana? Have they ever been to the islands?

Thank you, "here_today." That's exactly what we'll do. And I agree with Roxy. The Maui Revealed book seemed to be very detailed about the trip. As for those who said "skip it," I imagine they are the ones who raced over and raced back just to say they did it, not enjoying "the journey" at all.

The people who say "skip it" have already had the privilege of making the decision for themselves (hopefully they're not just blindly repeating secondhand info!) and you should too! Hana Highway is definitely the place for "waterfalls, lush and ocean scenery and maybe a little hike and picnic"!

love
roxy

CalgirlSusan
"Could you tell us who these strange people are who told you to skip the Road to Hana?"
They are probably the same ones who think the real Hawaiian experience is laying out at the Four Season and being spritzed with Evian while talking on the cells.
-Bill

Is it a real Hawaiian experience if the guy spritzing me with Evian is Hawaiian? What if he spritzes me with POG?

ohh yeah,
roxy

I will be the lone disenter. I would not due the Road to Hana again. We were there in January of 2003; the island had not had much rain prior to our arrival and the waterfalls were very puny/dry. The seven sacred pools looked like the seven cess pools with no water running between them and the water that was in the pools was stagnant.

That being said, I would not tell people not to go...just in cases of limited time, etc I would vote on the skip side. We were there the wrong time of the year (and perhaps even the wrong year).

I also may just be bitter because I got bitten by the red ants on the black sand beach. Bugs love to bite me where ever I travel.

roxy,
Hmmmmm...now that you mention it....
-Bill