I keep reading about the Road to Hana and difficult a ride it is...many use a Jeep or 4 wheel drive.....can we do it in a minivan?/ We want to go to Hana and then keep going the other way back...

The road to Hana is tough in terms of turns and bridges but does not require a 4WD. If you're planning on circling the island however, you may need one. I've never done that and personally don't recommend it. I think you'd be fine with going from Kaanapali to Hana in a minivan. I've done it in a Mustang.

To keep going on past Hana.....you do most def. need a 4 wheel drive...unless things have changed in the last couple of years. That back part of the road is very very tough. We took a tour and they took us all the way round and it was great...even the drive to Hana was much nicer as I got to look out the window rather than drive it.

I have taken the Road to Hana all the way around and saw lots of compact rental cars on the "backside." I was in a 4-wheel drive but never used that feature. There is a small section (maybe 5 miles?) that is gravel, the rest is paved and some of the pavement is brand new. Don't try the "backside" after a heavy rain. You can get road condition advice at the Kipahulu ranger station beofre continuing on.

The Road to Hana just isnt as treacherous as perceived, in my opinion.
You will be OK in a minivan.

I drove it in a mid size auto no 4 wheel drive, it was bumpy on the back side but worth it. The main paved road is narrow but most drive slow so not a real issue. You really do not want to turn back the other side is to much to miss. Just pack 2 meals and snacks and drinks there is very little food on the road. nick

Hi. We were in Maui two weeks ago and drove to Hana and circled all the way around past Hana back to the high country in a Mustang convertible. It's very different terrain an hour or so past Hana, and very beautiful. On a clear day, you can even see the Big Island. We met a family the day before who did the same drive in a minivan, and they had no trouble whatsoever. This was three days after a huge rainstorm, and we had no problems at all. As the earlier posts describe it, the road has some gravelly, bumpy spots past Hana, but also intermittent paved areas until it reaches the southwest side where it turns into a very niced paved highway again. According to the locals we talked to in Hana, it's longer in miles but takes about the same amount of time becuase there are less curves (we found that to be true). One local told us many locals drive that way back to the center of the island, and it's only really dangerous after a heavy rain. Four-whele drives are not necessary at all. We used the book Maui revealed as a guide, and found it to be very informative. The As it says in the book, if the road were really so bad, why do big tour busses use it?There is a food stand half way to Hana that makes fantastic bananna bread. It's a must stop! And be sure to stop at the black volcanic rock beach state park close to Hana. I think the dangers about the road are more myth than fact. But this was one of my wife's favorite parts of our trip to Maui! Just drive carefully and courteously, and you'll be fine. I agree with he author of Maui Revealed when he wrote that the journey to Hana is better than the destination - there isn't much to Hana itself. Stop and smell the flowers, walk to the waterfalls, and swim in the pools.

Went all the way around in a Toyota Camry...EASILY! Like the previous poster said, it is VERY bumpy for a few miles..if I recall from monitoring my odometer it was about 8 miles and you have to go SLOW. We're talking about 5mph and no more than 10mph, so that 8 miles or so takes what seems like an eternity. Do the math, and you'll see you spend about an hour to an hour and a half on this stretch, but other than the bumps, your car won't get stuck, and there are only a couple really sharp turns. After that, it is as smooth a highway as you've ever driven on the rest of the way back, and if it is evening which it probably will be, the sunsets on that side are beautiful. One suggestion however is that if the weather were rainy, I don't think I would drive the backside. However, this is on a drier side of the island so it isn't usually a problem. If there are people in the back of the minivan, just prepare them for a bumpy ride for a few miles.