How to Get to Road to Hana

Driving the Road to Hana begins in Kahului, following Route 36 and Route 360 along Maui's northeastern coast. The 64.4-mile paved route requires navigating 620 hairpin curves and 59 narrow one-lane bridges. Fill your gas tank completely in Pa'ia, as the only other station sits at the end of the route in Hana and charges exceptionally high prices. Cell phone service vanishes along large stretches of the remote highway, so download offline maps before leaving. Heavy winter downpours frequently trigger flash floods and rockslides that close the road entirely. Pull over completely into designated turnouts to let local, faster-moving traffic pass.

Professional guided tours depart directly from Kahului and major Maui resorts in specialized 12-passenger vehicles. Operators like Hana and Beyond provide climate-controlled rides with large panoramic windows for viewing the steep coastal cliffs and dense tropical rainforests. Booking a tour eliminates the physical stress of driving and the severe motion sickness caused by the highway's continuous winding turns. These packages include pre-arranged permits for required stops like Waiʻanapanapa State Park and provide a scheduled lunch. Trained service animals are allowed on board. Emotional support animals are not permitted on these commercial trips.

Large commercial tour buses offer an alternative way to traverse the coastal highway. Polynesian Adventure Tours operates vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts, making this rugged terrain accessible for visitors with limited mobility. Riding in a larger bus keeps passengers higher above the road, offering clear views of the 80-foot Wailua Falls and the Ke'Anae Valley Overlook directly from the seat. Walking distances at major stops can challenge elderly visitors, so staying on the bus provides a low-stress sightseeing alternative. These large vehicles move slowly, often causing traffic backups at the one-lane bridges.

Viewing the eastern Maui coastline from the air bypasses the long driving route entirely. Sunshine Helicopters flies directly over the deep valleys, cascading waterfalls, and dense bamboo forests of the Kipahulu District. This operator provides a special chair lift to assist passengers with mobility issues into the aircraft. Aerial tours completely avoid the severe car sickness associated with the 620 sharp curves below. Passengers can photograph the massive 400-foot Waimoku Falls without hiking the muddy four-mile Pipiwai Trail. Bad weather during the peak winter rainy season frequently grounds these flights.

The road past Hana continues as County Route 31, known as the Piilani Highway, creating a full loop back to central Maui. This southern route skirts the Kipahulu District of Haleakalā National Park, passing volcanic landscapes that contrast sharply with the northern rainforests. While the route is currently paved and fully open, many standard rental car agreements strictly prohibit driving this specific back road loop. Heavy rains cause rapid washouts along this exposed coastal stretch. Check Hawaii Department of Transportation conditions on the morning of your trip before attempting the drive.