Road to Hana from Lahaina--realistic?

[twobluecats]

We will be in port from 7am-11pm (we'd really like to be at our 8:30 dining reservation, though). We've rented a Jeep Wrangler, and I'd like to do the Road to Hana (or a portion of it--won't kill us if we don't go all the way). How far from Lahaina before we are really on the Road to Hana?

[CruisinMK]

Yeah you can do it if you are energetic and like long drives.

 

The road is good pavement nowdays (last time I did it only a very tiny bit past the pools was rough at all). I think a jeep is actually less safe on good pavement with all the twisty turns on this drive, especially if you're not used to driving one with their higher center of gravity. Try a regular car or if you like sunburn a convertable :)

[Baseball fan]

We did the Road to Hana in May. Although we weren't on a cruise, we were staying in Lahaina. We were told to clear Kahalui before 8am to avoid the crowds. We left our hotel by 7am and returned back about 7pm. We stopped many times and loved the drive. We drove all the way around, past 7 Sacred Pools and through Upcountry. If you do the drive and love coconut, be on the lookout for a stand on the left (heading to Hana) next to a barbeque stand. You can buy baked coconut with sugar or seasoning. The seasoning sounded strange but because I love garlic, I thought it was great.

 

enjoy!

[ma_in_ak]

We did it and went all the way to Hana and were back at the rental car place at about 7:30 pm so could have made an 8:30 pm dinner, but chose to wander through Lahaina and had a fabulous dinner there. We even stopped at a grocery store on the way and got stuff for lunch and stopped and had a picnic by the ocean, and stopped every other place we wanted to. It was beautiful! Have a great time!

[FlightMedic555]

If the day is sunny the view is great. Unfortunately you usually have fog on the road, at least for most of the day. With one day to spare I would reconsider the road to Hana and try for the bike ride down the volcano. It is a really ride, all downhill. You pass through a few major climate zones, great views, and end at the beach.

[ma_in_ak]

I have to disagree with Flightmedic. We had 2 days on Maui and we did Hana on day 1 and the bike down Haleakala day 2. Both were wonderful and I wouldn't have traded one for the other, but if I had to pick one, I would pick the road to Hana. The scenery was fabulous. We had maybe 15 minutes of rain the whole day and a lot of the waterfalls were dried up but we still saw 3 or 4 waterfalls. Even so, the cliffs overlooking the ocean were amazing and it was so green and beautiful, just the way you imagine Hawaii as being. the bike ride was great fun, but we were up above the clouds at the top and saw nothing until we were almost to the bottom. Seeing the crater was neat, but we also saw Kilauea on the Big Isle, so if I had to pick, I would go for a drive. It was beautiful and relaxing. Here are our photos from our drive. As you'll see, I have 20+ photos from the Road to Hana (starting with photo 2 of the album) and 5 photos of the Haleakala trip. http://good-times.webshots.com/album/556288684CsAMMV?start=0

[twobluecats]

Thanks so much for all the advise. I got the Maui Revealed book, and we definitely still want to do the drive--stopping along the way. And, we may just drive a portion and turn around before getting to Hana. Any advise on how far to drive before turning around?

[elsie3939]

Make sure that you get to the Blue Pool (off Ulaino Rd)...DH was skeptical about driving down the rocky, mainly unpaved road but he did at my insistance and boy, were we rewarded...Both the waterfall and the ocean...After this you may want to turn around and go back if you don't have much more time...Elsie

[cruie4ever]

Thanks for those beautiful pictures :D

 

How are the road conditions from Lahania to Hana & approx how long ,in time ,will it take going leisurely? TIA :)

[beachchick]

twobluecats:

 

How far from Lahaina before we are really on the Road to Hana?

 

It's about an hour from Lahaina to the start of the road to Hana. Can be less if traffic is light, but plan on an hour.

 

beachchick

[Julia’s Journey’s]

How far is the drive, is it doable if we are only in port from 7am to 5pm??

[Calif. RN]

The drive is tight, butdo-able; don't forget that even tho your ship's itinerary says "7am - 5pm", you generally won't be able to disembark until about 8am. Then you need to take the shuttle to the car rental place, get your car, etc etc. You may not be on the road till 9am. If your ship sails at 5pm, you will need to be back onboard by 4pm, which means you need to have your rental car back by 3:30 at the latest. When we drove the road to Hana two weeks ago, the county was working on the road, & there were numerous delays (read "sit & wait awhile"!:D ) Allow yourself the freedom to go partway to Hana & turn back if it looks like you're running short of time. Nothing like having your ship sail away without you while you're 2 hours away on the other side of the island! We've seen it happen.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

The drive is tight, butdo-able; don't forget that even tho your ship's itinerary says "7am - 5pm", you generally won't be able to disembark until about 8am. Then you need to take the shuttle to the car rental place, get your car, etc etc. You may not be on the road till 9am. If your ship sails at 5pm, you will need to be back onboard by 4pm, which means you need to have your rental car back by 3:30 at the latest. When we drove the road to Hana two weeks ago, the county was working on the road, & there were numerous delays (read "sit & wait awhile"!:D ) Allow yourself the freedom to go partway to Hana & turn back if it looks like you're running short of time. Nothing like having your ship sail away without you while you're 2 hours away on the other side of the island! We've seen it happen.

 

Not what we would want happening as we have 4 days at sea after that on our way to Bora Bora French Polynesia:eek: :eek:

[GreytRacer]

Thanks for sharing your pictures ma_in_ak. They are beautiful! We drove the Road to Hana in September of 2005 and have very similiar shots, but without the big surf. I also have several pictures of DH gazing out at the ocean! I think they are imagining a life at sea! :rolleyes:

[tinkerme1]

Hello all!

 

I'm thinking of doing the Road to Hana, but would like to have a couple of things answered before making my decision. We will be renting a car and know that the rental car companies don't allow anyone to take their cars on "The Road to Hana". Obviously, many people do rent a car and go, based on these discussions.

 

For those of you who have traveled the Road to Hana, would you answer some questions for me?

 

How were the conditions of the roads you traveled? When did you travel it?

 

Did you have any trouble at all?

 

Looks to me like Highway 1 going to San Francisco! What were the most unusual features about being on this road?

 

Did anyone get stuck? If so, what happened?

 

Again, thanks for any help in making this decision.

[beachchick]

Hello all!

 

We will be renting a car and know that the rental car companies don't allow anyone to take their cars on "The Road to Hana". Obviously, many people do rent a car and go, based on these discussions.

 

For those of you who have traveled the Road to Hana, would you answer some questions for me?

 

How were the conditions of the roads you traveled? When did you travel it?

 

Did you have any trouble at all?

 

Looks to me like Highway 1 going to San Francisco! What were the most unusual features about being on this road?

 

Did anyone get stuck? If so, what happened?

 

Again, thanks for any help in making this decision.

 

1. It's absolutely untrue that car rental companies do not allow you to drive the road to Hana. You have no worries there.

 

What most of them exclude is a portion of the road past Hana that circles around the south part of Maui. Parts of it are unpaved, and conditions can be iffy (lots of rain can really make it a bit dangerous to drive that section). Many people do that part, regardless of the rental car contracts. Most people have no problems, but if you do drive the circle around (instead of turning around and driving back to Kalului the way you came) and get into trouble, the rental company will not help you and will tell you that you have voided the contract.

 

2. The road conditions change based on weather. Usually, it's fine. There are numerous one-way bridges, which are a challenge for those who aren't used to the etiquette/safety. I'm not sure what you are asking about "when." Do you mean time of day or time of year? If you mean time of day, the earlier the better. If you mean time of year, the waterfalls and such are usually stronger and bigger in the spring and into summer. We went in late September several years ago and some of the waterfalls were more like water trickles.

 

3. The road to Hana does bear some similarity to Highway 1 between San Simeon and Big Sur, but I think it's more of a challenge to drive because many of the curves are more severe, the road is narrower in many sections, there are numerous narrow pull-outs where people stop to take pix or walk to waterfalls, etc. close by, and you've got those one-way bridges to contend with. IMO, if you can do Highway 1, you can do the road to Hana. What types of "unusual" features do you mean?

 

4. There is construction going on along the road right now (and apparently there will be for many months). This means delays (stop and wait) and slower driving. There was some damage from the earthquake last fall as well. You'll need to factor that into timing your day.

 

 

Hope that helps.

 

beachchick

[LuckyLXE]

I can't remember how long it took to get from Lahaina to Hana, (I made plenty of stops along the way) but it is very worth it even if you end up not having enough time to get all the way to Hana durring your short stay.

One thing I would recommend though, if you're not going alone, would be to pay the extra $5 to get a second driver. A good portion of the most beautiful road I've ever seen was certainly more enjoyed by my passanger because I was slightly stressed out by the narrow curvy roads flanked by steep cliffs as I drove the unfamiliar car the entire time.

It rains a lot in Hana, but it's very beautiful!

[tinkerme1]

Beachchick: Thank you so very much for the prompt reply. I knew that the paved roads were okay with the car, but many plan on the whole circle, and that is where the problem lies (rental car company policy, concerns). I'm glad to read your take on this venture, and will now make a decision. Again, thank you!:D