The road to Hana is beautiful and serene, but it can also be stressful if you're planning the adventure. Where do we stop? How long will it take? Which waterfalls can you stop at, swim at? How long are the hikes? Where can we eat? Let's face it if you're reading this blog you are the Type A planner who is trying to figure it all out. I can't promise I have all the answers here but I can share what I learned from my research and our two-day trip down this famous roadway.
Use Two Days!
My number one tip for exploring the road to Hana is to take your time and go for two days. You're going to need the full two days if you want to explore some of the waterfalls as well are exploring the highlights of Wa'anapanapa State Park and Kipahulu Haleakala National Park. There are not a plethora of options for overnight stays in Hana but there are enough. You can stay at the upscale Hana hotel or just grab an Air B&B. We did the latter and our place was not fancy but the bed was comfy and it had the best shower of my two-week Hawaiian vacation.
When researching for my drive I found lengthy guidebook write-ups, blogs with different recommendations, and then of course I watched many you-tubers. They were all super helpful but none of this knowledge was going to be user-friendly when driving (No one wants to be looking down at a guidebook on the road). What I needed was a spreadsheet (hmmm... must come from my days as a research scientist). Thus, I created my own spreadsheet! (linked below) We used this spreadsheet along with an audio tour and it worked pretty darn well. The spreadsheet is attached and I hope it helps you out. If you do use my spreadsheet I would love a shout-out when you are back. Please let me know of any changes so I can keep it up to date for the next person.
I also highly recommend using an audio guide in tandem with the spreadsheet. There are two popular guides on the market: the Gypsy guide and the Shakra guide. We used the Gypsy guide on both the Big Island and Maui and it was fine but a little dry for our taste. In my opinion, it contained too much Hawaiian history (Hawaii cowboy history, surfing history, etc) and not enough on the geography/geology and general roadside landmarks. Also, a lot of the “stories” told on the audio were repeated on the Big Island and then again on Maui.
Our Don’t Miss Sites
1. Pipiwai Trail at Haleakala National Park (Waterfalls and a Bamboo forest)
2. Wai’anapanapa State Park (picnic lunch, hiking the coastline, and hanging out in the sea cave)
3. Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees!
4. Wailua Falls – stay on the overlook or walk down and take a swim
5. Watching the waves crash on the shore at the Ke’Anae Penninsula
6. Banana Bread taste test (grab bread from both Aunt Sandy’s and The ½ way to Hana stand and conduct your own taste test – we post our winner on Instagram)
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