I Accidentally Drove The Back Side of the Road to Hana (Here’s Why I Don’t Recommend It)
I squint out of my car’s windshield to try making out any of Hawaii’s famous views beyond the narrow, dusty path that we have been following for 30 minutes. The sun went down hours ago and I cannot remember the last time we had streetlights. My vision is limited to only what my rental car’s headlights can illuminate in the distance. We bump along at a painfully slow rate, being careful to avoid the craters that dot this rocky road. The rental car rattles and squeaks every time we roll over a new rut in the road. I steal a glance at the GPS on my phone screen during one of the precious few smooth sections and see that we still have 5 miles to go on the Hana Highway before reaching our destination. At the rate we are going, we still have another 25 minutes to go.
How can anyone in their right mind think that this Road to Hana is an acceptable family trip, I think to myself. Boy, if only I knew the truth in that moment.
Few things are as coveted as a trip to Hawaii as a non-rev traveler, and a three-day weekend provides just enough time to make that a reality. The plan was simple: spend one day in Lahaina on the west side of the island and the second day at Haleakala National Park by way of the magical Road To Hana.
What I didn’t realize when I hatched this last-minute plan is that there are a couple roads that technically lead to Hana, but they are not all created equal.
What is the Road to Hana?
Most rental car agencies have no restrictions against taking the “official” Road to Hana along the north side of the island anymore. This route along the Hana Highway, made up of Hawaii Route 36 & Route 360, originates in Kahului and is heavily trafficked by tourists and locals alike. You will find dozens of one-lane bridges, numerous blind corners, and hundreds of curves on this road.
The total distance from Kahului to the town of Hana is 52 miles, but the speed limit along the Hana Highway is much lower than your typical mainline highway. You should expect the trip from Kahului to Hana to take at least 2 and half hours (longer if there is heavy traffic). Plan your itinerary accordingly. This is not a quick trip!
What is the back side of the Road to Hana?
A simple roadmap of Maui shows a full loop around the eastern part of the island. Google Maps confirms that the Hana Highway & Route 360 terminate near the Kapela Gulch. From here, the Pi’ilani Highway (Route 31) continues around the coast around the southern side of Mt Haleakala.
What you may not realize is that this highway is hardly a road at all. Even skinnier than the Hana Highway, a portion of this route is no more than a county-maintained dirt road riddled with ruts & potholes caused by Mother Nature’s constant rainfall in the region.
The scenery along Hwy 31 is much different than what drivers will experience on the Road to Hana. The back route does not have lush green surroundings that are common along the northern highway. Instead, you will find rocky cliffs and spectacular views of the Big Island on clear days.
Before attempting the drive between Nuu Bay and Kipahulu, double check your rental car contract/agreement. Most rental agencies explicitly forbid driving their rental cars on this stretch of road (or any other unpaved road on the island for that matter).
What happens if you drive the Piilani Highway?
Your rental car agency probably isn’t tracking your location, and we had no issues when returning the car. The real concern is that you assume all risks if you run into any trouble here. Flat tires and car breakdowns are uncommon, but they do happen. Any rental car contract that forbids travel on unpaved roads likely has a clause to not provide any roadside support in this situation. That means no tow truck will be dispatched by the rental car agency, and you will be liable for any damage caused by driving along this dirt path.
My last-minute decision to drive this path was unplanned and poorly researched. Since I had declined the tourist maps at the rental car desk, I was completely unaware of this contract breach until after returning the car. The Avis rental car rep did not go out of their way to point out the exclusions, so make sure you read your rental car contract.
Unless you fully understand the limitations of your rental car contract or are renting from a company that covers you on unpaved roads, I do not recommend that visitors to Maui take the back Road to Hana. The original route along the Hana Highway takes about the same time and is an easier drive. Plus, you won’t run the risk of getting stranded and being SOL.
What is the best way to drive the back side of the Road to Hana?
If you do decide to go down this path, let me share my experience for your benefit.
The route itself does not pose much of a challenge until you reach the stretch of unpaved road. Once here, you will find yourself on an unlit country path with a seemingly endless number of ruts and muddy shoulders.
Making this drive in a FWD compact car was an experience that I will never forget. We scraped the bottom of the car a few times, but most cars with normal ride height should be able to make it through without too many issues. Seeing other sedans & coupes on this route gave me a quick confidence boost, but we pulled over on the shoulder multiple times to allow a faster pickup or 4×4 truck to pass ahead of our econobox.
If you take this road slowly (I’m talking no more than 5-10mph in some of the roughtes sections), you will be able to drive along this path. Be aware of the road conditions and your surroundings, and know the rules of the road. Overconfidence in yourself or your vehicle is a recipe for disaster, but common sense and courteous driving will get you through the bumpy & narrow road.
As night descended on us and our visibility was reduced, I regretted starting this journey so late in the day. Watching the sunset from the road was gorgeous, but it was not worth the extra stress. The trip from Kahului to Kipahulu is only 54 miles, but the drive will take over 2 hours to finish. My recommendation would be to start the trip with plenty of daylight left in the day if your goal is to reach Kipahulu or Hana by sundown. This has the added benefit of stunning views of Hawaii Island across the ocean to your right.
Where to stay on the Road to Hana
Many visitors and local experts recommend not squeezing the Road to Hana into a single day regardless of which direction you travel. Based on our experience, I can confirm that this is the correct way to make this road trip. After all, we are on island time here. What’s the rush?
While staying in the town of Hana is highly recommended, I opted for a more rustic option instead: car camping in the national park. Spending the night in the Kipahulu campgrounds of Haleakala National Park was an absolute dream.
Kipahulu Campground (Haleakala National Park)
The 3-day pass for admission to the Haleakala National Park is $30 per vehicle, and this was paid via the unmanned self-pay station because of our late arrival. Parking was a breeze in the Kipahulu campground as there is a lower lot along the beach (near the restrooms) and a larger grassy field closer to the entrance. After scarfing down our dinner and enjoying a couple celebratory beers after completing such a harrowing drive, we dozed off on the upper grassy field.
Since this campground is on the southeastern edge of the island, we set our alarms for 20 minutes before sunrise and strolled down to the beach with Maui Brewing Co’s cold-brew coffee in hand to watch dawn break over the ocean. We joined the other campers at the water’s edge to watch the sun silently crest over the horizon as the Pacific waves crashed over the rocky beach. Standing in solitude with the other wild souls who rejected the island’s resorts & condo communities in favor of camping on the beach gave me a warm appreciation for everything that nature offers us. I don’t know if it was the cold brew coffee or the dawn sunlight, but the peaceful tranquility of the sunrise quickly re-energized me.
We finished our coffee and breakfast on the beach, then turned our attention to hiking the Pipiwai Trail (about 4 miles round trip) to bathe in Waimoku Falls & the Oheo Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools (less than a mile round trip). If interested, I wrote a review on the hiking daypack that carried our snacks on the hike.
If you have a chance to tackle both of these hikes the day of your arrival, waking up in Kipahulu means that you are hours ahead of the rest of the tourists on the Road to Hana and you can make it to Hana town before anyone else
Continuing clockwise on the Road to Hana
After finishing our hikes in this part of the Haleakala National Park, we continued north along the Hana Highway. Once you reach Route 360, the road becomes smoother and you remember again what it feels like to drive over 20 mph. It is by no means a quick trip, though. The remaining 11 miles between Kipahulu and Hana took us nearly 45 minutes of driving.
I won’t go too in-depth on the countless attractions and scenic stops on Hana Highway that have been written about ad infinitum, but I do want to highlight our favorite lunch spot in Hana.
Thai Food By Pranee
After getting rained on at the beach in Hana & realizing we hadn’t had a morsel of food since our hike in Haleakala, we were on the hunt for an outdoor patio for lunch. Luckily, we stumbled upon Thai Food By Pranee’s food stand and its outdoor deck seating.
Recommended by locals & tourists alike, we grabbed a couple Thai teas to quench our thirst and split a plate of crispy opaka with stir-fry veggies over rice. The meal was simply wonderful. Eating al fresco under their overhang, watching a light drizzle wash over the town’s lush greenery, has to be good for the soul.
Conclusion
The remaining drive back from the Road to Hana is as breathtaking as everyone says it is. I am confident that anyone who drives to and from the east coast of Maui along Highway 360’s Road to Hana will find it stunning in both directions, but taking the back side added a special element to the trip that I am proud to say we conquered.
On our way to hike the Pipiwai Trail, we stopped by the National Park Service’s facilities and noticed that they had a board that was updated daily to confirm if Route 31 was closed. After asking around, we learned that the Piilani Highway can sometimes be closed due to landslides or other treacherous conditions.
This made me realize how unprepared we were for the previous night’s drive. Recommending to be prepared for what lies ahead of you is a given, but anyone who wants to drive counterclockwise on the back side of the Road to Hana needs to do their research before hitting the road.
We were rewarded with spectacular views and amazing memories the entire road trip. After all is said and done, I don’t think there is a wrong way to end up in Hana. However, there is definitely an easier & safer way to do it, and any would-be traveler needs to do their own research before embarking on either route.
This is quite exaggerated from what I experienced. We took the Road to Hana today in a sedan and returned on the Southside & stopped in Kihei for dinner. This way is mostly paved, if maybe a bit is worn with potholes. There are a couple of very short (<0 .1 mile) unpaved sections. We greatly enjoyed doing this as a loop rather than an out and back. Cheers!
Do you remember how many miles was the “bad road” for? Under 5?