Road to Hana Guide - Follow The Fischers

If you’re planning a trip to Maui, you’ve probably heard of the Road to Hana. It’s probably the most famous and popular thing to do in Maui, and for good reason. It’s 64 miles one way of driving along the coastline. The end destination is actually not Hana but the road does lead you through the town, where you’ll need to fill up on gas if you don’t already have a full tank. There are many different stops allowing you to swim at red and black sand beaches, hike to waterfalls, walk through an arboretum, and get great food and views along the way.

The Gypsy Guide app is the easiest way to navigate the road to Hana. It costs $10 and uses your GPS to track what stops you are coming up on. It will narrate the drive for you, tell you what to look for, and where to stop. I recommend skipping all of the stops and driving to the end, then hitting the stops on the way back, essentially doing the drive in reverse. This way you are getting the spots at the end basically to yourself without a crowd. I’ve heard of people starting as early as 3 AM, so make sure to get on the road early to beat the crowds! This guide will outline the stops in reverse, starting at the very end. If you plan to do the drive the traditional way, just reverse the order. Keep reading to find out the best stops along the road to Hana!

Stop 1: Breakfast

For breakfast, make sure to stop by one of the roadside stands for some fresh, exotic fruit and banana bread!

Stop 2: Pipiwai Trail

This is a four-mile hike that will take you about 2 hours to complete. It’s a moderate hike with a 908-foot elevation gain. I would recommend wearing good shoes. You hike through a bamboo forest and end at a 400-foot waterfall, Waimoku Falls. You don’t hike to the base of the waterfall but you get a really good view of it.

Stop 3: ‘Ohe’o Gulch Pools

This was probably our favorite stop on the drive. Try to get here early, we were there around 9 AM and we were the only ones swimming in the pools! You can climb around the rocks to keep going to higher-up pools. Swim shoes are recommended.

Stop 4: Lunch

Stop at Braddah Huts BBQ for lunch. This was recommended to us by a local. The kaluha pork is fantastic. The portions are HUGE so if you aren’t starving, I would share a plate between two people.

Stop 5: Kaihalulu “Red Sand” Beach

This beach is kind of hard to find and it takes about 10-15 minutes to hike there. Make sure you don’t park illegally, just pay attention to the road signs and park in the same direction as the traffic. The hike is down and on the side of a mountain at some points, but we never felt unsafe, just maybe skip it if you have little kids or are traveling with older adults. Less popular than black rock beach so it’s less crowded, but the views are arguably better.

Stop 6: Waianapanapa “Black Sand” Beach

The black sand beach is a very popular stop along the road to Hana. The parking gets full the later on in the day you get here. The beach is safe to swim in and you can explore the lava tube to the right of the beach and hike along the rocks on the left side of the beach.