Road to Hana from Kaanapali

I have read on TA that the road to Hana from Kahului takes 6-8 hours. We will be on Maui at the beginning of May, staying at Kaanapali.

I think, foolishly, we should have hired a car at the airport and driven ourselves around to Kaanapali. (I may be able to cancel our transfers.)

Are we able to hire a car in Kaanapali and if so how long would we need to allow for the round trip to Hana? Would we be better going clockwise or anticlockwise?

Would appreciate your advice.

Road to Hana from Kaanapali

i think you should try to cancel your transfers and rent a car at the airport

imo you are better driving clockwise- the mountain will be on your right side rather then driving counterclockwise where the cliffs are on your right side

its better to allow a good half day at least for the trip depending on how many times you stop to see the sights and how long you linger at each site

Road to Hana from Kaanapali

Thanks lougee

I%26#39;ve also just found a post concerning the road to the south which may not be safe/not allowed/closed.

So perhaps I need to know how long it would take to travel from Kaanapali via the north shore to Hana and return? We are early birds so an early start would not be a problem.

Would a separate trip up Haleakala then suffice?

We only have four days in Maui and want to go out to Molokini or Lanai (haven%26#39;t got to my research on that yet).

The more I research the more I tell DH we will have to return :)

I agree with the previous poster that it would be better to just rent your car at Kahului airport... if you can cancel your transfers, then that would be best I think.

I would allow a full day for driving the Road to Hana and back. You won%26#39;t be able to stop at ALL of the sites along the way, but you%26#39;ll still get to see quite a bit! This is what my husband and I ended up doing, and although we wished we had had more time along the way, it still worked out not too badly. If you%26#39;re interested, I%26#39;ve written a longer article on our experience here:

paradise-found-in-maui.com/road-to-hana-maui鈥?/a>

IF your rental car contract allows it, then for sure go clockwise, as you will avoid driving with cliffs dropping off below on your side of the road. However, if your rental car contract forbids driving all the way around (the southern road is the issue normally), then you%26#39;ll have no choice but to take the northern route both there and back.

Regarding Mount Haleakala, I%26#39;d do that on a separate day from your Hana trip... it will be too rushed to squeeze that in on the same day I think. Mount Haleakala is just beautiful, and unlike anything else you%26#39;ll see on Maui - we loved it! If you have the time, you could even check out some of the hiking trails up there... they looked VERY cool!

I%26#39;ve also written an article on our experience with Mount Haleakala, and you can check it out if you%26#39;re interested here:

paradise-found-in-maui.com/mt-haleakala.html

You mentioned Molokini and Lanai - both are well-worth the trip - we tried them both and they were great!

Have a great trip!

Sheralyn

:)

Another plug here to forego the airport transfers and rent a car for your vacation. There is much more to enjoy on the island besides just the drive to Hana. Having access to your own vehicle will also allow you to explore other great beaches besides Ka%26#39;anapali where you will be staying.

It is possible to do both Haleakela and Hana in the same day. But in the end you will feel like you were rushing to a schedule all day. Most Hana travelers make a day of it - the fun of the trip is in the getting there, not the destination. Pick up an audio guide and enjoy the stops along the way. And then plan your Haleakela sunrise trip for another day. By the way - another option... head up Haleakela for the sunset instead. Same great view - just in the opposite direction. And you don%26#39;t have to get up and 0 dark 30 to see it! (I know - I%26#39;ve been called a heretic for this, but I%26#39;ve done both and one is nor more or less ';spiritual'; than the other).

I posted a similiar question about Hana. I was told that the South end of the road is often forbidden by rental car companies and that as of now is Closed past Kipahulu due to landslides, etc. I was also advised to stay over in Hana if I have the time, that it is ';journery'; not a ';destination';. So, we%26#39;re planning to stay over and take the N. road both ways.

Are you thinking of Hwy 30 north of Kan%26#39;anapali to hwy 340 to Kahului then on to Hana??

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;So perhaps I need to know how long it would take to travel from Kaanapali via the north shore to Hana and return? We are early birds so an early start would not be a problem.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Best way is Hwy 30 south toward Ma%26#39;alaea Harbor to Kahului then to Hana. 40 min to Kahului.

The north route will take much longer, part is one way, no railing, I would not do that drive with Hana..way to stressful. It would take you 2 to 3 hours just to get to Kahului.

We start our Hana trip from Kihei and have gone the whole circle(four times)...12hours is our usual time.

The cost of your transfers from the airport will be very close to the cost of renting a car. If you simply do not want to drive then you can continue with your transfers and take a tour that will allow you to view without the focus required for driving all that way. It is a fun drive, it does require attention.

I will reiterate what barefoot said - you do not want to drive clockwise around West Maui, the road is quite hairy and predominated by local traffic - best to go back down Hwy 30 towards the airport and on to Hana. The back road is as reported, rough and currently closed again. I do not advise trying to do Haleakala on the same day. If you haven%26#39;t time to do a leisurely drive to Hana and back - it is a journey, albeit a beautiful one all the way to Oheo, but you have to turn around and retrace your tracks. Another option would be to skip Hana, visit Iao Valley - visit Paiai and Kula on your way to Haleakala.

Car rentals are reasonable if you bid on Priceline or Hotwire. Offer around $12 per day to start the negotiating.

You will love having a car on Maui.

There are a bunch or car rental companies near Kaanapali and they will pick up your designated driver and take him to the car rental office to do the paperwork.

Take a copy of your car insurance so you don%26#39;t pay for any duplicate coverage at the car rental. Or read you credit card benefits to see if car rental coverage is included if you charge the rental.

Wow thank you all for so much info.

Hey Sheralyn I%26#39;ve already found your Paradise Found links on another post - some great info already in BMK.

Sunset option sounds good VCSnowbird - how long should we allow to drive up?

Barefoot - thanks for the timing that was my main concern. Sorry for confusion about route, I had planned to go south on 30 and across to 36 via 380. It sounds like my best option will be to go to Hana and back the same route. Still contemplating the tour though so DH can appreciate road. We did the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia a couple of years ago and he did all the driving so since then I have decided he deserves to see the views too. We took a tour from Queenstown NZ to Milford Sound which is a spectacular road and it was worth it.

Thanks Jimgloria for info re renting in Kaanapali. We have travel insurance so car damage etc. would be covered. I%26#39;ve looked at Priceline, but bidding for a car is new to us so we will think about that.

I%26#39;m so looking forward to our trip all your advice will really be helpful to our final plans.

Alamo.com home page middle right click on Hawaii special. They have small suv and convertibles 7 days 170.00 plus taxes 233.00 better than their compact rates.

Timing??? from west side all the way around if road is open plan 12 hours. That includes lots of picture taking. We only stop at about 5 places because we hike the Pipiwai Trail (3 1/2 hours).Some places to eat along road but we pack a lunch and snack.