Wailea to Hana Trip

Hi...quick questions. We are going to Maui next week and staying in Wailea at the Marriott.

We are planning on doing the Road to Hana one day and spending the night in Hana that one night so we can enjoy the journey and not rush.

Next day I am planning to go hit the coastal park of Haleakala and hike the Bamboo Forest/Waimoku Falls trail (highly recommended by friends). Then from there take the southern route back to Wailea via Piilani Highway (31).

a few questions for locals or those who know that route well.

1) Is that route currently open? I know there have been some closures.

2) Do rental car companies generally allow travel on that route? If not, is it REALLY that risky? I live in the mountains of Colorado and am very comfortable driving difficult roads and am renting a 4wd vehicle so really, how bad can it be?

3) My biggest question....is there a back road way to get back to Wailea without going all the way back up to Kahului and back down. Looking at maps I see a couple of options....Ulupalakua Ranch Road to Makena Alanui road (looks like a couple of different ways to do that) or go a little further north on Kula Hwy (37) and cut over on Kealakapi Road. But I never hear these routes mentioned anywhere. Are these roads open and accessible? Any reason I can%26#39;t go that way?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Wailea to Hana Trip

A very good idea to not rush things, relaxing and enjoying will be so much nicer for you.

for your questions:

1) the road closure/opening should be checked daily if you think about driving it - conditions can and will change according to the weather and any washouts or rock slides - phone coverage will be spotty

2) Many rental companies will simply state that you are not allowed to drive on any ';unpaved'; roadways - some will allow it - the road has some really rough stretches and it is not based on whether or not you are used to dring in those conditions, but a policy put in place for those who are not as well as for any sort of problems that may arise and access

3) There are many roads that cross private lands - Please respect the postings and signage that states ';Kapu'; or Private, etc

Wailea to Hana Trip

Thanks for the feedback.

I will, of course, respect private property. I live in an area where that is a sensitive issue so I understand completely.

That said, does anyone know if any of the routes I mentioned (or others) allow public access as a shortcut back to Wailea?

The Piilani Hwy. was closed just a couple of weeks ago, it may or may not be open now. There is no short cut. You will have to go through Ulupalakua and back down the mountain. All the other roads are private and go through ranch lands. You won%26#39;t find this road especially difficult, I too was from Colorado. You don%26#39;t need a 4 wheel drive and just to make sure, check your rental contract for any info regarding this drive. Last time I rented a car on Maui there was NOTHING in the contract regarding which roads I could or could not drive.

Was there less than a month ago after a very rainy period for the whole state. The roads aren%26#39;t bad. Rollins Pass is worse. They are narrow and susceptible to wash out but no prob for cars. Your %26#39;biggest question%26#39; I cant answer for sure, but Piilani is a nice road and you can go pretty quick along haleakala southside. In %26#39;94 I did take a coastline route from pools to kihei, it was pretty rough all lava rock but we did it in a car. However it sounds like it may be private now, we didn%26#39;t try in DEC. Went as far as ahihi cove but the road seems to end on maps just south. Since you%26#39;re staying close you might want to start driving that way to check out road conditions and private/public access. Hana hwy is something to experience for sure but is pretty stressful mainly because of traffic and the locals driving it like the autobahn. I would rather go to the pools from the south side and come back the same way either piilani or coastal if possible. Definitely something to check out and ask about once you are there. good luck