In shortTwin Falls Maui is the first gated waterfall stop on the Hana Highway, at mile marker 2 on Route 360. The gate opens at 7:10 a.m., nobody is admitted after 4:30 p.m. and everyone must be out by 5:00 p.m. The lot beside the bridge holds 55 paid spaces at $10 per car, allocated strictly in order of arrival with nothing bookable ahead, and drivers who leave a vehicle on the roadside instead are turned away at the entrance.
Mile marker 2First gated stop
7:10 a.m.Gate opens
55Paid parking spots
4:30 p.m.Last admission
The first waterfall on the Road to Hana
Twin Falls sits at mile marker 2 on Route 360, and that numbering starts partway into the morning's driving. The twisting section people mean by Road to Hana begins where Route 36 finishes at Kaupakalua Road and ends at Keawa Place just before Hana Bay, so the little green posts only begin counting once you are well east of Kahului. Access is from one large dirt lot beside a bridge, which the operator states is the only open parking area.
The land is a working farm, Wailele Farm, and the walk in from the lot is short and close to level by the standards of everything that follows it. It ends at the waterfall and the pool beneath it, which is why this stop attracts people who have no intention of hiking anywhere else that day. There is a farm stand at the entrance, and spending money at the farms and fruit stands along this road is one of the things Hawaii's official code of conduct asks visitors to do.
Whether the pool is usable depends on what the rain has been doing upstream rather than on the forecast at your hotel. A rise of 4 feet in 10 minutes is what the National Park Service puts on record for East Maui streams, and the state's code of conduct is blunt about keeping out of the water when rain is heavy or flash flooding is possible. Sturdy shoes matter more than you would guess for a short walk on farm ground after a wet night.
Twin Falls parking: 55 spots and nothing you can reserve
Parking is the entire difficulty with this stop. The official site lists 55 paid spots at $10 per car, handed out first come, with no reservations taken and nothing sold in advance. Those 55 spaces turn over only when the people in them decide to walk back, which on a warm morning is not quickly.
Leaving the car anywhere else is not a workaround. Street parking is banned, so is the Hana Highway shoulder and the bridge, U-turns are not permitted and walking in from the street is not accepted; the official site is explicit that roadside parking means being denied access. The state's code of conduct for this road says the same thing from the other direction: use designated stalls only, and a vehicle protruding onto the highway can be towed.
Three further restrictions catch people at the entrance. Uber and Lyft drop-offs are not allowed, oversized vehicles cannot be accommodated, and any party over 12, along with commercial and photography groups, needs prior approval before arriving.
Half a day, starting beside the first mile markers
Starting at Island Fresh Cafe in Paia with reserved secure parking, this 4 to 5 hour private trip puts you at the opening stretch of Route 360 early in the day, in one vehicle with your own party.
★ 4.9/5 · 127 reviews
Gate times and the first Saturday of the month
The gate swings open at 7:10 a.m., admission closes at 4:30 p.m., and everyone has to be off the property by 5:00 p.m. That last figure is the one that ruins plans: people who skip the stop on the way out, thinking they will catch it coming back from Hana, often arrive to a closed gate because the drive home from Hana town takes two to four hours and four hours from Kipahulu.
One Saturday each month belongs to residents. Check the date before you build a morning around this gate, because the first Saturday of each month is set aside for Hawaii residents who can show a valid Hawaii driver's licence, and every out-of-state visitor is turned back. Figures below come from the operator's own site, so check it again on the morning you drive, because a privately run stop can change its hours.
| Twin Falls, mile marker 2 | What the official site states |
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| Gate opens | 7:10 a.m. |
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| Last admission | 4:30 p.m. |
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| Everyone out by | 5:00 p.m. |
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| Parking | 55 paid spots at $10 per car, handed out first come, with nothing sold in advance |
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| Street, shoulder and bridge parking | Not allowed; roadside parking means being denied access |
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| U-turns and street walk-ins | Not allowed |
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| Uber and Lyft drop-offs | Not accepted |
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| Oversized vehicles | Cannot be accommodated |
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| Groups over 12, commercial or photography groups | Prior approval required |
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| First Saturday of each month | Closed to out-of-state visitors; Hawaii residents with a valid Hawaii driver's licence only |
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Why the hour you arrive decides your whole day
Being through the gate early matters more here than anywhere else on Route 360, for the simple reason that this is the first thing every eastbound car reaches. Leave Kahului at the same time as everyone else and you reach mile marker 2 at the same time as everyone else, and 55 spots do not absorb that traffic. Thirty minutes of hunting for a space at the start of the day comes out of the far end of the route, where the timed gates are.
Weekday roadwork sits just up the hill from the falls. Hawaii's transport department currently runs alternating single-lane traffic at Waikamoi, mile markers 9.79 to 10, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with the same arrangement at Keanae between 13.9 and 14.2 by Honomanu Bay and at Wailua between 19.5 and 19.6. Shoulder closures rove across mile markers 3 to 6 and other segments from 12:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., which covers the hours you want for driving east.
Daylight is the other hard limit. At the winter solstice the sun sets at Hana around 5:48 p.m., with sunrise about 6:56 a.m., against 620 curves and 59 bridges, 46 of them single lane, waiting for you on the way home.
What a tour vehicle has already arranged
The state's own tourism authority would rather you came along this road with a permitted operator than at the wheel of a rental, and the rule sheet at this first gate explains the thinking. The restrictions here are all about vehicles and groups: nothing oversized, no rideshare drop-off, prior approval for parties over 12 and for commercial groups. An operator arrives in a vehicle sized for the lot, with a driver who already knows whether the gate is worth trying at that hour and what to do with the morning if it is not.
Build this stop into a guided itinerary instead of gambling a morning on one of 55 spaces. The 4 to 5 hour private trip on this site starts at Island Fresh Cafe in Paia, with reserved secure parking at the meeting point and the vehicle to yourselves for the early stretch. If you want the road beyond here as well, the 8 to 10 hour small-group day carries 6 to 8 passengers, picks up at your hotel and lists all fees and taxes as covered, which removes one more set of gates and counters from your morning.
- Half Day Private VIP Road to Hana Tour: 4 to 5 hours, from $279, 4.9 ★ (127 reviews), private air-conditioned vehicle, snacks, soda, coffee or tea and boogie boards, meals not included, starting at Island Fresh Cafe in Paia.
- Maui: Small Group Road to Hana Tour, 6 to 8 passengers: from $282 for an 8 to 10 hour day, rated 4.6 ★ (1092 reviews), with pickup and drop-off at your hotel, Maui-baked pastries and fresh fruit for breakfast, a Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch cooked to order, water all day and every fee and tax covered.
Questions people ask
Can I take an Uber or Lyft to Twin Falls?
No. The farm does not allow Uber or Lyft drop-offs, and walking in from the street is not accepted either. Arriving on foot from a roadside drop is not a way around the 55-space limit, because entry is tied to the paid lot beside the bridge.
What should I do if the Twin Falls lot is full?
Drive on. Street, shoulder and bridge parking all mean being refused access, and U-turns are banned at the entrance, so there is no legal way to wait nearby. Further up the hill the Garden of Eden Arboretum covers 26 acres of trails at mile marker 10.5, with gates open daily from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and admission at $20 from age 16 and $10 for ages 5 to 16, which works as a substitute first leg-stretch.
Is Twin Falls worth a stop if I only have one day on the road?
It is worth it if you are through the gate shortly after it opens at 7:10 a.m. Later than that and the time you spend waiting is time taken from Waianapanapa State Park, which admits nobody after 5:30 p.m., or from the national park at Mile Marker 41. On a guided day the decision is made for you by a driver who sees the lot.
Can a large group or a van visit Twin Falls?
Groups of more than 12, and any commercial or photography group, need the farm's approval before arriving, and oversized vehicles cannot be accommodated at all. That is one of the reasons tours use right-sized vans on this part of the road.
Can I swim at Twin Falls after rain?
Treat heavy rain as a no. National Park Service figures for East Maui put the possible rise in a stream at 4 feet inside 10 minutes, and the state's code of conduct asks visitors to stay out of the water during heavy rain or flash-flood conditions. Rain is normal here in every month, so expect to make that call on the day.
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