In shortThe route begins on the Kahului side. Route 36 carries the Hana Highway name from Kaahumanu Avenue as far as Kaupakalua Road, and the twisting section starts where the number changes to Route 360, which ends at Keawa Place close to Hana Bay. Paia, about four miles from Kahului, is the last town with a gas station before Hana.
4 milesKahului to Paia
64.4 milesRoutes 36 and 360
mile marker 2First gated stop
from $2007–8 hour Kahului day
Where does Road to Hana start?
On the Kahului side. Hawaii's transport department defines Route 36 as the Hana Highway from Kaahumanu Avenue out to Kaupakalua Road, so the official start is in Kahului, at the point where Kaahumanu Avenue becomes the highway. Nothing about that first stretch matches the photographs people arrive with: wide lanes, open fields, traffic moving at normal speed.
The road changes character at Kaupakalua Road in Haiku. The number on the signs becomes 360 at that junction and stays with you as far as Keawa Place, within sight of Hana Bay. Every single-lane bridge and blind curve that gave the road its reputation sits on that section, along with the rainforest closing in on both sides.
Hawaii's tourism authority measures 52 miles from Kahului to Hana and puts the one-way drive at two to four hours. Pick your departure time from those hours.
- Route 36: Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului to Kaupakalua Road in Haiku
- Route 360: Kaupakalua Road to Keawa Place, just before Hana Bay
- Combined length of the Hana Highway: 64.4 miles
- Kahului to Hana: 52 miles, two to four hours one way on the official estimate
Does Road to Hana start in Paia?
No, the official start is in Kahului, though Paia is the town that decides how the day goes. The official tourism site places it about four miles east of Kahului, four miles into the drive, and the National Park Service states that the last gas station on the Hana Highway before Hana is here. Fill the tank, then buy whatever food and water you want for the day, because the next towns lie a long way east and the national park at the far end sells no gas and no food.
Give yourself twenty minutes in town. The official tourism site describes rustic storefronts holding art galleries, boutiques and restaurants, and recommends the Paia Fishmarket. Hookipa Beach, at the edge of town, is called the windsurfing capital of the world by the same source, with dangerous surf in winter and swimming possible in the calmer summer months.
East of Paia the road tightens quickly. The shoulder narrows, the bridges start arriving one after another, and 46 of the 59 bridges on the route carry a single lane, so you wait your turn for oncoming traffic. Build the Paia stop into your departure time.
Half day starting in Paia
If Paia is where you want the day to begin, this 4 to 5 hour private trip, from $279 and rated 4.9 ★ (127 reviews), starts at Island Fresh Cafe with reserved secure parking, in a private air-conditioned vehicle with snacks, soda, coffee or tea and boogie boards; meals are not included.
★ 4.9/5 · 127 reviews
What the mile numbers along the highway mean
Mile markers are the addressing system on this road, and the numbers quoted for stops belong to Route 360 rather than to the whole 64.4 miles. Twin Falls, the first gated stop, sits at mile marker 2, while Paia is already four miles out of Kahului. The count restarts with the new route number, so a stop at "mile marker 10.5" is nowhere near ten miles from a hotel in Kahului.
Hawaii's transport department uses the same system for its work notices, listing current alternating single-lane closures near Waikamoi at mile markers 9.79 to 10, at Keanae between 13.9 and 14.2 beside Honomanu Bay, and at Wailua between 19.5 and 19.6, all 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Weed spraying comes with its own set of numbers: shoulders close on a roving basis at 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 13.5 to 16.2, 18 to 20 and 26 to 30, between 12:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Check the state notices the morning you travel, since these move.
The numbering keeps going past Hana town. The Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park, 12 miles beyond Hana, lists its GPS address as Mile Marker 41 Hana Hwy, so the system that starts at Kaupakalua Road is still how you find things at the far end.
Use these numbers when you read the stop descriptions on this site, and watch the small green posts at the roadside instead of your phone. Coverage along the 360 section comes and goes.
| Point on the route | Position | Hours or note |
|---|
| Kahului, Kaahumanu Avenue | Start of Route 36 | Wide lanes, normal traffic |
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| Paia | About 4 miles from Kahului | Final fuel stop before Hana |
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| Kaupakalua Road, Haiku | Route 36 ends, Route 360 begins | Mile-marker count runs from here |
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| Twin Falls | Mile marker 2 | Gates 7:10 a.m., last admission 4:30 p.m., 55 paid spots, first come |
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| Waikamoi work zone | Mile markers 9.79 to 10 | Alternating single lane, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays |
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| Garden of Eden Arboretum | Mile marker 10.5 | Open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, 26 acres |
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| Keanae turning for banana bread | Just after mile marker 16 | Stand open Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
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| Kipahulu, Haleakala National Park | Mile Marker 41 Hana Hwy | 12 miles past Hana town, open 24 hours |
|---|
Where tour vehicles collect you
Pickups cluster at the two ends of that first stretch: Kahului, central and close to the harbour, and Paia, the last place with parking before the road narrows.
The 7 to 8 hour Kahului day trip, from $200 and rated 4.7 ★ (159 reviews), sets its island meeting point at 7:20 a.m. in Kahului, while guests off a ship are collected at 8:30 a.m. from the parking lot beside the Burger King, a short walk from the harbour. There is no minimum party size on that one, so a solo traveller can book it. Breakfast is a choice of spam musubi or yogurt, lunch is a 6-inch turkey, ham or roast beef sub or a gluten-free vegan veggie wrap, with chips and water through the day in an air-conditioned vehicle.
The 4 to 5 hour private option uses the Paia approach instead. It begins at Island Fresh Cafe with reserved secure parking, so you drive the easy opening miles yourself, leave the car in town, and have the historic storefronts to walk afterwards.
Drive the opening miles yourself, or take a tour
Hawaii's official tourism page encourages visitors to do this road as a permitted guided tour rather than drive it themselves, and the reasons turn up inside the first hour: 620 curves, 59 bridges with 46 of them single lane, and three weekday work zones between mile markers 9.79 and 19.6 that run 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are travelling as one or two people, if you get carsick, or if this is your only clear day in a wet forecast, take the tour and let someone else read the centre line.
The timed ticket at the far end is the other argument. Waianapanapa State Park runs on booked slots: the gate is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., entry and parking each have to be reserved, slots appear 30 days out one day at a time at midnight Hawaii Standard Time, nothing is sold for the same day, and you need to be through the gate by 5:30 p.m.
Leave early whatever you decide. At Hana the sun comes up around 5:44 a.m. near the summer solstice and about 6:56 a.m. in late December, Twin Falls opens its gates at 7:10 a.m., and the opening miles get busy once those gates have been open an hour. If you are at the wheel, park only in designated stalls: the official code of conduct warns that vehicles protruding onto the highway can be towed.
Pick the starting point before you book anything else. Kahului if you are staying central or arriving by ship, Paia if you have half a day and want your own car waiting in town.
Questions people ask
Does the Road to Hana begin in Kahului or in Haiku?
Both answers are partly right. The Hana Highway as Route 36 begins at Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului and runs to Kaupakalua Road in Haiku. Route 360 takes over at Kaupakalua Road, and that is the slow, curving section most people mean by the name.
Is there fuel or food once I pass Paia?
The National Park Service states that the last gas station on the Hana Highway before Hana is in Paia, and that no gas or food is sold inside Haleakala National Park at the Kipahulu end. Bottles can be refilled at the Kipahulu Visitor Center, where drinking water is available. Farm stands and Hana town have food, so treat Paia as your fuel stop.
Do the mile markers continue past Hana town?
They do. Addressing by mile marker is how the national park identifies itself: the Kipahulu District, a dozen miles on from Hana town, publishes Mile Marker 41 Hana Hwy as its GPS address, reached on the park service's own routing of 36 to 360 to 31, about four hours out of Kahului. Kipahulu is open 24 hours, which leaves daylight and your turn-around time as the real limits.
How early should I leave Kahului?
Early enough to be through the opening miles before the first gates have been open long. Twin Falls at mile marker 2 opens at 7:10 a.m. with 55 first-come spots and no reservations, and Waianapanapa State Park opens at 7:00 a.m. Guided departures from Kahului on this site start at 7:20 a.m. for island guests.
Is Hookipa Beach worth stopping for at the start of the drive?
It is a short stop right at the edge of Paia, and the official tourism site calls it the windsurfing capital of the world. The same source describes the winter surf there as dangerous, with swimming possible in calmer summer months. Watch from shore in winter, then carry on east.
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