travel north america united states hawaii island of maui hana hana highway
If you love to drive and you love the excitement of a challenge, the Hana Highway is for you... if not, take a tour.
The highway is said to have 620 curves and passes over 59 bridges as it winds through tropical rainforests.
Twenty-six of the bridges and some areas of highway are one lane only with 10 mph speed limits and signs to yield to on-coming traffic.
In 2011, we had trouble getting our rental car, got a late start, and never made it all the way to Hana before we had to turn around and return to the ship.
In 2023, we got an earlier start and enjoyed the complete drive to Hana... XX miles... two-and-a-half hours with a good, road-hugging rental car.
For someone like me who loves to drive, especially winding roads, the Hana Highway left me smiling and exhausted.
Both times, coming back, we were able to get behind some locals who knew the road and kept up a good speed.
The second time was not so pleasant as we followed two big commercial trucks...the first towing a long traier with a backhoe on it.
Not far into the drive, this first truck took off the back end of a car coming the other way at a narrow place in the road.
There was nowhere on the highway for the big rig to pull off and after a short talk with the driver of the car,
the driver in the second truck shouted and cussed at him to get back in his rig and quit blocking traffic.
From that point on, the second driver laid on his air horn at every corner and one lane bridge.
It made for a stressful and loud trip but we got through without any further incidents as oncoming traffic scattered into the ditches next to the cliffs.
I felt really bad about the guy that got hit and can only assume that he got good insurance info from the truck driver before he continued.
LINK TO WIKIPEDIA'S PAGE ON THE HANA HIGHWAY
LINK TO WIKIPEDIA'S PAGE ON KAUAI
LINK TO WIKIPEDIA'S PAGE ON HAWAII
TRAVEL: 2011, 2023
This location has earned a five star (excellent) rating from
Travel Fanatics Unlimited
*****
unless noted otherwise all images copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
This photo of one of the 26 narrow bridges is typical of much of the highway, Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
View down the coastline from an open area near the beginning of the Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
Coastline far below, Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
St. Gabriels Mission Coral Miracle Church, Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
One of many waterfalls along the Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
Waterfall along Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2011.
Big trucks blasting through a narrow part of the highway with a blind corner, Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2023.
Big truck crossing one of the one lane bridges while on-coming traffic waits, Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2023.
copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
page last revised april 2023