My husband and I drove to Hana on a overcast and slightly raining day. We enjoyed the beautiful ocean coast but most of the trip was a struggling with the poorly designed and constructed wiggly road. The water falls were very muddy and there was no way to get close to a single water fall without mud your shoes in dirts. It is a beautiful trip but it definitely doesn't what we expected as "a road to heaven". There are a way better scenes in east southern Asian with much better driving conditions. If you are coming from Asian, you may not need to see it.

As we were planning our honeymoon, someone suggested we rent a convertible for Maui and definitely do the Road to Hana, and I am so glad we did!

The Road to Hana is about a 60 mile drive through some of the most spectacular nature sights you will ever see. The windy (I read somewhere there are about 600 curves on the road) road takes you past amazing waterfalls, lush forestry and cliffside roads with some amazing views of the coast. It takes 3-4 hours to do the drive as you will want to stop many times along the way to see a waterfall or take a photo. Our blue guidebook, Maui Revealed, gave us great suggestion of places to stop along the way and take little trails to some amazing waterfalls that are not visible from the road.

One of the highlights was the Upper and Lower Puokahoma Falls, which are just past the 10 mile marker. There is a small trail on the side of the road that leads you to the Falls so don't skip it as you drive.

Another great fall are the "3 bears" which are located betwen the 19th and 20th mile marker. These are three falls lined up next to each other.

My advice for the Road to Hana is:

1) Get a good Guide book so you don't miss some of the hidden gems along the road.

2) Leave early. It is a popular drive and there could be traffic.

3) Get a convertible. There is nothing like driving with an amzing canopy of the green above you.

At the end of the road is the town of Hana. We stopped for an hour at the black sand beach and got lunch and then headed back to Wailea (basically took the same road back without the stops). Some people book rooms for the night at Hana so that may be an option.

I will remember the Road to Hana my entire life. It really shows the beauty of the earth!

Driving the famed Hana highway, which connects north and west Maui to the more isolated east side, is often compared to driving through the Garden of Eden because of its beautifully lush scenery complete with sky–high rainforests and towering waterfalls. Carved by eons of volcanic activity, this landscape that varies from open fields to dense jungles is wonderfully juxtaposed against the wide blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

It is indeed a testament to the sheer beauty of this highway that almost 2000 drivers, each day, willingly undertake the challenge of slowly driving this narrow, two-laned, blind cornered, never straight, somewhat harrowing road with 600 turns! So come equipped with the mindset that it the experience of the journey that matters, accept that you are GOING to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic with a million other tourists looking for the same slice of paradise and you will definitely enjoy this magnificent, one-of-a-kind drive!

Travel in a clock-wise direction to take advantage of the sun as the waterfalls looks their best before noon. Call 808-248-7800 or visit Weather Underground for daily road condition reports before embarking on your trip and fill up your car with cheaper gas at Kahului or Paia as there are no other stations before you reach Hana. If you are planning to make this a day-trip, you must start early enough to pass Kahului by the ungodly hour of 8am to avoid the crowds. Alternatively, stay overnight at the quaint little town of Hana itself and set out after 11am if you are not a photography buff. There are many lovely hotels in Hana; two of the more established ones are Hotel Hana Maui and Hana Kai Maui Resort.

The eastern part of Maui is destined for the creation of awe-inspiring waterfalls due to natural changes in elevation and heavy rainfall up in the mountains. The first waterfall you will see after Kahului is the Twin Falls. Most people crowd here as it is the first waterfall on the trail but make your way towards other prettier falls if you are having difficulty taking a photograph amidst hundred of bobbing heads.

Upper Puohokamoa Falls is another popular option but if you are looking for your own ‘private’ waterfall, head on to a quarter mile past the 13 mile markers at the 1911 bridge. Punalau Falls is hidden away from the road and requires 15 minutes of boulder crawling and hopping but you will be rewarded with a lovely view and the potential for a quiet swim. If you want a fantastic photo with the ocean ripping through the jagged coast, stop by Ke’anae Peninsula. Another place where you can be blissfully sandwiched between the ocean and a waterfall is at the Blue Pool, accessible from Ula’ino Road near the 31 mile marker. This 3 mile dirt road leading to the falls is unpaved but maneuverable and you have to pay $2 for parking.

On the east side of Maui is a road trip definitely worth going on. It's called the Road to Hana (Hana is a town, and it's the journey along the way that is awesome). There are many, many stops along the way and you need an entire day to explore and take your time seeing the beauty of this trip. Some stops worth mentioning are Twin Falls (mile marker 2), Puohokamoa Falls (mile marker 11—parts of this walk are rocky), Old Nahiku Lookout (about mile marker 25—this takes you to the ocean where there are fabulous views and huge waves crashing along the black rock beaches). There are great bamboo forests and waterfalls along the way and many one-lane bridges, so drive slowly as you go over these bridges and around sharp corners. One great one-lane bridge stop is early on (around mile marker 6) where there are huge bamboo trees and sheer, lush cliffs with a waterfall that you need to climb down a rocky, steep trail to get to. Just past Hana are the Seven Sacred Pools, which you need a good amount of time to see. Once you get to Hana, you can turn around and go back or keep going, but you'll need a 4x4 to get through. It is unpaved for a long stretch and is quite uninhabited. A lot of rental companies forbid you you to take a car on this section of road, as many people have gotten stuck here.

Hairpin turns with abounding rock cliffs on one side and straight down cliffsides on the other. Parts of the Hana Highway are one lane and all bridges are one lane with traffic yielding to the other. This is the Road to Hana. It's soooo worth it!

Most of the road hugs the coastline but is hundreds of feet up along the sides of mountains and cliffs. If you drove straight to Hana, it would take about 2 hours, but then you'd miss all that's along the way. The town of Hana is not your main destination, it's enjoying all what you can find and see along the way.

It was built in 1927 and has been maintained nicely through the years. We drove over brand-new asphalt for miles. You'll find over 600 hairpin turns, 56 one lane bridges, temples, churches, black sand beaches, red sand beaches, and tons of waterfalls.

The town of Paia begins the trek even though the Hana Highway leads from near the airport. The town of Paia is really a cool little town. It's beachside and is the home of the invention of windsurfing. You'll find lots of tourists, tons of surfers and windsurfers, and lots of locals there too—not avoiding the tourist population. I wouldn't consider the town a tourist trap with gift shops, etc. It is, though, the last real stop on the way to Hana so be sure to get gas, snacks, drinks, and film...and use the bathroom before traveling to Hana, as there are few facilities. You'll be pulling over on the side of the road to use the bathroom otherwise...and that's difficult because most of the road is cliffside. If you do pull over at a pull off spot, there's no privacy as you'll be one of many drivers at any time of the day. If you get nauseated with turns in the car, be sure to eat ginger, drink ginger ale, bring crackers, and take Dramimine. Trust me.

You can drive it yourself or take a guided tour with air-conditioned mini-buses or SUVs for about $100. If you drive it yourself (which I recommend), you can stop anywhere you want. Rent/buy a Road to Hana CD to play in the vehicle, which will tell you all about everything.

It can rain along the way. Speed limits are posted as 20 and 30 mph. The turns keep you from going much faster and you wouldn't want to...with the accidents you could have and the things you'd miss along the way. Falling rocks are a hazard too.

Don't miss: (1) Twin Falls waterfalls. Hike beside the guava trees. Mile marker 2. (2) Garden of Eden Arboretum for tropical flowers. Between MM 10 & 11. (3) Keanae Peninsula with views and taro fields. (4) Wai'anapanapa Park past MM 32 for black sand beaches, lava tubes, caves, and ancient cemeteries. (5) Hasegawa Store in Hana. (6) Seven Sacred Pools Park past Hana. (7) Charles Lindbergh's grave—difficult to find—we couldn't!