Comments on: Piilani Highway : Driving the back road to Hana

By: Amit Basu

Amit Basu — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:18:59 +0000

@Ben: You can do Wailea - Hana - Wailea (via Piilani Highway) in a day quite comfortably, provided you start by 6am. A Jeep would definitely be better on that road than a regular sedan.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:25:13 +0000

Awesome pics Amit and thanks for all the info.

Let me know if im crazy, or if its actually plauisble to do this.

My wife and I are going to Maui in a couple weeks and we are staying in Wailea.

We are thinking of waking up in the morning and taking the road to hana, stopping along the way etc, and then for the drive back taking the back road back to Wailea. Can we get this all done in one day? Say if we leave at 6am from Wailea?

Also, we are renting a jeep, is that bad or good for these roads?

And no, i havent checked with the rental company if its ok to drive that stretch.

Thanks!

By: Marianne

Marianne — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:03:05 +0000

Thanks Amit!!

By: Amit Basu

Amit Basu — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:12:26 +0000

@Marianne: If you leave Lahaina at 5am, you should be at Oheo Gulch by 10am, even after the usual stops at all the spectacular vista points along the way.

By: Marianne

Marianne — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:10:54 +0000

Thanks for the info! We are going to Maui next week and I wanted to drive the road to Hana backwards. I was unsure of the safety, so thank you. One question… If we leave Lahaina at 5:00 am get on the Piilani hwy right after sunrise, do you think that will be ok? How long does it take to drive that stretch to Oheo Gulch? Thanks for your help!

By: Rajeev

Rajeev — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:24:35 +0000

Did not know about Piilani Highway! We took the regular road to Hana. Awesome writeup and photographs Amit!

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:05:42 +0000

Great post. Such an amazing drive. Love your photos. I wish we would have stopped a bit more to see some of the great sites you did, but we were determined to hike the Pipiwai Trail.
Those two rocky beaches look awesome.
Thanks for sharing, its been great seeing this place again.

By: Harley

Harley — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:35:29 +0000

The problems with this road are overstated. Assuming there was no heavy rain, leave Hana around 4:00pm to ensure you make it to the 2 lane section by dark… although it is less than an hour of problematic driving… also if you leave by 4:00pm there are fewer vehicles coming towards you… drive slowly and be cautious on narrow turns. The gravel portion is minor. Half way through the drive the vegetation disappears and it is much easier to see ahead of you… only problem is that the driver needs to focus on driving and can’t look out window. A jeep is unnecessary.

By: Kelly Fitzgerald

Kelly Fitzgerald — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:58:31 +0000

Hi Amit, I just came across your blog. Thank you so much for the post on the Piilani Highway. Thank you for sharing your images and for all of the information. I hope to make the trip in the very near future. Cheers!

By: Amit Basu

Amit Basu — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:30:15 +0000

@Steven: I agree. The Piilani Highway is a dream ride with minor bumps. Just don’t drive it after a major rain storm, or at night.