Part of our Hawaii guide.
The Road to Hana on Maui is 64 miles of winding highway, with 620 curves and 59 one-lane bridges, threading through rainforest, past waterfalls, and along coastal cliffs. This guide covers two stops on that drive: the fruit orchards tucked into the hillsides and the essential pitstops along the route.
Related travel guides: Mysteries Behind Hawaii's Hana Highway, How Long Is The Ferry Ride From Lahaina To Lanai, and How Long Is The Ferry Ride From Maui To Molokai.
Secret Fruit Orchards Along Hawaii's Road To Hana
Mangoes, papayas, and starfruit grow in small orchards that appear between mile markers along the Hana Highway. These are family-run groves where you can pull over, buy a bag of just-picked fruit, and keep driving. The orchards sit on the wet windward side of Haleakalā, where the soil is rich and the rain is frequent, which is why the fruit tastes different from what you find in a supermarket. Some stands operate on the honor system—leave cash in a box, take what you want. Others have a farmer or a kid from the family sitting under a tarp. The fruit changes by season: mangoes peak in summer, papayas produce year-round, and starfruit appears in late fall. Stopping at one of these stands is also a way to see the agricultural side of the island, where taro patches and banana groves have been worked for generations. Look for a cluster of cars pulled onto the shoulder, usually just past a bridge or before a sharp turn. The orchards are not signposted with big billboards; they are part of the landscape.
Maui Road To Hana - Paradise Drive Pitstops
The Road to Hana is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Plan for a full day—the 64 miles take at least two to three hours each way without stops, and with stops you will be out from sunrise to sunset. The most reliable pitstops include the Keʻanae Peninsula, where you can watch the surf pound the lava rock and buy banana bread from a stand that has been there for decades; the black-sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park, which requires a reservation to enter; and the Puaʻa Kaʻa Falls, a short walk from the road where you can wade in the pool below the cascade. Farther along, the town of Hana itself has a general store, a gas pump, and a small park. Beyond Hana, the road continues to the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park, where the Pipiwai Trail leads through a bamboo forest to a 400-foot waterfall. That trail is one of the best examples of hiking and the outdoors in Hawaii on this side of the island. The drive is not a loop—you come back the same way, so the second half of the day is the same road in reverse, with different light and fewer cars.
