点评:I know I may be committing some sort of Maui tourist sin by saying this, but our family unanimously rated the Road to Hāna 3 out of 5 stars—and a couple of us might have gone even lower.
My husband and I drove the Road to Hāna about 20 years ago and remembered it as one of those iconic Maui experiences. This trip, we wanted our kids to experience it too.
And yes—the waterfalls are beautiful. The coastline is spectacular. The rainforest is lush. There are wonderful little roadside stands.
But here’s the question:
Is it worth spending 10–12 hours of your Maui vacation doing it?
For our family, probably not again.
We Tried to Beat the Crowds
Our original plan was to drive the loop in reverse, both because it was more convenient from where we were staying and because we hoped we’d encounter fewer people.
Unfortunately, road construction changed those plans. The back route was closed during the morning and didn’t reopen until later in the day, so we headed to Pāʻia and drove the traditional direction.
We left around 7:00 AM.
Apparently, everyone else had read the same advice about leaving early. 😂
The crowds were already building.
We downloaded the Shaka Guide before leaving, which I highly recommend. I’ll review that separately, but having an offline guide was incredibly helpful.
And here’s an important tip:
📵 Don’t Depend on Cell Service
Cell reception is practically nonexistent through significant portions of the drive.
Download everything beforehand.
Offline maps. Driving guides. Music. Anything you think you’ll need.
Fully charge your phones and consider bringing a battery pack.
The unexpected upside?
Our kids couldn’t disappear into their phones all day—and I didn’t even have to be the mean mom who took them away.
Sometimes Hawaii solves your parenting problems for you. 😂
Don’t Try to Stop Everywhere
Every guidebook says this, and they’re right.
You cannot do everything.
If you want to drive the full Road to Hāna and actually stop to enjoy waterfalls, swim, hike, eat and explore, plan on a very long day—easily 10–12 hours.
Pick the places that matter most to you.
We stopped at several waterfalls, and swimming in them was cool and refreshing.
But this is where some of the magic was lost for us.
We’d arrive at another gorgeous waterfall…
with another crowd of tourists.
Yes, I fully recognize the irony of being a tourist complaining about other tourists. 😂
But part of coming to Maui is experiencing the incredible natural environment. When you’re sitting in traffic to reach a waterfall where the swimming hole is packed with people, it starts feeling less like exploring Hawaii and a little more like waiting for the next attraction at Disneyland.
The Drive Itself Requires Your Attention
This is not a relaxing scenic drive for the person behind the wheel.
There are extremely narrow sections, one-lane bridges, blind curves and places where someone needs to pull over to allow opposing traffic through.
During our visit, road construction added dump trucks and work vehicles into the mix.
So while everyone else is saying, “Look at that view!”…
the driver may be thinking,
“Please nobody come around this corner.” 😳
💵 The Road Is Free—But Bring Cash
One great thing about the Road to Hāna is that driving the road itself is free, and many of the roadside waterfalls, pools, overlooks, and scenic stops don’t cost anything either.
If you’re trying to keep the day inexpensive, pack a picnic. We did, and ate our lunch at picnic tables along the coastline in Hāna. With a view like that, you certainly don’t need a fancy restaurant.
That said, bring cash.
If you stop for food, fresh coconuts, banana bread, shaved ice, or other roadside temptations—or visit state or national park attractions—there can be entrance, parking, reservation, or food costs. Cell service is also unreliable, so don’t assume every small vendor will be able to process a credit card.
We thought we were actually being pretty reasonable with our spending. We packed our own picnic rather than buying a full lunch, but we still enjoyed some roadside treats and paid the various fees along the way.
By the end of the day, our family of four had spent more than $300.
Was all of it necessary? Absolutely not.
But that’s exactly why I’m mentioning it. A coconut here, shaved ice there, park entrance fees, parking, snacks, and a few irresistible roadside stops can turn a “free scenic drive” into a surprisingly expensive day.
So if you’re traveling on a budget: fill the gas tank, pack your food and drinks, bring some cash, choose your paid stops ahead of time, and then enjoy all those beautiful free waterfalls and views along the way. 🌴🥥💦
Stop at the Roadside Stands
This was one of our favorite parts.
We stopped for fresh coconuts that were chopped open right in front of us and served with a papaya straw.
The kids loved it.
We found vegan ice cream, shaved ice and other local treats along the way.
Bring cash.
Cell service is unreliable, which means some roadside vendors may not be able to process credit cards.
We also packed a picnic and ate along the coastline in Hāna. Sometimes the simplest experiences end up being the best ones.
Don’t Panic If You Miss the Famous Black-Sand Beach
If you weren’t able to secure a reservation for Waiʻānapanapa State Park, your Maui vacation isn’t ruined.
There are other places along the Hāna area and elsewhere on Maui where you can see volcanic black-sand shoreline.
Waiʻānapanapa is beautiful, but don’t let missing one reservation make you feel like you’ve missed the entire experience.
🌿 Save Your Energy for the Pīpīwai Trail
For our family, this was the best part of the entire Road to Hāna experience.
The Pīpīwai Trail and Waimoku Falls were spectacular.
Unfortunately, because everything before it had taken so long, we arrived already hot, sweaty, sticky and tired from an entire day of driving, exploring and swimming.
If I could redesign our day, I would make Pīpīwai Trail one of the priorities rather than something we hoped to squeeze in after everything else.
The bamboo, bridges, rainforest and waterfalls make this feel like an actual adventure rather than another roadside stop.
During our visit, access near Waimoku Falls was restricted, so we could only admire the waterfall from the designated viewing area. Don’t assume you’ll be able to swim or walk underneath it—follow the current signs and closures.
🌋 The Back Side Was a Surprise Favorite
We were ultimately able to continue around the back side via Piʻilani Highway.
And suddenly Maui changed.
The lush rainforest disappeared.
In its place were wide-open landscapes, old lava fields, dark volcanic rock and the dry side of the island.
After hours of dense tropical vegetation, the contrast was spectacular.
It actually became one of my favorite visual parts of the entire drive.
Would We Do the Road to Hāna Again?
Probably not.
I’m glad our kids experienced it.
I’m glad we did it together.
And there were absolutely beautiful moments.
But after spending an entire day navigating traffic, crowds, narrow roads and packed attractions, all four of us came away feeling essentially the same way:
The Road to Hāna is beautiful—but we don’t think it lives up to the enormous hype surrounding it.
There are other parts of Maui where we’ve experienced equally spectacular scenery with fewer crowds and significantly less time sitting in a car.
In fact, our family preferred exploring the northwest side of Maui around Kapalua and beyond.
So should you skip the Road to Hāna?
Not necessarily.
If this is your first trip to Maui and it’s something you’ve always wanted to experience, absolutely do it once.
Just don’t approach it like a checklist.
Choose a few meaningful stops.
Bring cash.
Download everything before you leave.
Start early.
Pack food and water.
And most importantly, don’t spend so much time trying to “complete” the Road to Hāna that you forget to actually enjoy Hawaii.
🌺 Our Family Rating
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3/5
Scenery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Waterfalls: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Pīpīwai Trail: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 — our favorite part
Crowds: ⭐⭐☆☆☆ 2/5
Kid enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3/5
Adventure factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4/5
Would we dedicate another full day to it? Probably not.
Bottom line: Beautiful, iconic and worth experiencing once if it’s on your Maui bucket list—but for our family, there are other Maui adventures we’d choose before doing the Road to Hāna again. 🌺🚙🌴
翻译:我知道这么说可能会犯下某种“毛伊岛游客大忌”,但我们全家人一致给“哈纳之路”评了3星(满分5星)——甚至有几个人给的评分比这还低。
大约20年前,我和丈夫曾经驾车走过这条路,记忆中它是毛伊岛上最经典的旅游体验之一。这次旅行,我们希望孩子们也能拥有同样的体验。
没错——那里的瀑布很美,海岸线壮丽无比,热带雨林郁郁葱葱,沿途还有许多很不错的小摊贩。不过问题来了:
在毛伊岛度假期间,值得花10到12个小时来做这件事吗?
对我们家来说,大概不会再这么做了。
我们试图避开人群
我们最初的计划是逆向行驶游览整个环线——一方面是因为从我们下榻的地点出发这样更方便,另一方面则是希望能遇到更少的游客。
可惜的是,道路施工打乱了我们的计划。那条备用路线在上午封闭,直到当天晚些时候才重新开放。于是我们前往帕伊亚,沿着常规路线行驶。
我们大约在早上7点出发。
显然,其他所有人也看到了“尽早出发”的建议。😂
此时人群已经开始聚集了。
出发前我们下载了Shaka Guide,我强烈推荐这款应用。我会另作评测,不过能有一个离线导航工具真的非常有用。
这里有一个重要的提示:
📵 千万别指望手机信号
在大部分的行程路段上,手机信号几乎根本没有。事先下载好所有需要的内容。
离线地图、驾车指南、音乐——任何你认为会用得上的东西。
把手机充满电,最好再带个移动电源。
意想不到的好处是什么呢?
我们的孩子再也不能一整天都埋头玩手机了——而我甚至不必扮演那个没收他们手机的“坏妈妈”。
有时候,夏威夷能帮你解决育儿难题呢。😂
别试图去遍览所有景点
每本旅游指南都这么说,它们说得对。
你不可能把所有地方都逛遍。如果你想走完整条“哈纳之路”,并真正停下来欣赏瀑布、游泳、徒步、用餐及观光,那可要做好准备——这将会是漫长的一天,大概需要10到12个小时。
挑出那些对你来说最重要的景点吧。
我们停靠在好几处瀑布旁,在瀑布下游泳真是清凉又惬意。
但也正是在这里,我们失去了一些旅行的乐趣。
我们又来到了另一处绝美的瀑布前……
却发现那里同样挤满了游客。
没错,我也清楚自己作为游客却抱怨其他游客这种行为有多讽刺。不过,来毛伊岛游玩的一部分乐趣就在于体验这里绝美的自然环境。当你堵在车流中,好不容易才抵达那个泳池区挤满人的瀑布处时,这种体验就不再像是探索夏威夷,而更像是坐在迪士尼乐园里等待下一个景点的出现了。
驾驶本身就需要全神贯注
对于驾车的人来说,这可绝非一段轻松惬意的观光之旅。
路上有许多极其狭窄的路段,还有单行道桥。弯道众多,有些地方还需要车辆靠边停车以便对向车辆通过。
我们游览期间,道路施工使得路上增加了许多自卸卡车和工程车辆。
因此,当其他人都在惊叹:“快看那美景啊!”时……
司机心里可能在想:
“求求了,千万别有人从那个弯道处出现。” 😳
💵 道路免费通行——但记得带现金
哈纳之路的一大好处就是全程免费通行,而且沿途还有许多瀑布、水潭和观景台……那些风景优美的景点也都不需要任何费用。
如果你想让这一天的花费保持在较低水平,那就带上野餐食物吧。我们就是这么做的,在哈纳的海岸边,我们坐在野餐桌上享用午餐。有如此美景相伴,显然就无需去昂贵的餐厅了。
不过,一定要带上现金。
如果你停下来购买新鲜椰子、香蕉面包、刨冰或其他路边小吃,或者前往州立公园或国家公园游览,都可能需要支付门票、停车费、预订费或餐饮费用。手机信号也时好时坏,所以别以为每个小摊贩都能处理信用卡支付。
我们原以为自己的消费水平其实相当合理。我们自带野餐食物,没有购买整份午餐,但还是享用了一些路边小食,也支付了沿途的各种费用。
到当天结束时,我们一家四口总共花费了300多美元。
这些支出真的都必要吗?绝对不是。
但正因如此我才要提到这件事。这里买个椰子……那里的刨冰、公园门票、停车费、零食,再加上几个让人忍不住想停留的路边摊,这些开销足以让原本“免费的风景自驾游”变成一天内花费不菲的行程。
所以,如果你预算有限:请把油箱加满,带上食物和饮料,带些现金,提前决定好哪些地方需要付费,然后尽情欣赏沿途那些免费的美丽瀑布与风景吧。🌴🥥💦
停靠在路边摊前
这是我们最喜欢的环节之一。我们停下来买了新鲜椰子——店家当场把椰子劈开,还配上了木瓜吸管。
孩子们可喜欢了。
一路上我们还发现了纯素冰淇淋、刨冰以及其他当地特色小吃。
记得带现金哦。
手机信号不太稳定,因此有些路边摊可能无法使用信用卡付款。
我们还准备了野餐食物,在哈纳的海岸边享用。有时候,最简单的体验反而才是最美好的。没能预约到著名的黑沙海滩?别慌!
即便没能成功预约怀阿纳帕纳帕州立公园的参观名额,您的毛伊岛之旅也并不会因此受损。
在哈纳地区以及毛伊岛的其他地方,还有许多地方可以欣赏到由火山活动形成的黑色沙滩。
怀阿纳帕纳帕确实美不胜收,但千万别因为没能预约上就觉得错过了整个旅行体验。
🌿 把体力留给皮皮瓦伊步道吧
对我们家来说……这是整个“哈纳之路”之旅中最精彩的部分。
皮皮瓦伊步道和瓦伊莫库瀑布真是壮观至极。
可惜的是,由于此前的行程耗费了太多时间,当我们到达那里时,已经热得不行、满身是汗、黏糊糊的,而且因为一整天的开车、游览和游泳而疲惫不堪。
如果能重新安排当天的行程,我会把皮皮瓦伊步道列为重点项目,而不是把它当作在完成其他所有事情之后才勉强去逛一逛的环节。
那些竹子、桥梁……热带雨林与瀑布让这里宛如一场真正的冒险之旅,而不只是又一个路边景点。
我们到访时,瓦伊莫库瀑布附近的通道被限制通行,因此我们只能从指定的观景区欣赏瀑布。千万别以为自己能游泳或走到瀑布下方——务必遵循现有的指示牌与封闭规定。
🌋 背面区域意外成为心头好
最后我们还是沿着皮伊拉尼公路绕到了景区的背面。
那一刻,毛伊岛的模样瞬间焕然一新。茂密的雨林消失了。
取而代之的是一望无际的旷野、古老的熔岩地带、深色的火山岩,以及岛上较为干旱的区域。
在穿行于茂密的热带植被区数小时后,这种反差显得尤为惊人。
这实际上成了整个旅途中我最喜欢的视觉景观之一。
我们还会再走哈纳之路吗?
大概不会了。
我很高兴我的孩子们能体验到这一切。
我很高兴我们能一起完成这次旅程。
途中确实有许多极其美好的瞬间。不过,在耗费一整天的时间应对拥堵的交通、熙熙攘攘的人群、狭窄的道路以及人满为患的景点之后,我们四个人得出的感受其实都大同小异:
哈纳之路确实很美——但我们认为它并没有达到人们所吹嘘的那般惊艳。
毛伊岛上还有其他地方能欣赏到同样壮丽的景色,而且那里游客较少,在车里耗费的时间也大大减少。
事实上,我们一家人更喜欢去毛伊岛西北部的卡帕卢阿一带探险。那么,是否应该跳过“哈纳之路”呢?
未必如此。
如果这是你第一次来毛伊岛,而这一直是你梦寐以求的体验,那绝对值得去一次。
只是别把它当作一个必须完成的清单项目来对待。
挑选几个有意义的景点即可。
带上现金。
出发前把所需资料都下载好。
早点出发。
带上食物和水。
最重要的是,别把太多时间花在试图“走完”哈纳之路上,以至于忘了好好享受夏威夷的乐趣。🌺 我们一家人的评分
总体评分:⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3/5
风景:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
瀑布:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
皮皮瓦伊步道:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5——我们最喜欢的部分
人流密集度:⭐⭐☆☆☆ 2/5
孩子们的喜爱程度:⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3/5
冒险指数:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4/5
我们会再花一整天时间去那里吗?大概不会了。
总结:风景优美且极具标志性,如果哈纳之路在您的毛伊岛旅行清单上,绝对值得一去。不过对我们家来说,还会有其他更想体验的毛伊岛冒险活动,因此应该不会再重游哈纳之路了。🌺🚙🌴