drive ourselves to Hana or a tour?

[BJRSanDiego]

I don't think this is accurate, the 7 pools are on a normal road. Much past the 7 pools is a questionable road and it's often reported that it's a violation of the rental car contract but from what I have seen in the past, that's not necessarily so. The rental agreements I've seen in the past prohibited driving on unimproved roads but did not specifically prohibit that section. And since I've driven it personally (never again), it is an improved road just not paved all the way. Now there has been some road damage and repair since I drove it, I'm not sure how it is compared to before.

I've taken the road from Hana to Kehei and it wasn't all that bad.

I did a google search and it appears that some rental car companies allow you to go to the 7 sacred pools and some others do not. But, the restriction (if there is one in place) doesn't have anything to do with the road. You're right, the road is paved and is in pretty good shape. So yes, I would call it a normal road too. The problem is that there is no cell phone coverage at the pools. Last time I was there (1.5 years ago) I checked and there wasn't cell phone coverage. The person who told me about the issue was a van driver giving us a guided tour. It was the first time that I had taken a tour and it was kind of fun. The driver is the one who mentioned the restriction was tied to cell phone coverage. So, perhaps the best thing to do is to keep this in mind and take a minute or two to check if there are any restrictions with your rental car company. I think that the logic behind the cell phone issue is that if you have any sort of problem (car won't start, you smack it up, you get a flat and don't know how to fix it, etc.) you won't be able to call the rental car company for help.

Driving on the unimproved roads? Yes, I've done that. I took a risk. And yes, it was probably against the rental car company rules.

 

[mj2vacation]

We used the "Shaka guide Maui" app. Worked great. A little creepy on the first few stops because the narrator gives a strange laugh, but that stops after a few miles.

We cracked up every time he laughed. It was odd.

The tour on the app for Hana and Haleakala were excellent.

I prefer to drive. We drove up Haleakala twice this trip and did the Road to Hana once.

 

[mj2vacation]

http://mauiguidebook.com/road-to-hana-maui/road-to-hana-sites-to-see-maui/seven-sacred-pools/

The Pools of ‘Ohe’o in Kīpahulu are CLOSED indefinitely due to safety concerns with landslides. We will update the conditions of the pools once it becomes available. The Pipiwai Trail and Waimoku Falls hike within the park remains open.

 

[JulieAB]

Anyone know if the road past hana is open? I see conflicting info that it's closed both ways Kaupo?

 

[daventrina]

Drive your self...
It is part of the experience.

You can then stop where and when you want on your own time schedule.
There are a number of guides for the drive

 

[soccermom5]

Agree that it is "part of the experience" but I'm not sure I need that much "experience". Having to drive some of the single lane switchbacks going up/down a grade would have kept me on edge so much that I would not have been able to enjoy the views. We instead took a tour using https://hanatoursofmaui.com/ two weeks ago. There were 7 of us in our party and everyone thought this was one of the highlights of our two week trip.

It is a long day so you can't plan anything else that day. Pick-up was from our hotel (WKORV) @ 7:30am. We drove about an hour before stopping at a restaurant for a full breakfast. We were able to order sandwiches from a pre-defined menu and our driver stopped and picked them up in Paia and stuck them in a cooler and we had lunch around 3. In between we stopped for snacks (fresh/warm banana bread was key). This tour company goes all the way around and I will say that the road does get worse after you get past the gravesite for Charles Lindbergh. I was glad that there was an experienced driver at the wheel so I could focus on the scenery and not the road. Our driver was very accommodating and asked where/if we wanted to stop -- she even stopped somewhere that was not one of the "normal" stops because the view was so spectacular and several wanted photos. The 7 Sacred pools remain closed. We got back to WKORV about 7:15pm so just about 12 hours.

 

[easyrider]

Anyone know if the road past hana is open? I see conflicting info that it's closed both ways Kaupo?

I read that a section of the Pillani Hwy about a mile away from Kaupo was going to be closed for repairs until early September. Looking at the construction times it seems that no one works on the weekends meaning the road may be open on weekends by now.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...l=20.643803949949636,-156.09804123212012&z=16

Bill

 

[JulieAB]

It's also open after 4 pm each day, but they rather people not go through anyway. We ended up driving ourselves with gypsy tour audio and turning around at Hana. After driving around the north part of west maui a few days before, hana was a piece of cake. But I felt like we had seen it all before driving between hilo and waikoloa around the north part of big island so I was underwhelmed (we didn't get out and hike anywhere along hana, so maybe that's why). Everyone loved the gypsy guide, even my 13 and 7 year old.

 

[KevinB]

The "back side" of the road to Hana is open after 4pm. We did it 2 days ago. The construction is a very small area of the road. Its a beautiful ride to see the differences of the front side. The road is definitely in worse shape than in years past, but not horrible. We had a jeep which is better for clearance, but I saw a mustang and a camaro doing it as well, just slower going so not to bottom out.

 

[KevinB]

duplicate post deleted

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

We did it in June and it was gorgeous. There is only a small section that has not been redone and there are lots of pot holes in that section but the majority of the road is much better, newly paved and quicker than the regular ride to Hana. We had a mini van