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The Hana Highway, also known as the Hana Highway, is a 67-mile-long (109 km) that connects the cities of Kahului and Hana in eastern Maui, the second largest island in Hawaii. This road is one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island of Maui.
- Length: 67 miles (109 km)
- Construction: 1900
- State: Hawaii
- Towns it connects: Kahului and Hana
- Two-way bridges: 13
- One-way bridges: 46 (12 of them between Hana and Kipahulu)
- Oldest bridge: Mokulehua, built in 1908 Most recent bridge: Hoolawa, rebuilt in 1994
Despite being a relatively short road, at just over 100 kilometers, it takes about two and a half hours to complete the entire journey. In addition to its narrowness, the Hana Highway is battered by a hellish wind, which, added to the 46 one-way bridges that have to be crossed, makes it extremely difficult to drive. If that weren’t enough, there are up to 620 curves from one end to the other.
For this and much more, it is recognized as one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The natural beauty of its rainforest landscapes and the most imposing waterfalls in the world attest to this, not for nothing, this area of Hawaii is known as the land forgotten by time.
Places of interest along the Hana Highway
Here are some of the reasons why the Hana Highway is so popular:
- In Huelo, you can find Kaulanapueo, a Congregational church built in 1853. It was built by Hawaiians using materials from the region.
- In the village of Nahiku, you can visit a rubber plantation from the late 1800s. More information on Hawaii.com.
- Kahanu Garden, a 119-hectare botanical garden.
- Inside Kahanu Garden is Piilanihale, one of the largest heiaus in Hawaii. Heiaus are sacred Hawaiian temples where kahunas (priests) resided. This temple in particular was built between the 14th and 16th centuries.
- In Hana, there was a sugar cane plantation and refinery that closed in 1946. The Hana-Maui Hotel, built after the closure, is the only resort in the region.
- Near the end of the journey is Oheʻo Gulch, also known as “The Seven Sacred Pools”, a series of waterfalls and natural pools within Haleakala National Park.
- This park also contains the grave of Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop.
Some historical milestones of Hana Highway
In 2000, Hana Highway was designated by President Bill Clinton as the “Hana Millennium Legacy Trail”. In 2001, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (a list of places in the United States that are considered to be historically significant).
