Road to Hana in Hawaii: What Each Island Actually Offers

The first thing worth knowing about the Road to Hana is that it is not really about getting to Hana. The drive is the experience.

The Hana Highway winds along Maui’s northeast coast through rainforest, waterfalls, sea cliffs, small bridges, and enough one lane sections to make you slow down whether you planned to or not. There are famous stops along the way, but some of my favorite parts are the stretches where you are simply driving through green jungle with the ocean appearing between the trees.

The other thing worth knowing is that this is a full day. You can technically drive to Hana and back, but rushing the Road to Hana misses the entire point. Leave early, pick a few stops, and accept that you will not see everything in one trip.

So the honest answer to “where is the best scenic drive in Hawaii” depends on what you want. Maui has the Road to Hana itself, while the other islands offer completely different drives through volcanic landscapes, mountains, and coastline.

Here is how the islands actually differ.

Here are our Top 4 scenic driving tours. Scroll down for our favorites on each island.

Oahu: coastal roads, mountain views, and an easier day out

Oahu does not have a Road to Hana equivalent, but it does have plenty of scenic drives if you want to explore beyond Waikiki.

The Windward Coast is where I would start. Driving toward Kailua and around the eastern side of the island gives you a completely different view of Oahu from what you see in Honolulu. The Ko’olau Mountains rise directly beside the road, and there are beaches, lookouts, and small towns along the way.

The North Shore is another easy road trip. You can follow the coast through Haleiwa, stop at famous surf beaches, and continue toward the quieter northern end of the island. In winter, the waves at places like Sunset Beach and Pipeline can be enormous, while summer brings much calmer water.

The big difference from the Road to Hana is convenience. Oahu’s scenic drives can be done in a few hours and combined with other Honolulu plans. If you want a full day of winding roads and rainforest, Maui wins. If you want several easy scenic drives without committing an entire day, Oahu is hard to beat.

Big Island: lava fields, coffee country, and roads that feel enormous

The Big Island is where I would go if the scenery you want is more volcanic than tropical.

The Saddle Road crosses the middle of the island between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and the landscape changes dramatically as you climb. One minute you are surrounded by lush vegetation and the next you are looking across enormous stretches of black volcanic rock.

The Kona coast gives you a completely different drive. You can follow the coast through coffee country, small communities, lava fields, and historic sites, with plenty of places to stop along the way. The distances are bigger here than they look on a map, which is part of the experience.

There is no single road on the Big Island that feels exactly like the Road to Hana. That is actually the appeal. Maui gives you rainforest and waterfalls packed into one winding coastal highway. The Big Island gives you scale, volcanoes, and landscapes that can change completely within the same drive.

Maui: the Road to Hana, and why you should not rush it

This is the island to choose if the Road to Hana is the reason you are renting a car.

The Hana Highway runs along Maui’s northeastern coast for roughly 64 miles from the Kahului area to Hana, with hundreds of curves and dozens of bridges along the way. The road itself is narrow in places, and traffic can build up around the most famous stops, especially later in the morning.

Twin Falls is one of the first popular stops, while the Keanae Peninsula gives you dramatic coastal views and a chance to see the old taro farming landscape. Further along, the rainforest gets thicker and the waterfalls become more frequent. Wai’anapanapa State Park is another major stop, with its black sand beach and volcanic coastline, although reservations are required for visitors.

The biggest mistake is trying to treat the Road to Hana like a checklist. You will spend half the day watching the clock and the other half looking for parking. Pick a few places that actually interest you, leave early, and give yourself enough time to stop when something catches your eye.

And remember that Hana is not the finish line. The drive back is part of the trip too.

Kauai: the Na Pali Coast, canyon roads, and scenery at every turn

Kauai is probably the closest competitor if what you really want is a scenic drive surrounded by dramatic nature.

The road through the north shore runs through towns like Hanalei and toward the end of the accessible highway near the Na Pali Coast. The scenery gets increasingly dramatic as you move west, with mountains, valleys, beaches, and waterfalls appearing around almost every bend.

On the opposite side of the island, Waimea Canyon is the big road trip. The drive climbs from the coast toward the canyon rim, where several viewpoints look down into the enormous red and green landscape. You can combine it with Koke’e State Park if you want to spend most of the day exploring.

Kauai feels different from the Road to Hana because the scenery is less about one continuous rainforest highway and more about several distinct landscapes packed onto one small island. If waterfalls and jungle are your priority, choose Maui. If you want cliffs, canyons, and mountain scenery, Kauai is the one.

A few things worth knowing before you go

Leave early. This is the single piece of advice I would give anyone driving the Road to Hana. Starting late means more traffic, more crowded stops, and less time once you reach the eastern side of Maui.

Do not try to stop everywhere. There are far too many waterfalls, lookouts, roadside stands, and trails to fit into one day. Pick a handful before you leave and leave room for the unexpected.

Bring water, snacks, comfortable shoes, and something for rain. The weather on the Hana side of Maui can be completely different from what you left behind in Kihei or Lahaina.

And be respectful of private property and local communities. Not every attractive roadside pullout is a legal parking area, and blocking a narrow bridge for a photograph is a great way to make everyone behind you hate the Road to Hana.

Picking one

If the goal is waterfalls, rainforest, and the classic Hawaii road trip, do the Road to Hana on Maui. If you want volcanic scenery and huge distances, go Big Island. If you want an easier coastal drive from Honolulu, go Oahu. If you want mountain cliffs and canyon views, put Kauai at the top of the list.