As many of our readers know, there’s nothing us Ramblers love more than taking a good road trip. As it turns out, many other travelers agree that hopping in a car and just driving around is a fantastic way to see the sights and really get to know a place. With that in mind we thought it would be fun to put together a series of articles featuring road trip tales from some of our traveling friends. Here’ the first installment of our ” My Favorite Ramblin’ Road Trip” series featuring Gary Arndt.
My favorite road trip has to be the Hana Highway on the island of Maui. While the actual distance is quite short, only 50 miles, it takes well over three hours to drive due to the number of curves and one-lane bridges. There are 620 curves and 59 bridges you have to navigate to get to the town on Hana, which is on the far side of the Haleakala volcano.
What makes the journey take even longer is the fact that you will be frequently stopping to take photos of the waterfalls and spectacular scenery you see along the way. Once you get to Hana, if you take the time you can visit the fantastic Red Sand Beach. There are no signs or roads pointing to the Red Sand Beach, so you will have to ask locals and find the way there yourself. It isn’t that hard, but it will require some work.
The Hana Highway is officially Route 360, which starts in Kahului and ends in Hana. Make sure you have a full tank of gas as there are no places to refuel along the way. Also, gasoline in Hana can be quite expensive. It is possible to make a round trip on a full tank, so make sure you do that before you leave.
Expect to encounter small landslides or patches of water along the way. You will have to drive slowly due to the curves and bridges. Be sure to honk your horn as you go around blind curves and stop before all one-lane bridges if there is another car which has started to cross on the other side.