Hawaii Roads

Maui: on this page
Oahu
Big Island and Kauai

Last modified: May 21, 2005

Notes and photos from Maui trips taken in March 1998 and May 2005

Hana Highway, Maui: Hawaii 360 and 31

Two views of the Hana Highway near Ke'anae

Paihi

Left: You can see waterfalls from a few of the bridges. This is the view from the Paihi bridge, a few miles past Hana on the road to Oheo Gulch.
Right: One lane, blind curve on the Hana Highway. Actually HI 360 from its start to Hana isn't too hard to drive, as most of the one lane sections are controlled by yield signs where you can see if anyone is coming the other way. The road was updated in the early 1990's.

Left: The Paihi bridge has a 1911 date stamp.
Right: Many of the Hana Highway bridges are of this style.

Left: Oheo Stream bridge at Oheo Gulch, 10 miles past Hana. Bridges in this area were mostly built between 1910 and 1930.
Right: Tsunami warning tower at Waianapanapa Start Park.

Once you pass the Oheo Pools area, the road (now County 31) gets difficult. It is one lane, with few wide spots and many blind curves. I found this part especially unnerving, a blind curve climb with a rock wall on one side and a drop to the ocean (no guardrail) on the other (in the photo, the road is next to the phone poles). The road turns to rough gravel shortly after this point.

Rt 31 mile 23

On the other side of the unpaved section, this is the Piilani Hwy (County 31) looking east around milepost 23. This is a little west of where the rough patched pavement ended in 2005.

Rt 31 mile 22

Further west (but looking east in this view), Piilani Hwy near milepost 22, south Maui.

Rt 31 mile 19

Left: In 1998 when this picture was taken, the Piilani Hwy (County 31) east of milepost 19 was a very rough patched road. When I went back in 2005, the smooth pavement had been extended east about seven miles further.
Right: Around milepost 18. County 31 continues west to Ulupalakua Ranch, where it turns into HI 37.

Haleakala Volcano

Climbing through the clouds up Haleakala on HI 378. This road seems to have as many curves as the Hana Highway.

At the top of Haleakala, elevation just over 10000 feet.

Maui as seen from a flight from Honolulu to the mainland. Western Maui is in the foreground, and the Haleakala volcano is in the upper left.

My other Hawaii pages:
Oahu
Island of Hawaii, and Kauai
Also see:

Hawaii Highways by Oscar Voss & C.C. Slater. A great guide to Hawaii's highway system
HawaiiRoads.com
Honolulu traffic-cams.
Hawaii Department of Transportation