Maui region
East Maui (Pāʻia, Road to Hāna & Kīpahulu)
Surf-town Pāʻia, rainforest switchbacks and quiet Hāna
The wet, windward side: the surf and boutique town of Pāʻia and nearby Hoʻokipa, the rural Haʻikū hills, then the Hāna Highway’s narrow bridges and rainforest to Hāna town, Waiʻānapanapa’s black-sand beach and the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park.
Stay here if…
You want to break up the Road to Hāna with a night in Hāna, see the coast early before day-trippers arrive, or prefer Pāʻia’s small-town feel to a resort.
The trade-off
Hāna lodging is very limited and dining is sparse. The highway is narrow, slow and prone to storm closures (local-traffic-only restrictions in February and March 2026; HDOT asked people to skip nonessential trips during Hurricane Nolo on Sept. 25, 2026). Waiʻānapanapa needs a reservation, and many roadside waterfalls are on private land.
Hotels in East Maui
Surf-town Pāʻia, rainforest switchbacks and quiet Hāna
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Where to stay
Hotels in East Maui
Pāʻia Inn
Couples starting the Road to Hāna or wanting a surf-town stay
You can walk to Pāʻia’s cafés and shops, then get an early jump on the Road to Hāna.
Hāna-Maui Resort
Travelers who want to slow down and spend the night at the end of the Road to Hāna
Staying in Hāna turns the Road to Hāna from a rushed day trip into two easy days, with Waiʻānapanapa and Kīpahulu before the crowds.
Hāna Highway access can close in storms: it was restricted to local traffic in February and March 2026, and HDOT asked people to skip nonessential trips during Hurricane Nolo on Sept. 25, 2026. HDOT showed no Maui highway alerts on Oct. 21, 2026.
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Tours leaving from East Maui
Things to do
Our picks in East Maui
East Maui
Waiʻānapanapa State Park (Pāʻiloa Black Sand Beach)
Jet-black sand against green hala and blue water is the best scene on the Road to Hāna, and the reservation keeps it from being overrun.
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H.A. Baldwin Beach Park
It’s a real local beach park: long walks on golden sand, bodyboarders in the shorebreak, and the calm Baby Beach cove at the west end for little kids.
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Kahanu Garden & Piʻilanihale Heiau
Standing beside the massive stone walls of Piʻilanihale is the most powerful cultural stop on the Hāna side, and the garden around it tells the story of the plants that fed Hawaiʻi.
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Pīpīwai Trail & Waimoku Falls
The bamboo forest, with stalks knocking together in the wind, is unlike anywhere else on Maui, and Waimoku’s sheer cliff is worth every muddy step.
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Twin Falls (Wailele Farm)
It’s an easy, family-friendly first taste of the Hāna Highway’s waterfalls, run by people who welcome visitors on their land.
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Wailua Falls (Hāna Highway)
No hike required: on the way to Kīpahulu, it’s a tall, ribbon-like fall framed by greenery, right there by the road.
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Keʻanae Peninsula
Few places show Hawaiian farming so clearly: green taro patches, a stone church and waves crashing on black rock, all in one view.
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Hoʻokipa Lookout
You can watch expert windsurfers flying off waves and dozens of honu napping on the beach in the same visit.
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Wailua Valley State Wayside
It’s a free, official stop that gives you both the mountain and the village view in a few steps from the car.
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