Road to Hana Highway Series - 2011 Update
There are a few assumptions, based on feedback from countless visitors, we're making when writing this 2011 series of articles. They are: 1.) You're looking to visit the Hana Highway one day and the Piilani Highway (sights beyond Hana to the Gulch and beyond) on another day. Two days total. 2.) We're considering the fact that most visitors are highly interested in photographing the sights they see. 3.) We're assuming you're not spending the night in Hana town (most visitors don't).
And finally, we do suggest you snag a copy of our Hana Highway - Mile by Mile guidebook. We sincerely feel it's the most inclusive mile by mile guide to the Hana Highway available, and we'd love to be your guide during your trip.
Part 1 - When to start the drive
Part one of our series on the Hana Highway is about when to start the drive. Most people who make the drive to Hana start sometime between 7:00am - 10:30am. Below we're going to cover all the pros and cons of leaving early, leaving at the same time as everyone else, or leaving later in the day. We're also going to suggest a few things that may surprise you.
Starting very early... 5:30am - 7:00am
Pros
-You're starting way ahead of the majority of visitors and likely will get many of the stops along the way to yourself.
Cons
-Photographic conditions this early are poor for the initial stops
-You will encounter a good deal of outbound (commuter) traffic heading away from Hana
-Some sights (like the Garden of Eden) will not be open until 8am
Starting at the normal time... 7:00am - 10am
Pros
-Photographic conditions will be very good on sunny days for optimal photos.
-All sights will be open (like Garden of Eden)
Cons
-Traffic, and lots of it. This is one we can't stress enough.
-Did we mention traffic? Expect to get caught in lines of cars proceeding along the highway.
Starting later...10:00am - 12:00pm
Pros
-You'll be starting after the majority of visitors, not as much traffic
-Photographic conditions will be at their best
-All sights will be open
Cons
-You'll greatly reduce how many sights you can see in a day
Starting very late...12:00pm - 3:00pm
Pros
-You're not likely to encounter hardly any traffic heading towards Hana
-Photographic conditions will be good until around 3 or 3:30pm
-All sights will be open
Cons
-You'll be fortunate to make it past the half way point before you'll need to turn around. You could probably make it to Hana, but you'd do so at a breakneck pace.
-You'll likely encounter a lot of outbound (visitors returning) traffic as you head towards Hana town.
OK, so there's a short list of the good and bad of starting early or later. It can leave you scratching your head - which one is the best option?
In our opinion, leave as early as you can, but do things in reverse. That's right, make the drive to Hana and then start from that direction heading back toward where you started. This ensures you beat the traffic, but still get ideal photo conditions, while also giving you the assurance all the stops will be open during your visit.
But what if I wanted to continue to the Oheo Gulch? As we noted at the beginning of this series, we consider the best option for that is to take a second day to explore those sights. There are enough places to visit between Hana, the Gulch, and beyond that it easily could take another day (again, starting very early). For the sake of this article, we're assuming you're splitting your journey into two days. If not, email us and we'll try and give you our best advice about how to see the entire drive in a single day (or you can read our article here).
We should note is that photographic conditions do deteriorate along the Highway after 3pm or so, so keep an eye on the time as you head up the highway towards Pa`ia. The last point of interest you'll really want good sunlight is the Garden of Eden at mile marker 10. Beyond that (mile markers 9 through 0), you're fine in our opinion, even with lower light levels.
Finally, always try and keep an eye on the time, especially if you're not driving the Highway in reverse like we suggest. You do NOT want to get caught on the Hana Highway after dark. To get back before dark, leave Hana town (or wherever you are along the route), heading back towards Paia, no later than 4:00 - 4:30pm during the summer and earlier in the winter.
Next in our series we'll talk about the best stops to make along the drive: Part 2 - Road to Hana best and must see sights
Part one of our series on the Hana Highway is about when to start the drive. Most people who make the drive to Hana start sometime between 7:00am - 10:30am. Below we're going to cover all the pros and cons of leaving early, leaving at the same time as everyone else, or leaving later in the day. We're also going to suggest a few things that may surprise you.
Starting very early... 5:30am - 7:00am
Pros
-You're starting way ahead of the majority of visitors and likely will get many of the stops along the way to yourself.
Cons
-Photographic conditions this early are poor for the initial stops
-You will encounter a good deal of outbound (commuter) traffic heading away from Hana
-Some sights (like the Garden of Eden) will not be open until 8am
Starting at the normal time... 7:00am - 10am
Pros
-Photographic conditions will be very good on sunny days for optimal photos.
-All sights will be open (like Garden of Eden)
Cons
-Traffic, and lots of it. This is one we can't stress enough.
-Did we mention traffic? Expect to get caught in lines of cars proceeding along the highway.
Starting later...10:00am - 12:00pm
Pros
-You'll be starting after the majority of visitors, not as much traffic
-Photographic conditions will be at their best
-All sights will be open
Cons
-You'll greatly reduce how many sights you can see in a day
Starting very late...12:00pm - 3:00pm
Pros
-You're not likely to encounter hardly any traffic heading towards Hana
-Photographic conditions will be good until around 3 or 3:30pm
-All sights will be open
Cons
-You'll be fortunate to make it past the half way point before you'll need to turn around. You could probably make it to Hana, but you'd do so at a breakneck pace.
-You'll likely encounter a lot of outbound (visitors returning) traffic as you head towards Hana town.
OK, so there's a short list of the good and bad of starting early or later. It can leave you scratching your head - which one is the best option?
In our opinion, leave as early as you can, but do things in reverse. That's right, make the drive to Hana and then start from that direction heading back toward where you started. This ensures you beat the traffic, but still get ideal photo conditions, while also giving you the assurance all the stops will be open during your visit.
But what if I wanted to continue to the Oheo Gulch? As we noted at the beginning of this series, we consider the best option for that is to take a second day to explore those sights. There are enough places to visit between Hana, the Gulch, and beyond that it easily could take another day (again, starting very early). For the sake of this article, we're assuming you're splitting your journey into two days. If not, email us and we'll try and give you our best advice about how to see the entire drive in a single day (or you can read our article here).
We should note is that photographic conditions do deteriorate along the Highway after 3pm or so, so keep an eye on the time as you head up the highway towards Pa`ia. The last point of interest you'll really want good sunlight is the Garden of Eden at mile marker 10. Beyond that (mile markers 9 through 0), you're fine in our opinion, even with lower light levels.
Finally, always try and keep an eye on the time, especially if you're not driving the Highway in reverse like we suggest. You do NOT want to get caught on the Hana Highway after dark. To get back before dark, leave Hana town (or wherever you are along the route), heading back towards Paia, no later than 4:00 - 4:30pm during the summer and earlier in the winter.
Next in our series we'll talk about the best stops to make along the drive: Part 2 - Road to Hana best and must see sights
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