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Epic Hawaii Road Trip Itinerary for National Park Lovers

June 1, 2024/1 Comment/in Haleakala, Hawai'i, Hawai'i Volcanos, Hiking, National Parks /by Caroline

It’s no secret we love the national parks, so our trip to Hawaii centered around visiting the two national parks there – Hawai’i Volcanos and Haleakalā. We were in Hawaii for a week and visited the Big Island and Maui (Haleakalā and Hana). We felt like we had enough time to explore the parks, and saw so many epic sites, but did not have time to explore the entire island. If you love the parks and want an epic weeklong itinerary, feel free to use what we did as a baseline.

We visited Maui in March 2023. Since then, Maui experienced devastating wildfires that destroyed Lahaina. We spent time in Lahaina and it was one of the places on my epic Hawaii itinerary. I’m sharing our time on the island to remember the special time we had and the beauty and history Lahaina holds. I have no doubt Lahaina will return but not sure how long it will take or what the new Lahaina will look like. My deepest condolences to all affected by the fires.

Day 1: Fly into the Kona airport on the Big Island. Rent a car and drive to Hawai’i Volcanos National Park. Spend two nights at the Volcano House in the national park.

Bonus tips: Grab lunch at Kona Brewing, stop at the grocery store to get any food/snacks for the next few days, and then grab a macadamia nut milk latte from Kona Coffee and Tea before hitting the road to Hawai’i Volcanos National Park. It’s a two hour drive so the caffeine boost is helpful after a long day of flying.

Day 2: Spend the day exploring Hawai’i Volcanos National Park. We made dinner reservations at the Volcano House restaurant and it was a fantastic choice after spending the day exploring and hiking.

Suggested activities: Obviously get your picture with the sign because were you even there if you don’t have a sign picture? Stop in the Visitor Center to get your map and learn about the park. Drive Crater Rim Road and stop at the view points to see inside the crater. Grab a picnic lunch, drive Chain of Craters Road, and stop at any or all of the stops. Our favorite stops were the Kīlauea Iki Overlook, Thurston Lava Tube, Pu’u Huluhulu Cinder Cone hike, lunch on a curb near the Kealakomo Overlook starring out into the ocean, and the HöleiSeaArch. We wanted to hike the Kīlauea Iki trail but had heavy rain storms off and on and didn’t want to be hiking in the middle of that.

Day 3: Do any remaining things in HVNP and explore the area outside of the park. Can either spend one more night at the Volcano House or stay in a unique AirBnB for the night.

Some of our favorite stops were Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, Wailuku River State Park (make sure to stop at both stops – Rainbow Falls and Boing Pots), and Lava Tree State Monument. We stayed in a treehouse in the rainforest outside of HVNP. It was a fun and unique experience but I have mixed feelings about the specific place we stayed.

Day 4: Book an intra island flight for the afternoon to Maui. Spend the morning exploring a few more places on the way back to the airport.

Our favorite stops were Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Kaloko-Honoköhau National Historical Park. If you didn’t get to see the black sand beach yesterday, stop even for a few minutes on your way to Kona. We flew Southwest inter-island but learned they only fly once a day and the flight is often delayed. I’d suggest flying Hawaiian Airlines for inter-island. Once in Maui we picked up the campervan (highly recommend Campervan Hawaii!), stopped at the store for groceries, and headed up to Hosmer Grove Campground to camp for the evening. Because our flight was delayed we pulled in in the dark and didn’t have time to explore. Sad face.

Day 5: Get up super early to watch the sunrise on Haleakala, explore the top of the crater, drive the Road to Hana, and camp at Kīpahulu Campground.

If you’re not staying at Hosmer Grove, be sure to reserve your sunrise ticket ahead of time. Post sunrise, hop in the van to warm up and drink some more coffee. Once warm go hike/explore the top of the crater. Drive to the Kīpahulu Campground in the afternoon and explore the Road to Hana on your way. Stop at attractions as you have time/interest. Driving in at the end of the day seemed ideal for exploring as a lot of the day traffic was on its way out. We had a chill drive and not many people were at the stops. We loved Kīpahulu Campground! Not only did we listen to the ocean for days, it’s such a beautiful area, and there is so much to do nearby.

Day 6: Hike the Pipiwai Trail in the morning. Drive to Hana in the afternoon and explore the sites you missed on the drive in. In general, have a chill day in one of the most beautiful places.

Day 7: Chose your own adventure day. This is your last day in Maui so find one more place to explore.

Our final destination was Lahaina. We visited in March which is prime whale watching season and scheduled a tour for the afternoon. Unfortunately, a storm rolled in that day and our tour was cancelled. We stayed at the Best Western on Front Street which was a fun vibe until we tried to go to sleep. The location was great and made for a fun last evening. We were able to do some souvenir shopping, eat, people watch, and get ready to head home. Problem with staying on Front Street is the party doesn’t stop just because you have an early morning flight. :/

Day 8: Return the campervan, head to the airport, and fly home. 🙁

We loved this campervan! It allowed us to experience Maui in a way we never could have staying in a hotel. This will forever be one of our favorite road trips. We rented from Campervan Hawaii and had a fantastic experience. The van was clean and had all the extras needed to live in for a few days. They even gave a full five gallon jug of water. 10/10 stars.

If you have questions about our trip, logistics, etc, feel free to leave a comment. Happy planning!

The Road to Hana – Maui, Hawaii

March 16, 2024/0 Comments/in Haleakala, Hawai'i, Hiking /by Caroline

If you’ve been on the Road to Hana you know how epic it is. If you haven’t been on the Road to Hana, you should add it to your bucket list. It legitimately might be one of the most beautiful drives we’ve ever taken. We had some fun and exciting (not) weather on our drive so we got to experience the Road to Hana in a number of situations. Definitely got the heart pounding a little faster at times.

If this is your first time hearing about the Road to Hana, it’s a 59 mile stretch of road in Hawaii on the island of Maui between the towns of Kahului and Hana. The last 35 miles are what people are really referring to when they talk about the Road to Hana. The road takes you though a gorgeous, dense rain forest on the edge of a mountainside. The road is not for the faint of heart. There are 59 one lane bridges and 620 curves in the road. The road is pretty narrow in general and you have to be constantly paying attention.

There is etiquette for driving the Road to Hana. Pay attention for locals and let them pass. Another biggie is at the bridges, traffic is supposed to proceed in order of arriving at the bridge. Sometimes one side would never stop which means the other side can never go. It was really frustrating when this would happen. If we all take turns we’ll all get where we are going.

Aside from the beauty of the drive itself, there are stops all along the road which is probably a large reason as to why there is such a draw to this road. Waterfalls, different colored sand beaches, epic vistas, arboretums, food and beverage stops. It’s truly an epic adventure. There are a million websites telling you where all the stops are and which are the best and must do. Honestly, it got a little overwhelming trying to make sure we saw it all. We’ve become pretty adaptable when we travel and have learned to have a list of things we want to see but then figure it out as we go based on how we feel in the moment. That worked well for us on the Road to Hana.

Lodging along the Road to Hana is hard to come by and can be expensive. Just passed the town of Hana is the Kīpahulu District of Haleakala National Park. We were fortunate to grab a campsite at the Kīpahulu campground within Haleakala National Park and it made the perfect home base.

If you’re planning to drive the road, get the smallest car you can get. For real. The lanes are narrow and you are going to be so much more comfortable in a smaller car. Think smaller and harrower. No wide race cars. We saw some people in Chargers which took up the entire lane. We had a Mercedes Metris campervan and it was the max size I’d want to drive. We met a couple at the campground who had rented a Sprinter Van and it was a bit big for the road.

One of our favorite stops was the Keanae Arboretum to see the rainbow eucalyptus trees! Seriously, my favorite trees ever. A close second is any tree wrapped in vines, which are also all over Hawaii. The eucalyptus reminded me of rainbow colored redwoods. I’m not sure if they even come close to redwoods in right but they are tall. Add rainbow bark and you have the coolest tree ever! It’s a free and quick stop. There are lots of other beautiful plants to look at too.

The Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park is a must do. It’s one of my favorite hikes ever. It can be very wet and muddy, at least in March, so please make sure you are wearing appropriate hiking footwear.

We had reservations at Waianapanapa State Park, the black sand beach, but didn’t end up going. I don’t remember why we didn’t go. Oh right, we spent too much time driving sketchy roads the day before and needed a break from driving. We had seen black sand on the Big Island so we had already checked that box. Instead, we had a leisurely day around camp and it was just what we needed. We explored the national park, drove into Hana, and explored the other end of the road.

Koki Beach is a red sand beach. It’s not a good beach for swimming as it has dangerous currents, but it’s beautiful to look at.

Practically every turn in the road has a waterfall. Some you can swim in and some you cannot because they are on private property. The day we left it was storming really bad and the waterfalls all looked like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Some of our food stops were for coffee, ice cream, shaved ice, and banana bread. Everyone raves about Aunt Sandy’s and it’s legit. Don’t skip the banana bread. The Huli Huli chicken is supposedly legendary but it was closed when we got there. 🙁

There is no cell service on the Road to Hana. We downloaded the Guide Along app ahead of time and highly recommend it. The app is GPS based and narrates the drive. It tells you of upcoming stop ideas, must see places, and the history of the areas you are driving though.

A couple tips. Driving there and back to Hana from anywhere in Maui makes for a long day. If you can, I’d suggest staying someone near Hana so that you can really enjoy yourself. The weather can be unpredictable. It was literally flooding in Haleakala when we left and by the time we got to the start of the Road to Hana, it was sunny with blue skies. Always have your rain gear in Hawaii. Be respectful of private property. The entire area is absolutely gorgeous, and we all want to enjoy it, but people do live in the area and many of the attractions are on private property. Respect signs and do not go in areas you are asked to stay out of.

One final story before I wrap up this adventure. On our final morning at the Hosmer Grove Campground, we woke up to a crazy storm and a flood warning. The weather was only going to get worse as the morning went on, and we had afternoon whale watching reservations in Lahaina, so we decided to book it out of the area as fast as possible on a sketchy road in the middle of a sketchy storm. It felt like we were in the scene of a movie trying to outrun something. Flooded roads, dodging fallen trees, rain pouring. Being that it’s a rain forest, I’m sure it’s normal for that area, but this desert girl was a little freaked out. The Hana road crew was out cleaning up the road in the middle of the storm which made me feel better about our life choices in that moment. When we finally got out of the storm we saw the rainbow above and all was right in the world again.

The Road to Hana is an epic adventure and worth how every many hours of days you have to spend on it.

A Visit to the Big Island of Hawaii

August 23, 2023/0 Comments/in Hawai'i, Hiking /by Caroline

The Island of Hawaii, or the Big Island as most everyone knows it by, has so much to do. It made for a perfect start to our (rainy) Hawaii trip.

We started our Big Island visit by visiting Hawaii Volcanos National Park and stayed at the Volcano House hotel in the park. We had a blast and you can read more about that in my post.

The national park is closer to the town of Hilo and there is lots to do and see in the area. The Wailuku River State Park was a fun surprise. There are two viewpoints in this park and both are right off the parking lots. The first viewpoint is an 80-foot waterfall called Rainbow Falls. We happened to visit in a very rainy season and the waterfall was raging. There weren’t any rainbows but the sheer power of the water was even better.

Right next to the water fall is a huge banyan tree. I don’t know that this was the biggest we saw but it definitely had the most branches.

Just up the road from Rainbow Falls is Boiling Pots. The name comes from when the water is raging, like it was, the water looks like it’s boiling. There was no charge for this park and both sections were worth the stop.

Lava Tree State Monument was a cool stop. This was one of the first places we stopped in Hawaii and we were blown away by the flora. It’s a little out of the way but I’m glad we made the drive.

Just around the corner from Lava Tree is an area where recent lava flows covered the road. The location is on Google and is known as End of the Road. It’s a crazy thing to see. In general there is lots of this in Hawai’i, in particular on the big island, so if you’ve already seen lots of lava this may not be as exciting. For us it was at the beginning of our trip and was so cool.

The Panalu’u Black Sand Beach was one of our favorite stops. It had been raining for a few days and sunshine was predicted for a few hours so we drove to the beach. We got there early in the morning and were two of four people there. The beach was beautiful and peaceful and just perfect. Not only is the sand black and the beach lined with coconut palm trees, it is known for green sea turtles sun bathing on the shore. Because we were there so early the turtles were still making their way to the beach. We watched them slowly swim to the shore and work their way up the beach. It was a site I will never forget. Eventually more people showed up, including the life guard who created barriers around the sea turtles because they are protected and tourists don’t have boundaries. For whatever it’s worth, the black sand is beautiful but is not comfortable to walk on. It’s crushed lava rock.

We had some time to kill on our way to the airport so we stopped at Pu’uhonua o Honaunu and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Parks.

Pu’uhonua o Honaunu National Historic Park was fascinating and gorgeous. A section of the park was a sanctuary for people who broke sacred laws (kapu) but first they had to make it there by swimming across the bay and walking across the lava rocks. That’s crazy to think about. I’m definitely grateful to be living in this century.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park was interesting too. We didn’t have as much time here but walked down to the beach where we saw lots of sea turtles (!!) and a fishpond and fish trap. Native Hawaiians created a fishpond where they could capture and hold fish until they were ready to eat them. Within the pond were fish traps built out of rocks. During high tide the water would bring in the fish and as the tide would leave the fish would get stuck in the traps as the water lever went down. Genius. I love learning how people used to lived.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Parks

We stayed at the Volcano House most of the time except for the last evening when we stayed at a treehouse in the jungle. The treehouse was a neat experience but probably not something I would do again for a number of reasons. You have to climb a 15 foot ladder to enter or exit. I knew that when I made the reservation but my brain didn’t really process what that meant. I don’t love heights so climbing a wet, wooden ladder with a bag on my back wasn’t my favorite. The rain forest was gorgeous though and we were surrounded by the sound of the rain forest….coqui frogs included. Like all night long. It was neat for one night. The treehouse was off the grid, cool idea, but the lead acid battery for the solar was inside the treehouse (which is tiny) and did not have a vent to the outside. That’s dangerous and it made sleeping a little unnerving. We let the host know but I’m not sure if they made any changes. For that reason, I would not recommend the Air BnB but it was a once in a lifetime stay.

And a random shoutout, the macadamia nut milk lattes at Kona Coffee & Tea are AMAZING!

I’ll leave you with a funny tidbit. Hawaiians love Toyotas. In particular, lifted Tacomas. Their police vehicles are 4Runner’s. We’re Toyota fans so we support their love. I’ve just never seen so many lifted Tacomas in one place. It’s pretty comical.

After the Big Island we hopped over to Maui for a few days. It’s not a bad way to spend a week if I do say so myself. 🙂

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

June 25, 2023/0 Comments/in Hawai'i, Hawai'i Volcanos, Hiking /by Caroline

The Hawai’i national parks have always been on our bucket list but weren’t something we expected to visit anytime soon. We were planning to take a trip somewhere in March and still trying to figure out where to go. I casually suggested Hawai’i if we could do it cheap and next thing you know I was trying to figure out it. Spoiler alert: Hawaii and cheap cannot be used in the same sentence. We did it as inexpensive as we could but honestly, once I had researched everything there was no way we weren’t going to make it happen.

We flew into Kona and rented a car through Turo. It was my first Turo experience and I loved it. I’m all for anything I can do myself. We left the airport, picked up our car which was waiting for us in the airport parking lot, and hit the road to Hawai’i Volcanos National Park. It’s a two hour drive which after a 5.5 hour flight was a little long, but sometimes that’s how ya roll.

We stayed at the Volcano House because we wanted to be near the crater so we had the best chance of seeing lava. Unfortunately for us, the volcano stopped erupting several days before we arrived. We saw a tiny orange glow the first night but then it stopped. The Volcano House made a great home base though.

When I first started planning for Hawaii, so many of the top things to do lists were suggesting visiting active lava flows. I eventually learned that lava flows come and go, which makes sense, and seeing active lava is not something you can really plan for. Just an FYI if you are planning a trip and expecting to see lava flowing into the ocean like I was. Prior to our trip, I followed USGS Volcanoes and Hawaii Volcanos National Park on social media so I could stay current on the lava situation. Between when we booked our trip and arrived, Mauna Loa erupted once and Kilauea started and stopped multiple times. Basically, don’t get your hopes up.

We visited in March and it was really rainy. The side of the island where the national park is is more rain foresty so that means it rains often. Be sure to bring a rain jacket but don’t let the rain prevent you from planning a trip. Granted I live in the desert and rain is a treat, but the rain added to the adventure.

We don’t own rain jackets so we borrowed some from friends for this trip. On our first full day on the island we woke up to rain but were really excited to use our rain jackets so we hopped in the car and set out to adventure in the rain. I’m sure you can see where this is going. Our first stop was Crater Rim Drive to see into the crater. It was pouring rain so I’m not sure why we actually left the hotel but we thought our rain jackets were going to save us. They didn’t. Turns out, the rain jacket I borrowed was actually a wind breaker, and rain jackets don’t protect your pants from the rain. We were sopping wet in about 60 seconds.

We got back in the car, went back to the hotel, and changed into dry clothes. Because my rain jacket was actually a wind breaker, the down jacket I was wearing underneath ended up soaking wet. Overall this was a hilarious and humbling experience. Just a reminder of how little we can actually control in life. After using a hair dryer to dry my down jacket, we drove into Hilo so I could buy an actual rain jacket. We learned two lessons in this experience. 1. Exploring in light rain is fun. Pouring rain does not make for a good experience even if you are fully waterproof. 2. Make sure your gear is actually waterproof.

Over the next two days we explored as much of the park as we could in short bursts. Rain was is the forecast so we didn’t want to do anything that would leave us out in the elements for hours on end. That meant shorter adventures but we still saw so much and had a blast. The Chain of Craters Road is 18.8 miles and takes you from the visitor center all the way to the ocean. It’s a beautiful drive with stops all along the 18 miles. Some of our favorite stops were:

Thurston Lava Tube. The lava tube itself was a little anticlimactic but the area is beautiful. Oh, and it was raining so being in the tube gave us a quick rain break.

The parking lot for the lava tube is on the opposite side of the road of the trail…just a little FYI. There is a trail right in front of the parking lot so we started down that. Eventually we turned around and figured out where to go. The walk to the lava tube is through the rain forest and the flora is just gorgeous.

Pu’u Huluhulu Cinder Cone Hike. This hike starts at the Mauna Ula Trailhead parking lot. It takes you through a lava flow from the 1969 – 1974 eruption of Kilauea and to the top of the Pu’u Huluhulu cinder cone. The trail is marked with cairns so be sure you’re paying attention.

We were hiking in a drizzle so we basically had the trail to ourselves. The contrast between the lava and flora is beautiful. The lava carrot below is one of my favorites. Nature is the coolest.

Holei Sea Arch. The Chain of Craters road ends at the parking lot for the Holei Sea Arch. It’s a 90 foot arch carved cut into the lava flows by the sea.

The drive down to the sea is gorgeous. Prior lava flows ran all the way to the ocean and you can see it on the drive. When it was active it looked like a lava water fall running off the cliffs.

The sea arch is a short walk from the parking lot. In general there isn’t much to do down here but it is gorgeous.

Just passed the arch we noticed a small grouping of coconut palm trees so we walked over. I’m not sure of the story behind them. They either grew out of the lava or the lava somehow missed them. So random.

On our way back up the road we stopped at the top of the hill to eat lunch and take in the view one last time. The reflection of the clouds on the ocean was breathtaking. I could have stayed there all day.

Our final night in the park we ate dinner at the Volcano House. Exploring and hiking all days works up an appetite and the food was fantastic. The restaurant overlooks the crater so we were treated to sunset with dinner.

We had a great time and are glad we made the trip to Hawai’i Volcanos National Park.

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