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This Reddit comment warns:

Your options of getting to Hana from Wailea are:

  1. Drive through Kihei to Paia to Hana (this is the typical route with the best road)
  2. Drive through Kihei then go up Haleakala Highway passing Makawao/Pukalani/Kula and just keep going til Hana. This road eventually gets a bit rough and sometimes closes. [I bolded.] Some car rental companies may ban you from going on this unimproved road.

  1. Which road is being referred? Routes 37, 31, and/or 360?

  2. Is there a website that indicates whether Southern Road to Hana (via keokea) is closed on any given day? How can I know this before leaving my hotel, without trial and error?

  • Rte 360 is the one that gets really rough, but locals never use the route numbers, so you won't get help asking about them when you're here. It's most common to refer to it as the "back way to Hana", or Kaupo way. (be sure to pronounce Kaupo with the accent on the 2nd syllable). – Quasi_Stomach Nov 06 '18 at 17:21

1 Answers1

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First, the "route numbers" don't seem that useful. Google Maps shows me that 31 is in two disconnected parts, one connected to 37 and 360 and one running north from Wailea. Here are the two routes as described:

Via Paia

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Via Pukalani

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The Maui Road Closure Notifications web site would show if the southern route is closed.

If for any reason it is closed (construction, landslide, erosion, etc) then it will also probably be well marked before you get too far in. If you find it's closed unexpectedly, turn around and go the other way. You can also ask at your hotel, they might know whether it's closed or know who to call to find out.

When I last visited Maui, I drove clockwise from Paia to Hana and back along the southern route. The northern route was far more interesting.

Greg Hewgill
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  • Thanks, but I was hoping to avoid trial and error: 'If you find it's closed, turn around and go the other way.' –  Nov 05 '18 at 22:06
  • @Greek-Area51Proposal: So don't do trial and error if you don't want to. Find somebody to ask. Even if it's the attendant at the gas station where you fill up in Keokea before you go. They'll know. – Greg Hewgill Nov 05 '18 at 22:10
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    @Greek-Area51Proposal: There, I edited my answer to include a link to a web page which would list any closure in effect. Hopefully that satisfies your desire to avoid any "trial and error". (If you're going to Maui, just explore and don't be afraid to take a wrong turn. It's a small island. There are tons of interesting places.) – Greg Hewgill Nov 05 '18 at 22:17
  • Thank you! I've been on trips before where hotel staff or local laypeople didn't truly know, but I'm probably just overcautious. –  Nov 06 '18 at 05:00
  • Also, the county maintains a hotline that is supposed to be updated whenever roads are opened or closed. This hotline is 808-986-1200 – Quasi_Stomach Nov 06 '18 at 17:16