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Hana Belt Road
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Aerial view of the Hāna Highway
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| Nearest city: | Makawao, Hawaii |
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| Area: | 153 acres (62 ha) |
| Built: | 1900 |
| Architectural style: | Basalt arch, et al. |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 01000615[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | June 15, 2001 |
The Hāna Highway is a 68-mile (109 km) long stretch of Hawaii State Routes 36 and 360 which connects Kahului with the town of Hāna in east Maui. On the east after Kalepa bridge, Hana Highway continues to Kīpahulu as Route 31 (Piilani Highway), the first section of which is unofficially considered to be part of Hāna Highway. Although Hāna is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, it takes about 2.5 hours to drive when no stops are made as the highway is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one-lane bridges. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use. That one bridge, badly damaged by erosion, has been replaced by a parallel structure by a portable steel Bailey bridge erected by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
In August 2000 it was designated as the "Hana Millennium Legacy Trail" by President Bill Clinton, with the trail start designated in Pāʻia. The Hāna Highway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The Hāna Highway is a popular tourist attraction in Maui. Guidebooks often devote large sections to traveling the highway leading to the eastern side of Maui and document the many waterfalls and attractions that can be found along the way. Some of these attractions lie within or through private property and will often have "no trespassing" signs posted or even signs claiming that the attraction does not exist. All beaches in Hawaii are public. Some guidebooks document the "keep out" areas and ways past barbed wire fences and locked gates to reach attractions.
At the end of the Hāna Highway (actually past Hāna in a clockwise direction around eastern Maui) is the ʻOheʻo Gulch, also known as the "Seven Sacred Pools". This series of waterfalls and pools is located inside the Haleakala National Park.
Occasionally the dirt road past Route 31 is closed to traffic due to landslides. Most major rental car contracts forbid driving this section. However, although it is somewhat rough in places, it is by no means a daunting or particularly dangerous road if taken slowly. Some parts are washboard-like and require speeds of 5 miles per hour or less in order to avoid damaging the suspension of a rental car. This prohibition in rental car contracts seems more related to the remoteness of this section of highway; in case of a breakdown, there is very little in the way of passing traffic or inhabitants around, and no cell phone service in parts.
Scenic turnouts abound, including one for Wailua Falls near the Seven Sacred Pools in Oheʻo.