Camping on the Road to Hana
The Road to Hana has been an awesome adventure! We opted to camp because a we love camping and because we wanted to stay on a budget. Most campsite are pretty cheap and we’ve read that technically, you can camp for free on beaches if there’s no signs saying no camping but you must have a line in the water. This seems to be a gray area with some people saying do it and others saying no since no one is really leaving a line over night unless you want to lose your fishing pole.
Tent Options
You can bring your own tent, rent one, or you can do what we did and find a car on airbnb that has all camping supplies included! (The shower included was an awesome addition) We paid about $80/day for this which we thought was a pretty good deal since we’d still have to rent a car and pay for accommodations otherwise.
You can also rent camper vans! We considered this option too but went with the tent camping.
Camping Spots
Waiʻānapanapa State Park: non-resident camping is $18/night and you must reserve online! They do require that you print your permit. We didn’t and it didn’t seem to be an issue since when they came by they just asked for our name and permit number. Up to you.
This camping ground is just a small grassy area where you pitch your tent anywhere. If it’s busy, you end up pretty close to your neighbor. This place has a short hike, black sand beach, and views for days. It also has outdoor showers, bathrooms, and a water fountain. We stayed here 2 nights.
Kīpahulu Campground: This is first come camping. We went earlier in the day (11AM) and most didn’t start arriving until 5PM and after. We did come during low season so can’t say how quickly it gets taken up during peak season. It seemed pretty full by the end of the night.
This is technically free. You just have to pay for the national park entrance, it might be included if you have a national park pass. Make sure to ask because in that case, even more money saving!
This campsite has pit toilets and no running water in the camping area. There are normal bathrooms and water fountains if you walk over to the visitor center (10 minutes walk, 3 minute drive). Pro-tip: we used the sink to fill up our portable camp shower. Much bigger than the previous campsite so you aren’t so close to your neighbor. There’s also HIDDEN campsites. Right where the grass ends towards to the sea, you can find some campsite there that are much more secluded.
Homer Grove Campground: We didn’t actually stay here because we realized we weren’t really prepared for the weather here. This campground is located in Haleakalā but unlike the other campgrounds, it can get extremely cold. Layers are recommended since it can drop to near freezing. If you’re not planning to pack warm clothes, we still recommend checking out this National Park since it’s out of this world!