Stop 09 · MM 31 · ʻUlaʻino Rd
Hana Lava Tube: closed for now — here’s the real status.
Other guides will happily route you to a locked gate. We’d rather tell you the truth and hand you the alternative.
- Status
- TEMPORARILY CLOSED
- Reason
- State archaeological survey
- Reopening
- Not announced
- When open
- ~$12 · 10:30a–4p · self-guided
- Marker
- MM 31 → ʻUlaʻino Rd
Listen to this guide
Is Hana Lava Tube open right now?
No. The cave — Kaʻelekū Caverns, just past marker 31 via ʻUlaʻino Road — is temporarily closed while the state conducts an archaeological inventory survey. No reopening date has been announced. We check, and this page updates when that changes; the operator’s site (mauicave.com) is the primary source.
What it is (and why it’s worth the wait)
When it’s open: a genuine walk-through lava tube — a tunnel bored by a river of molten rock, tall enough to stroll upright with a flashlight and your own echo. About $12, self-guided, kids under five free, and reliably 20 degrees cooler than the jungle above. One of the route’s true oddballs, in the best way.
What to do instead, today
You’re one marker from the answer: Waiʻanapanapa State Park at MM 32 has sea caves you can walk into — ocean-carved instead of lava-bored, reservation required, and very much open. Underground ambience, above-ground legality.
Keep planning
- All 16 stops in order →
- The timed 1-day plan →
- Waiʻanapanapa Black Sand Beach →
- Pipiwai Trail & Bamboo Forest →
- Guide: Beaches →
Written and shot on the route by Shane Perry, Maui resident.
Straight answers
Take this stop with you.
The Glovebox Copy has every stop, marker, and fee — printable, signal-proof, free.