Last updated on June 16th, 2026
In this guide we’re sharing how to stay at one of the most affordable spots along the Road to Hana, the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins!
We have road tripped the Road to Hana a few times now, but on our third trip we decided to break up the long drive in two days and stay the night in Hana. Which we are now firm believers is the best way to experience the top stops on the Road to Hana over multiple days!
However, with limited options and its remote location, lodging in Hana can be a bit pricey. But then we stumbled upon the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins. While nothing fancy, these cabins give you an affordable (by Maui standards) place to stay in a fantastic location. They’re an amazing hack for those who want to spend more time in the Hana area while on a budget.
But there is quite a bit to know before you book one of the cabins at Wai’anapanapa State Park. And in this guide we’re sharing everything you need to know before you go. Including how to get a reservation, what to expect inside the cabin, a packing list and more!
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- Our Top 20 Maui Travel Tips for First Time Visitors
- The Ultimate Maui Packing List (with downloadable list!)
- Read all of our Hawaii travel guides
- Watch our Hawaii videos
- About the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
- Why stay at the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins?
- How to reserve a Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabin
- What to expect at the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
- What to pack for the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
- Save this guide to staying at the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
About the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
Wai’anapanapa State Park is famous for its black sand beach (Pa’iloa Beach), which attracts many day visitors to the park. But you can also stay the night! The park is home to both tent camping and van camping, but the coolest lodging here are its 12 cabins!
Each cabin sleeps 6 people total, with one cabin (#3) being ADA accessible. We personally stayed in cabin #1!
Regardless of which you choose, they all offer the same amenities:
- Keypad door lock
- 6 total beds, bunk bed style
- A flushing toilet
- Toilet paper (ours came with two rolls)
- Shower with hot water
- Bathroom sink and kitchen sink
- Wall outlets
- Full sized fridge
- Hot plate
- Microwave
- Folding table and chairs (inside)
- Picnic table (outside)
- Trash can
- Charcoal grill
These cabins are rustic and are more like glamping, with nothing else included. That means there are zero sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, silverware, pots and pans, cooking utensils, or dishes. You will need to bring all of these items yourself!
Each cabin costs $100 per night ($70 for Hawaii residents), plus a $5 reservation fee. There is a two night minimum, but there is a way around this, which we will share more about below.
Important to know: Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in Wai’anapanapa State Park.
Why stay at the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins?
While most people drive the Road to Hana as a day trip, it’s a very long day. And for some, the amount of driving time in one day makes the road trip less appealing. By staying the night in Hana you not only get to break up the drive and do it at a slower pace, but it also helps you get off the same schedule as every day trip visitor and tour group.
However, like we mentioned above, lodging in Hana is expensive. Minus tent camping at Wai’anapanapa State Park, staying in a cabin is one of the most affordable ways to stay the night along the Road to Hana.
Plus, you’ll have easy access to Wai’anapanapa State Park, one of the best stops on the Road to Hana. And unlike day visitors to the park, who need a timed entry reservation, your reservation is included in your cabin reservation.
How to reserve a Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabin
Wai’anapanapa cabin reservations open 90 days in advance, with online reservations closing 7 days before your arrival date. Because of their popularity, getting one can be a bit difficult, so we recommend booking as soon as you can!
To make a reservation, head to this website. Once on the site, you will want to put in your dates. If there are cabins available, it should pop up under the search results with the number available.
When making your reservation there is one very important thing to know. There is a two night minimum for the Wai’anapanapa State Park cabins. However, if only one night is available, you are able to book just one night. This is how we managed to get a one night reservation!
As we write this guide, we can see multiple one night stays available. So it is definitely not impossible to get one! But one thing to keep in mind is if you get online right as reservations open, you would have to book the minimum two nights. If you only need one night, you may need to wait for a one night slot to open up. This can be tricky if your dates are set in stone and may require monitoring the reservations daily to find a one night slot.
While a one night stay is likely more appealing for someone with limited time on Maui, a two night stay has some big perks too! Since you’ll have three days in the area, you could sleep in and start the drive a bit later the first day, hit up nearby spots in Hana the second day, and then visit anything you missed on the first day while driving back north. Plus two nights of your trip will be at a much more affordable price than the resorts and hotels in other areas of the island!
What to expect at the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
Checking in
Check in time for the Wai’anapanapa cabins starts at 3 PM. We suggest arriving right at check in time, so you have time to enjoy the park before it closes at 6 PM. Check out is at 10 AM, giving you time to enjoy the park before you have to leave.
When you arrive at the park, you will first go over to the table at the entrance, where they will check you in. We suggest printing your reservation, just in case there are any issues at check in. When you check in, they will remind you of the park hours, tell you your key code, and give you instructions on opening and closing the gate.
The cabins
After you’re all checked in, you can head to your cabin! The cabins are located down a side road, away from the day use portion of the park. Some of the cabins have a shared driveway with the neighboring cabin, while others are more off on their own. You can get a good grasp of the layout of the cabins by looking at Google satellite.
Once finding your cabin, you will enter your key code to get inside. We loved this feature! It meant we didn’t have to keep track of another key and we could check out early without having to return a key.
Beds
Each of the cabins has a bedroom with two bunk beds, plus another set of bunk beds in the living room. For a total of 6 beds! These bunk beds only come with a mattress, so you will need to bring all of your own bedding.
We found the beds to be pretty comfortable. Definitely much more comfortable than tent camping! Just keep in mind that the bunk beds can be a bit squeaky, so if your top bunkmate moves around a lot, it could wake you up.
Bathroom
The best part about the Wai’anapanapa cabins is that there is a bathroom inside. And it’s a fully functioning bathroom! You have a flushing toilet, a shower, and a sink. While it’s a bit dated, it overall seemed clean and worked just fine for a night. Like we mentioned above, ours did come with two rolls of toilet paper. Which we were very grateful for, as we totally forgot to pack some!
Kitchen & dining
The kitchen and dining space are located on the other half of the living room from one set of bunk beds. So whoever opts to sleep out there will need to be okay with being in the communal space.
In the kitchen you will find a full fridge, a sink, microwave, and hot plate. If you plan to cook, you will need to pack a lot of items, which we will outline below.
Across from the kitchen is a card table and chairs. We only had 4 chairs, so if you have 6 people in the cabin, make sure to bring some extras
Lanai
A big highlight of the Wai’anapanapa cabins is the lanai (patio)! On the lanai you’ll find a large trash can and a picnic table. Our lanai (Cabin #1) also had a view of the ocean through the trees! Off to the side of the lanai you’ll also find a charcoal grill you can use. Just make sure to pack charcoal to do so!
Windows
The cabins do not have air conditioning, so to get airflow, you will need to open the windows. These windows all have a screen on them to help with bugs getting in. Unfortunately one of our windows (on the back door) did not open, which made it a bit stuffy inside. However, at night, it did cool down a bit.
Cleanliness & bugs
We weren’t sure what to expect with the cleanliness of the cabin, but it overall seemed pretty clean. However, the Wai’anapanapa cabins are located out in nature, so expect to see a few bugs and lizards, both outside and possibly inside. We hear if you keep your door open for a long time, you will get bugs inside. Thankfully, we didn’t get any major bugs, just a few little gnats. But we did have a lizard or two crawling around inside!
Exploring the Park
The best part of the Wai’anapanapa cabins is the access you get to Wai’anapanapa State Park! Since you do not need a timed entry reservation to visit, you’re free to explore after check in and before you check out. At the park you can hang out on the black sand beach, see a sea cave, and hike along part of this trail to see more of the coastline!
Important to know: The park is only open from 7 AM-6 PM. When checking in, they did tell us to stick to our area after the park was closed. So that means you cannot go on the black sand beach outside of those hours. However, you can hike down (on unmaintained trails) to the coast from most cabins, which we did see some people doing after hours. If you need to leave the park outside of these hours you totally can. While the cabin road has a gate, it does not lock and you’re allowed to open it to leave.
Wai’anapanapa State Park is also located close to some other fun stops along the Road to Hana, like Coconut Glen’s, Koki Beach Park, and the Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls.
Where to eat nearby
If you don’t feel like cooking, there are quite a few amazing places to eat near the Wai’anapanapa cabins. We loved the ulu and pesto pizza (plus banana bread!) at Hana Farms Roadside Stand & Restaurant and the crunchwraps at Órale Taco. Thai Food By Pranee, Huli Huli Chicken, and Braddah Hutts BBQ Grill all look great too!
What to pack for the Wai’anapanapa State Park Cabins
The Wai’anapanapa cabins are pretty bare bones, so there is quite a bit you’ll need to pack for a comfortable stay. Below are some items to consider bringing, in addition to your personal items and clothing (a rain jacket, sun hoodie, and reef safe sunscreen are a must!).
Bedding & pillow
Make sure to bring some sort of sheet to cover the mattress with, as well as a blanket and a pillow. Since we were backpacking at Haleakalā after this, we just used our sleeping quilts. For pillows, we used our backpacking pillows.
Towels
The bathroom does not come with any towels, so make sure to pack one! We brought these travel microfiber towels, as they pack down small.
Shampoo, conditioner, and soap
There are no soaps provided in the Wai’anapanapa cabins, so make sure to pack any shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or bar soap that you will need.
Cookware
If you plan to cook while staying at the Wai’anapanapa cabins, you will need to bring cookware with you. This includes pots, pans, spatulas, tongs, knives, etc. If you’re like us and flying to Maui, we suggest packing a small backpacking cookware set. This will cover most items you’ll need, but you may need to pick up a couple extra items on the island, like a knife.
Plates, bowls, and utensils
You will also need some plates, bowls, and utensils for your meals. If you don’t feel like cleaning, bring disposable ones!
Dish soap and sponge
To clean pots and pans, plus your dishware, make sure to pack some dish soap and a sponge.
Paper towels and extra toilet paper
While the cabin did come with some toilet paper, we suggest packing extra, just in case. You also will want to pack paper towels!
Food, drinks, and spices for meals
If you plan to cook, make sure to bring all ingredients you will need, including spices. Plus any drinks you’ll want! Since the cooking set up is pretty limited, we suggest sticking to easy meals.
Need some ideas? We have a list of our favorite easy camping meals here, which would work great for the cabin!
Coffee
Don’t forget to pack coffee supplies! We personally brought a bag of ground coffee and used our backpacking kettle and Aeropress to make it. If you like cream or sugar, don’t forget to pack that as well.
Cooler
To help get any refrigerated items there safely, we suggest bringing a cooler. We love our YETI Tundra 45 cooler and have checked it on flights in the past. But you could also bring a small cooler bag and fill it with ice or buy a styrofoam cooler at the store before beginning your drive.
Charcoal
If you want to grill, make sure to pick up charcoal before beginning your drive. There are not many services along the way to get this.
Bug spray
We did encounter a few mosquitoes here, as well as many mosquitoes on some earlier stops along the Road to Hana. So make sure to pack some bug spray!
Small first aid kit
Since you’ll be in a more remote area and likely doing some hiking along the Road to Hana, make sure to bring a small first aid kit.
Entertainment
Last, but certainly not least, bring some entertainment! Download movies, bring books (or download onto a Kindle), and pack games. We loved playing Dutch Blitz and Monopoly Deal here!
Important note: We had zero cell service on most of the Road to Hana, but did have a bar or two at Wai’anapanapa State Park.
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