Haleakala National Park

Maui is where this park is located.  You tell people you are going to Maui and they are thinking you are going to be sitting on a beach enjoying the sun, surf, and sand.  Well that is not why I am here in Maui as the beach is not a national park but Haleakala is a park.  The park is known for the summit crater and the sunrise, more on that later.  The summit has 360 degree views of Maui, when there is no clouds and you can even see the island of Hawaii and its two largest peaks.  Ranger Dan said these two peaks are the largest in North America if you count the part of the mountains that are under the ocean, but that does not count in my book.  The drive to the summit is on a two lane road and over 19 miles and there are no guard rails on the road but you will have to dodge Nene who like to be on the road.  You can’t run them over so be aware.  In 2023, there are pheasant due to fires lower on the drive but not the big fire of Maui that destroyed Lahaina.  There are not too many trails to hike but the ones the park has mainly go into the crater at the summit.  Hiking in a crater means hiking down and then back out, not fun.   There is even a hiker/hitchhiker pickup area on the road to the summit so through hikers don’t have to be round trip hikers.  Be a good sport and pick one up when driving to the top.  Another crazy thing about the summit is that it is cold!  The stars are out in full force and you can spend time gazing at the stars before sunrise if you are so inclined.

Sunrise at the summit – If you are going to the park by all means get your lazy butt up early and head to the summit for sunrise.  I mean early as you need a reservation to get into the park between 0300 and 0700 and these are obtained with Recreation.gov and it is only 1 dollar.  You do need to pay the park entrance but most of you will have an annual park pass so it is a breeze.  The time blocks are one hour and each has about 25 reservations to be had meaning there are going to be 100 cars at the top.  If you get to the park after 0530 you will have to park at the visitor center lot and hump up the road for 0.5 miles.  My time to enter was 0300 and I got to the park at 0300 and the summit at about 0330 it is a 19 miles of a two lane road that goes through many switchbacks.  Speed limit is 20 to 35 on the road.  It is also about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the airport so judge your time accordingly.  When at the top star gaze for a few minutes / hours until you get ready for the sun.  The rangers will provide you with some information on the park and the observatory (you can see but not go to the observatory.). I would also get your spot facing east and the crater early to stake your claim.  If I have not said it is cold up there I am sorry because you are at 10,000 feet and it is cold so be prepared.  Don’t be that chuckle head who wears flip flops, shorts, and short sleeve shirt acting like he is warm because his is NOT.  Many people think about doing this as an afterthought and they have towels and blankets wrapped around them to keep warm but pack a hat, gloves, coat and sweater.  The sunrise is awesome and is well worth the cold to see it.  There is a video out on the YouTube channel of the sunrise so take a look and then go.

Day 2 at the summit was just as fun as day 1 at the summit.  My arrival was at 0330 again but this time I took a Power Nap until 0430 when I went up to the top and got my spot occupied for the sunrise.  The tripod was set up and the GoPro was in place and the waiting game began.  The time at the top went fast as I was socializing with a couple from Houston.  Today’s sunrise was a bit cloudy but it was still worth getting up at 0100 and heading to the top.  The colors of the sun rise are worth the getting up early and you also have your whole day ahead of you if you want to hump it back down after the sun has risen.  I did a bit of exploration at the visitor center to see if the viewing spot there was better and decided that if you have to hike up to the observation point in the dark you may just break yourself on the Pa Ka’oao trail.  

Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands) trail – The trail takes you into the summit crater.  The park service calls the trail sand but it is really just lava that has been worn down but the surface is soft.  The first overlook is 0.5 miles round trip from the Haleakala Visitor Center at the summit.  The trail head is near the entrance to the parking area and the trail is easy to follow with signs but more importantly the lava rock is warn down on the trail and please stay on the trail.  The 0.5 miles to the first overlook went easy but then you have and 11 mile hike across the crater floor.  The trail ends at 7,990 feet of elevation and there is a parking area at the Halemau’u trail head.  You will need to hitch a ride back to your car if you did not hitch a ride up before you began.  You don’t have to do all 11 miles but can hike to the crater floor that is 3.9 miles one way but rest assured it is 3.9 miles back up to the top.  The elevation gain / loss is 2,500 feet so be ready as it is also high in the mountains with light oxygen.  I made it about 2/3 of the way to the crater floor when I decided that I should head back out.  Glad I did make it out of the crater.  The Park Service says it takes twice as long to get out then go down and I have to agree with them.

Pa Ka’oao trail – The trail head is just outside the Haleakala Visitor center at the summit.  The trail is 0.4 miles round trip and only has 100 feet of elevation gain but the steps leading up can be a bit high and if you are not fleet of foot the way down could be a problem.  Some people who can’t park at the summit will choose to hike up to see the sunrise but make sure you have a head lamp as it will be a bit rough going up in the dark.  The views of the crater are good but can’t comment on the sunrise since I was not there for it.

Hosmer Grove trail – The nature trail that starts at the campground and goes 0.6 miles.  There is some elevation gain but this loop trail should be good for any person.  There are plenty of roots to deal with and some steps but there are a few benches along the trail.  The trail has a short cut that means the trail is 0.45 miles and both sides of the “Y” for the trail meet before you get to the end of the trail.  The trail will come out just behind the vault toilets in the campground.  On the trail there are plenty of markers to show the various types of vegetation.  Just beyond the “short cut” turnoff you can sit and enjoy the views and watch some birds if they decide to come out.

Hosmer Grove campground –  The campground is at the beginning of the park just inside the entrance and is the place to start the nature trail.  There are 6 tent sites that are very close together.  Each site does have a picnic table and a grill.  Potable water is available in two spots and there are six vault toilets for the campers to use.  The vault toilets are in pairs of two with one pair used by handicapped parking.  If you want to camp at the park there is an option but I am not sure if it is worth humping your gear from the mainland.  There are back country options for camping at the crater which may give you the push needed to camp within the park.  If I was to be living on Maui I would camp here for sure in my tent.