Haleakala

Overview

Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui protects the massive shield volcano that forms the island's eastern half, from its 10,023-foot summit crater to the lush coastal pools of Kipahulu. The summit crater — technically an erosional depression — is seven miles long, two miles wide, and 2,600 feet deep, with a floor dotted by cinder cones in shades of red, orange, and purple that look like the surface of Mars. Mark Twain called it "the sublimest spectacle" he had ever witnessed. Sunrise from the Haleakala summit is the park's signature experience. Visitors drive up in the pre-dawn darkness, bundled in winter layers at the 10,000-foot altitude, and watch as the first light transforms the crater from silhouette to a palette of colors that shift by the minute. The Sliding Sands Trail drops from the summit into the crater floor, crossing otherworldly terrain past cinder cones and the rare Haleakala silversword — a spiny, silver-leafed plant found only on this volcano that can live over 90 years and blooms once before dying. The Kipahulu District on the volcano's southeast coast, reached by the winding Hana Highway rather than the summit road, protects a different world: a lush tropical landscape where freshwater pools connected by waterfalls cascade through bamboo forest to the sea. The Pipiwai Trail, a 4-mile round trip through a towering bamboo forest to 400-foot Waimoku Falls, is one of the best day hikes in Hawaii.

Things to Do

• Watch sunrise from the summit crater (reservation required)
• Hike the Sliding Sands Trail into the crater
• Walk the Pipiwai Trail through bamboo forest to Waimoku Falls
• See the rare Haleakala silversword plants
• Bike down the volcano from near the summit
• Swim in the Pools of Oheo at Kipahulu
• Stargaze from the summit after dark

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Summit is cold and windy (30-65°F) with thin air at 10,000 feet. Kipahulu is tropical and wet. Trade winds bring clouds to the summit most afternoons. Rain is possible any time at Kipahulu.