Dominating the Maui skyline, Haleakala National Park is home to a massive dormant volcano that reaches toward the heavens and according to Hawaiian legend, once controlled the sun.
Guide to Haleakala
Haleakala National Park
Ranging from sea level to over 10,000 feet, the park holds one of the most diverse ecosystems in all of the parks, home to many unique and endangered species such as the endemic silversword plant and the nene bird. Many such species are visible from the main road to the summit, which nearly spans the park’s elevation gap in only 38 miles, making it one of the steepest grades in the world for vehicle travel.
Haleakala means “house of the sun” in the Hawaiian language and according to island lore, the ancient demigod Maui once captured the sun and held it here, only allowing it to return to its daily path upon the condition that it promise to move more slowly across the sky in order to lengthen daylight and reduce darkness… Apparently, the sun obliged and was allowed to return to its place in the heavens. Obviously, the determined Maui had no need for that pesky daylight savings time.
Today, many visitors to the park attempt to make the most of the light and each morning hundreds race to the summit at Magnetic Peak in order to watch the raging ball of fire’s daily return. Sunrise at the park’s high point is usually packed with buses and cars and cameras and people scrambling on rocks to try to get that perfect shot. Madness…
Park visitors will find two main areas of attraction: the summit area, and the Kipahulu area on the southeastern side of the island.
The summit area offers stunning views and trails down into the “crater”. While this giant hole is not technically a “crater” as it is a result of erosion forming a bowl that joins two valleys, it is indeed impressive and massive, encompassing 19-square-miles. Hikers descend more than 2700 feet into this pit via the Sliding Sands Trail and various options for exploration by foot invite the fit to venture further into the abyss of the “crater”. Of course, keep in mind the return trip is all uphill…
The Kipahulu area is known for its gorgeous coastal scenery and the Ohe’o Gulch in which lie the “seven sacred pools” or simply the Ohe’o Pools in which swimming is a popular activity and provides a most refreshing experience. Swimming is not recommended by park officials due to dangers inherent to swimming in wilderness areas such as landslides. (the area is temporarily closed to swimming as of fall 2017)
While in the Kipahulu area, visitors can hike the super-fab Pipiwai Trail, which leads through a thick bamboo forest to a couple of waterfalls, or simply enjoy ocean breezes from the comfort of a sand beach just off of the roadway.
These areas of the park are quite a distance from one another and driving times between are significant due to the narrow curvy roads that must be traveled. The north shore route through Hana is paved and the south shore route is mostly paved and definitely a bit more open, but both are slow!
Thus, it is Park Junkie’s recommendation that visiting these distinctly different areas be done in separate days. Hell, you can’t actually see anything anyway if all you do is drive…
Haleakala is a fantastic place. Check out the activities page for more ideas and suggestions.
See ya there…
Guide to Haleakala
Relevant Links
National Park Guides
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