A Visit to Haleakala National Park - Maui, Hawaii (Part 1)

A visit to Maui wouldn't be complete without going to Haleakala National Park. It is here you will experience something you might not see anywhere else on this planet.

Haleakala means "house of the sun" and at the summit area, 10,023 feet above sea level, you will see what Mark Twain described as "the most sublime spectacle that I have ever witnessed." He was talking about the sunrise and you must reserve tickets to see it from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM at https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/253731. This is for parking only; it doesn't include the park's entry fee.

So, months before our trip, I made the reservation and gathered information for our 37-mile journey from the base of the park up to the summit of the dormant Haleakala volcano. First, I purchased an audio guide from my iPhone for the Gypsy Guide's Haleakala Volcano Drive-Maui https://gypsyguide.com/tour/haleakala-maui/. I highly recommend this and it will work through your car's Bluetooth which is great. The tour guide's narration was very informative and interesting and for under $5 you can't go wrong.

Next, we prepared what to wear since there can be a 30-40º difference from sea level to the summit. Wear or bring a fleece, warm pants, and even blankets. You want to be able to enjoy the sunrise, that early in the day, without freezing!

The last thing was to plan what time to go. Since the drive would take 2 hours or so from the Kaanapali area where we were staying, we decided we should check the weather report before leaving. It was not good! The report was for cloudy weather for the next few days. We were really bummed but knew that the drive up to the top could be "challenging" with its many twists and turns and the visibility would not be in our favor. We could have opted to see the sunset, almost as spectacular, but decided to leave after sunrise at 7:00 AM and spend the morning exploring the incredible landscape that we had heard so much about.

Well, we made it as you can see from this photo. Yes, just as described, it is a 37-mile drive of twists, turns and the most unforgettable landscapes that I have ever witnessed.

Made it to the Summit of Haleakala!

You'll be stopping along the way to take photos and to experience the spectacular landscapes. Your audio guide will tell you when and where to stop for photo ops and to talk about the history of this natural phenomenon. Take your time during the drive up and down...there is incredible beauty here.

We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the inside of the crater -- we thought of Mars immediately! The variety of earth tone colors and the immensity of the crater was beyond words.

It was pretty much clear and sunny when we arrived, but after an hour or so the clouds started to roll in and we even felt some rain. This is how quickly the precipitation can change on top of Haleakala.

So, we began to make our way down to the base and stop for lunch at the Kula Lodge http://www.kulalodge.com/ located at 3,200 feet above sea level - you'll be a little more than 1/3 of the way down. You'll see views of the Pacific Ocean as well as the West Maui mountain range. The lodge sits amidst beautiful flower gardens and offers delicious food, Maui coffee, lodging and great marketplace shopping. See the photos below.

The view of the lower terrace and Maui from the Kula Lodge.

Great coffee at the Kula Lodge.

I cannot say enough about our visit to Haleakala and there's so much more to see than what I've written about here. Remember - Haleakala has a variety of ecosystems. Besides the volcano, there's the farming area Upcountry with its fertile rich soil as well as the lush rainforest with waterfalls in the lower section near Hana (more on this later).

This trip left me with a yearning to return and planning for a next trip is in the works. One more helpful guide for your trip is the Frommer's Maui Day by Day https://amzn.to/2EpYdzC which also comes with a great map.There's a section dedicated to Haleakala with a lot of good tips. I've tried many other trip planning/reference guides and always go back to Frommer's! Please feel free to message me with any questions.