Tips for Seeing Sunrise at Haleakala National Park
Posted on Tue, Jul 17, 2007 by Sheila
Watching the sun rise above the clouds at Haleakala National Park is a unique and memorable experience that I highly recommend you see. Haleakala is a Hawaiian name that means house of the sun. It is truly an awesome place to watch the clear night sky and stars fade away as the sun lights up the sky and earth.
There are so many people who go to watch sunrise on Haleakala hurriedly as if it was just another thing to mark off their “to do list”. Do you remember the scene from National Lampoon’s Vacation when the Grizwolds saw the Grand Canyon in all of about 30 seconds? There have been so many people who treat sunrise on Haleakala the same way. I’d like to encourage you to really enjoy your time on Haleakala. So, I’m writing up my best tips for getting the most out of your early morning at more than 10,000 feet above sea level.
Getting There
I highly recommend you map out your route at least the day before you go while you are alert and in light. What might be even easier is if you are bringing a GPS navigation system (see my post on Hawaii GPS stress savers), check your unit to see if it has the Haleakala crater or summit stored in the system. By clicking on the map to the left, you’ll be able to see a larger map with the main Maui highways marked. Write out or print out the directions including both the highway’s name and number. This advice may sound silly, but it will save you from having to navigate from the map in the dark. You’ll likely be sleepy and less alert when you’re in the car on your way, so by having your directions all laid you, you’ll save yourself some stress and possibly prevent making a wrong turn. See more detailed directions to Haleakala summit for sunrise.
Make sure you have plenty of gas the day before you go. You certainly don’t want to trying to find a gas station that is open in the middle of the night. Be advised that there are no service stations in the park.
Be aware that the road that leads up to the crater is very curvy and steep and there are no street lights. I say this not to freak you out, but to help you to be prepared for what you will find. The road is well paved and marked.
From around September through March, Haleakala Ranch has their cattle grazing along Crater Road. Please drive with caution coming up to the summit as cattle may and will be on the road. Be especially careful driving the blind curves.
You should also be aware of the entrance fee to the park. Currently for a car, the fee is $10 and that allows you to have entrance valid for three days. Here is a link to the fee structure.
When to Go
I like to plan to see the sunrise at Haleakala on the first or second day of my trip to Maui. I travel to Maui from the east, so I’m jet lagged anyway and getting up in the wee hours of the morning is not hard to do particularly early on in the trip.
Most people will look at the sunrise times for Haleakala and the drive time and allow the minimum time to get to the summit. They rush straight to sunrise barely getting there before the sun appears. These people really miss out on the beautiful and serene show that God provides beforehand.
I love to get to the summit around 5am so that I can do some star gazing before the sky starts lighting up. The summit of Haleakala is actually one of the best places on earth to star gaze. It is also one of the most easily accessible places in Hawaii to get a world-class view of the night sky. You will most likely see more stars than you’ve ever seen in your life. Watch for shooting stars.
As the stars start to fade and the night sky lightens, take note of the direction the light is coming from. Then take a seat along the rock wall towards that direction. You’ll then have the “best seat in the house” for watching sunrise. Notice all the subtle changes in color in the sky and land. (Note: if you see lights off in the south east direction, that will most likely be from the Big Island.)
Weather might also factor in your decision of when to go to see sunrise. Call this toll free number to access the National Weather Service’s Haleakala summit forecast. That toll-free number is (866) 944-5025.
What to Bring
- The summit of Haleakala is over 10,000 feet above sea level, so it is cold and often windy. If you have room in your suitcase to stuff in a warm coat or windbreaker, bring it. At a minimum bring a warm scarf and gloves since they don’t take up much room in your luggage. If you have thermal underwear, bring those, too. Wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirt. If you can, wear layers of clothing. Bring beach towels and blankets. It is going to be cold and it could be windy, so be as prepared as you can for those conditions.
- A camera for taking photos of sunrise and the volcano’s summit.
- A flashlight for navigating your way from the parking area up to the observatory steps.
- Binoculars to get a closer view of the stars, planets, and terrain.
- You might want to bring water and/or a light snack as there are no food services at the park. If you’re staying in a condo, you may have access to a thermos for bringing a warm beverage.
What to Do After Sunrise
- Take in the views of the island that were most likely dark when you arrived.
- The summit area of the park offers over 30 miles of hiking trails for taking in the views, seeing native shrubs and plants, and possibly seeing some wildlife. We saw the endangered Nene when we were there.
- After leaving the park, my favorite thing to do is to have some fluffy macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup at the Kula Lodge restaurant. Breakfast is good here, but the views are even better!
See my article, If you are wondering whether you should see Haleakala sunrise or sunset.
I hope these tips will help you get the most out of your sunrise experience. Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Please post them in the comments.
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See more ideas of what to do and see on your Maui vacation.
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You can’t stress enough how cold it is up there, until the sun comes up. That wind whips through you. They do have a glass shelter you can use to get a break from the wind, but it gets so crowded you’d miss the spectacular sunrise – and it is spectacular!
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[...] I’m liking our plane rides so let’s do a little bit of island skipping. Let’s go over to Maui where Sheila tells us the best way to See an Unforgettable Sunrise at the Peak of a Volcano — Haleakala to be specific. In this informational post at GoVisitHawaii.com, Sheila has this event down in detail to be sure you get the full impact! She says, “I love watching sunrise at Haleakala. It is such a unique experience on Maui that I will never forget. I wrote this article to encourage others to enjoy the experience and get the most out of it.” Haleakala is beautiful to begin with and I can only imagine how exhilarating it would be to be there at sunrise! Add that one to your itinerary! [...]
I love blogs because this information will still be around so that I can check back and follow your directions! I still love the idea! What a wonderful thing for newlyweds to do! Thank you for sharing this! I will keep Andy’s advice in mind too! Must have thick jacket!
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Sheila:
What a gem of a site you have!!! Not only do you write so well but the information here is absolutely fantastic! When the time comes for me to go to Hawaii, I’ll definitely know where to go for unbaised advice!
I am grateful to have discovered you!
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To Stephen – I don’t know what to say about your extremely kind words. I’m totally lost for words. All I can say is thank you.
To Evelyn – First I apologize for the much delayed response to your comment. Oh yes, a warm jacket is definitely useful. As a Honolulu resident, do you even own a warm jacket?
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Not as extremely warm as it needs to be!
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I must agree with Stephan, you have a very nice blog. The layout and photos are very pleasing to the eye. Your posts are helping me prepare for my trip in March.
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Hi Ericka – Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so glad you’re finding useful information to plan your trip to Maui. I love being able to pass along my best tips.
Did you know you inspired yesterday’s post? http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/01/18/top-5-things-you-must-see-and-do-on-your-maui-vacation/
Aloha,
Sheila
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My friend and myself visited Maui last December. We took some pictures of the sunrise at Haleakala. I have a gorgeous capture of the sunrise, despite the flurries, and cold that we experienced right before this. I also have a wonderful picture of a man that looked like Santa Claus. This was right around Christmas as a matter of fact. The interesting thing about this morning, is that is was very cold. Everyone there shivering, but this man. He had shoulder length naturally white hair, mustache, and a beard. Invision Santa. He wore nothing but a Hawaiian short-sleeved shirt, and some Cargo shorts and sandels. I never once saw this man even remotely act like he was cold. I got his attention by saying: Santa, to get his attention, and as he turned, and he realized I was going to take his picture, he gestured with a thumbs up, and let me take his pictures. As we were all leaving, I didn’t see where he disappreared to? I have both pictures that I would love to sell as advertisement for the Maui literature that is distributed. Any leads would be wonderful. We have other excellent shots also. Was Santa taking a quick breather just before he had to get back to the North Pole? Noone else, seemingly, was looking at this Santa looking person, but me and my friend. We have examined the photo, and noone else seemed to see what we were seeing. We had nothing on board altering our person. Just sharing…
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Ann Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 12:28 am
Hi Annie, so thrilled to see you got to see the sunrise at the top of a crater! Your old friend Ann in Denver!
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Annie Chavez-Hollingshead Reply:
September 9th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Is this Ann Purington-Hollingshead?
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@ Annie – Wow! What an experience. Thanks for sharing it!
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@ Annie – did he look like this guy? http://www.flickr.com/photos/govisithawaii/2132789985/
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Annie Hollingshead Reply:
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:50 am
Re: pic of your Santa; no it wasn’t what I saw that Dec. visit. Where do I send pictures, and I will share the Santa I saw, along with a pic of my beautiful sunrise that looks very similar to the one you posted on this site. I think I might have mentioned that I thought it was one of mine? No reply from you on that.I await your info on where to send my pics. Thanks, Shiela!
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sheila Reply:
November 3rd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Annie — your comments were responded to where you entered them here: http://www.govisithawaii.com/2011/07/08/aloha-friday-photo-haleakala-pre-sunrise-edition/
If you would like to submit a photo see the instructions here: http://www.govisithawaii.com/aloha-friday-photo/
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Annie Hollingshead Reply:
November 16th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Hi Shiela! I was trying to include you as a contact to send pics, but I’m not having any luck via your web sit instructions. Not identifying your address. Maybe it the way it layed out. Could you send me an email with the address to submit photo. Thanks
Annie Hollingshead Reply:
November 16th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Hi again…just read Fidel’s comment about pictures. I am soo sorry for the misunderstanding. Never did I think his recent photos were mine. If I can get mine to you soon, I will. I would love others to see what I experienced while there in 07.It’s all in the name of the beauty of Hawaii! Bye for now.
Just spent a week in Maui….just got home October 5, 2009. The sunrise at the summit was totally awesome. My hubby…who really could have cared less about getting up to see the sunrise got up at 2:30 AM to drive me to the summit so that we were there well before sunrise. We got there about 5ish and had enough time to catch the changing colors and see the “ceremony” that a guide did. She chanted and prayed and then basically told everyone “the sun has risen”. People laughed because alot of peolple were standing around and some were mumbling about when was the sun going to rise? The sunrise at the summit is totally worth the drive…if you don’t mind getting up that early and driving on a very dark and curvy road.
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[...] explains 3 Ways to Have a Luxurious Hawaii Vacation on the Cheap and See An Unforgettable Sunrise at the Peak of a Volcano posted at GoVisitHawaii.com. [...]
Great tips, Thanks so much for the information about visiting the volcano, I will try to make that stop next time I go there!
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Sheila,
your blog is awesome and really help me plan for my trip in FEB 2011 that’s coming up. I am really getting confused regarding the directions. are there any unauthorized or dangerous to drive roads that we might encounter. can we trust google maps. Please explain. Thanks in advance
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sheila Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 am
Hi Sindy,
I’m glad that you’re finding Go Visit Hawaii useful for you trip planning. All the roads up to Haleakala from the main resort areas of Maui are fine to drive. The road up to the summit is well paved, though it is curvy and steep, it’s not too difficult to drive.
There are just sections of Maui roads that are designated as unauthorized by the car rental companies. You can read more about those two sections here:
- Several miles past Hana (and the Kipahulu Area (7 sacred pools) the road narrows and is unpaved in sections — http://www.govisithawaii.com/2009/08/26/should-you-drive-the-back-side-of-the-road-to-hana/
- Several miles North of Kapalua – the road narrows – http://www.govisithawaii.com/2007/06/01/beware-of-driving-in-northwest-maui/
Other than that, the roads are great and you’ll enjoy all the beautiful scenery.
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Sindy Reply:
February 4th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Thank you so much sheila, this helps a lot.
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Hi sheila,
i am trying to get directions to to Haleakala visitors center at 10,000 ft. I typed in Visitor’s Center at 10,023 Ft, Haleakala National like you said in Google map but it doesn’t calculate directions to that point all it does is to Visitor center headQuarters which is at the bottom of the summit i guess. how can i get directions to the top point of the summit. Appreciate your help
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sheila Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Sindy – I can assure you that Google Maps used to have that exact point of reference labeled as “Visitor’s Center at 10,023 Ft, Haleakala National”. I have no idea why they’d remove that because it was very useful.
As I think you have already determined — do NOT go to the section of Haleakala that’s in the Kipahulu region off the road to Hana.
Take a look at the satellite view from the summit of Haleakala. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Visitor+center+at+10,023+feet,+Haleakala+National+Park,+Maui,+Hawaii&sll=20.808755,-156.375961&sspn=0.444805,0.891953&ie=UTF8&hq=visitor+center+at+10023+feet&hnear=Haleakala+National+Park,+Kula,+Hawaii+96790&ll=20.709686,-156.253237&spn=0.001676,0.004506&t=h&z=19 See that building in the shape of an hexagon/octagon? That’s the building your aiming for. Take note of the teardrop shape of the parking lot so that you’ll know you’re in the right spot when you get there. Other indicators are that off about a quarter of a mile away, you’ll see some astronomy observatories. (The observatories are not open to the public, by the way.)
Are you taking a GPS? If so, check to see if it has anything stored in in for Haleakala summit or something like that. We used a GPS the last time and it took us straight to it.
Otherwise, I suppose you’re going to have to use a combination of google maps, this map http://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/maps.htm and any paper map you have available to navigate your way.
Once you get inside the park boundaries, you will find that there are not many side roads. You’ll drive a steep and winding road for many miles. Once you get towards the top, you’ll see one visitors center for the crater (on the left if I remember correctly) don’t stop there. Continue driving until you reach the teardrop-shaped parking lot, which is maybe one-ish mile more towards the top. From the parking lot, you’ll still have to walk maybe a tenth of a mile up to the summit building (hexagonal/octagonal-ish building) Remember, you are going to the very summit of the mountain.
It’s such a shame that google removed that summit indicator, because it was very helpful.
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sheila Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Sindy – try this link with a custom google map that my super smart husband created. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=20.710118,-156.252344&spn=0.00133,0.002355&t=h&z=19&iwloc=00049be48751f991cc956&msid=203240814880773400802.00049be483b9161006b9f
Then click on the “Get Directions” link to start calculating directions.
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Sindy Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
OMG Sheila you are just awesome. i cant thank you enough for the custom made map. no where on the internet i was able to find such detailed accurate directions to Haleakala summit. Thanks a ton to your hubby. one last question though. i used the custom map and it gave me two diff routes. one through crater road and another one Haleakala Highway. i suppose it doesn’t matter which one we take
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sheila Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Glad it helps, Sindy.
If you look at that custom google map and zoom out (with the “-”, you’ll see that the road up to Haleakala Summit is called both Crater Road and Haleakala Drive.
Basically, once you’ve paid at the park entrance, you follow that same road all the way up to the summit. There really aren’t any turns — just bunches and bunches are curves.
Now, when you get back home after your trip, I hope you’ll let us know how everything went.
When do you leave for Maui?
Sindy Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
sure i will. This is such an amazing Blog. very helpful and detailed. Your reply certainly helps. we are leaving on the 16th. i am doing all the prep work now:)
sheila Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Hi Sindy – how did your trip go?
I have edited this post to remove the google maps reference to Haleakala summit at 10,023 feet.
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We just got Back from 2 Weeks in Hawaii, and I will say that this is the BEST sunrise that I have seen in YEARS!
My Biggest tip is a rather Simple one. CAMP – with a tent – inside the park the night Before you want to see sunrise. You can get some stargazing in and then go to bed. Wake up at 5:00, grab a couple energy bars, and drive the last few miles up to the summit. Sunrise for us on 1/28 was at 0702, and we got to the Summit Parking lot just in time. There are Limited Parking spaces, and you don’t want to have to hike it from the parking lot 1/2 mile away.
Ohh, and for those people Worried about how much it’ll cost you, HA! Camping inside a National Park or National Forest is FREE! In 4 nights on Maui, we spent $0 in Lodging expenses!
T.S
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