See An Unforgettable Sunrise at Haleakala National Park
Posted on Tue, Jul 17, 2007 by Sheila
Watching the sun rise at Haleakala National Park is a unique and memorable event 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. 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. (Go to this Google Map and put your starting address in box A. Then make sure you choose the Visitor’s Center at 10,023 Ft, Haleakala National Park as your destination to calculate directions.)
Another tip is to 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.
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, 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. The food is very good here and the views are outstanding!
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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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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@ 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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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. [...]