Tips for Seeing Sunrise at Haleakala National Park

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. (Note that there are two Haleakala visitor centers on Maui — one on the summt, which is where you want to go and one past Hana that you do not want to go  to for Haleakala sunrise.)

You can create your own custom directions to Haleakala summit for sunrise. 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 on-the-fly 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 from stress and possibly prevent making a wrong turn.

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. The road also runs through open range cattle farm, so it’s possible that cows could be in the road.  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 to verify the current pricing. Your entrance fee will allow entry over multiple days. Take note of how long your park entrance slip is valid. Then, aim to plan your day to drive the road to Hana within the valid date so that you can present your entry slip at the Haleakala visitors center at the Kipahulu region and not have to pay the fee again.

What’s it like to drive the road?

After a mid-day visit to Haleakala, we created this video of driving down Haleakala. A few things to notice is that the road is on the cliff edge and there aren’t guard rails.

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.

Some folks prefer to go to Haleakala at sunset. Personally, I like sunrise. In this link, we look at the pros and cons of Haleakala sunrise versus sunset.

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 stargaze. 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 — unless you are there on a full moon night.. 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.
• See the endangered silversword plant — usually seen in the summit parking lot.
• Check out the crater view at the visitors center. It’s located immediately below the summit.
• 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.