Haleakala National Park

Haleakala is the 10,023 foot (3,055m) tall inactive volcano which makes up over half of Maui. The National Park is a slice of the mountain from the summit down to the sea at Kipahulu to the east.

The top features are the view from the summit of the entire island and the view of the most recent cinder cones from Kalahaku Overlook. Birders will enjoy the short trail at Hosmer Grove where some of the original species of Hawaiian birds are seen. The Grove itself was an early experiment at planting imported pine and eucalyptus trees. The other major activity for visitors is hiking the many trails of the park. The road up is quite good although curvy and steep in places. The main impediment on the drive is the hundreds of tourists who after being driven to the top for sunrise, then bicycle down. Tourists who have also driven up for the sunrise (a highly promoted attraction) are then caught behind the bikers on their way down.

Like every mountain in the Hawaiian chain, clouds start forming after 10 a.m. While many visitors arrive prior to sunrise (having left their hotels at 3 a.m.), arriving before 9 a.m. provides all the same vistas, except the colors of the sunrise. The clouds tend to clear up again towards the end of the day.