Top 10 Things to Do on Haleakala

To ensure a smooth journey, make sure to fill up your gas tank and map your route the day before. Check the Haleakala Sunrise and Sunset Time Chart to know how far in advance you need to leave, and be aware that cattle often graze on Crater Road from September through March, so drive slowly and be on the lookout around blind curves. The cost for entering Haleakala National Park is $10 per vehicle, which is good for up to 3 days and the perfect excuse to visit the Kipahulu Area of Haleakala National Park. Pack warm clothes (Haleakala Outfitters rents jackets for $20), as the summit is usually between 35 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and don’t forget to bring water, snacks and your camera! Reservations must be made in advance!

Maui Stargazing is a small company that offers private and group stargazing experiences, perfect for all members of your family. Guests meet at Upcountry’s Kula Lodge before sunset to make the drive up the slopes of Haleakala to the 10,000-foot summit, where seeing conditions are spectacular on clear nights. Since gazing is best when the moon is smallest, check the moon phases around the time of your trip and reserve your tour when the moonlight is at a minimum. Jan, the owner of Maui Stargazing, is an excellent guide and points out amazing star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies and even allows guests a close-up view of the moon. Pack warm clothing (Jan provides free jackets, pants, and hats on tours) and get ready for a truly fantastic experience!

Beginning at the summit of Haleakala, the Sliding Sands Trail descends a staggering 2,800 feet to the valley floor, continuing to Kapalaoa cabin for a total of 5.6 miles or Paliku cabin at 10.4 miles. On the way back out, we recommend that you take Halemau’u Trail due to the steepness of Keoneheehee Trail. While this trail is not for the inexperienced, it does provide amazing views you won’t find anywhere else. Make sure to pack lots of water, snacks, and all necessary supplies.

For amateur hikers, head to the Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area & Forest Reserve, where you’ll find trails ranging from .6 miles to 1.7 miles in length at an average of 7,000 feet above sea level. These hiking trails offer some of the most magical views on the island, often encompassing hikers in cloudy mist through redwood trees, plum trees, and native flora and fauna and offering sweeping views of West, Central, and South Maui as well as neighbor islands.

Haleakala Bike Company offers excellent service and a vast assortment of tours, including a Sunrise Special Tour, where guests will be driven to the summit in time to watch the sunrise before biking down. They also offer the Summit Deluxe Tour that leaves later in the morning or the Haleakala Express Tour that does not visit the summit and allows guests to focus simply on the bike ride. Bike rentals are also available for those of you who would like to do it yourself! Which is a great way to experience the elevation change, see the beautiful views, and have fun at the same time.

The ride also includes a relaxing break at Kalua O Lapa, one of the most scenic viewpoints on the entire island, where you’ll be able to delight in fresh fruit, snacks, and bottled water. With cooling trade breezes and the fading sunset, this is a treat for the paniolo in us all. Groups are kept to a maximum of 6 people to ensure a pleasant and interesting ride for everyone.

Piiholo also offers a unique Zipline/Waterfall Hike Combo Tour, perfect for guests who want to visit some of Maui’s most remote waterfalls in addition to ziplining. And for those that wish to zipline directly into the water, Skyline has a unique course on the west side called Zip’n Dip! Skyline has a unique course on the west side called Zip’n Dip!

All instructors carry a certification by the U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, so you can ensure you’re in the best hands possible. They fly in all seasons and most days of the year and are at Waipoli Flight Park on the slopes of Haleakala. The views during this experience are amazing, so make sure to pack your GoPro and sense of adventure.

For less strenuous camping, consider one of the two drive-in campsites on Haleakala. Kipahulu Campground, located on the backside of Haleakala National Park, overlooks ocean cliffs and is only a short walk from Ohe’o Gulch (aka Seven Sacred Pools) and Pipiwai Trail. You can hike through a bamboo forest to reach Waimoku Falls, a 400-foot cascading waterfall. If driving the Road to Hana isn’t on your agenda, but you’d still like to camp, take the drive through Upcountry Maui to reach Hosmer Grove Campground in the cloud belt of Haleakala, just below 7,000 feet of elevation. Enjoy much cooler (and even freezing, on occasion) temperatures and beautiful surrounding hiking trails.

Blue Hawaiian offers excellent helicopter tours of Hana and Haleakala, giving you a birds-eye look at Haleakala’s stunning crater, hidden waterfalls, lush rainforest, taro fields and some of Maui’s most scenic ocean cliffs. If you’re visiting Maui between December and April, you may even get a chance to whale watch from the sky!

With so many excellent ways to get involved on Maui, we highly recommend volunteering on Haleakala for an inside look at its unique needs, history, and maintenance to keep it functioning smoothly. Organizations like Friends of Haleakala National Park host service trips throughout the year to assist in thistle eradication, Nene Goose habitat improvement, blackberry eradication and general cleaning duties for the cabins located in the crater of Haleakala. In addition, Haleakala National Park offers drop-in volunteer opportunities for visitors interested in one to three-day projects.