Haleakala
National Park
About Haleakala
Visited – March 2021 (#44 of 63)
Established (as NP) July 1961
30K acres (about 1.4% the size of Yellowstone)
Where is Haleakala NP: On the Hawaiian Island of Maui.
Recommendations
Don’t miss: Try to get an entry ticket for sunrise up Halakala. If you don’t, that’s ok, it’s still beautiful later in the day and especially at sunset. The Road to Hana is a great additional day, just be careful driving.
When to visit: All times are good, probably less crowded when school is in session.
How long to stay: A day to visit the crater and a day for the Road to Hana. Add those to time in Lahaina and/or Kaanapali and make it at least a week in total. Aloha!
Check out the Photo Gallery of our best pictures.
Photo Gallery
The sunrise at Halakala can be spectacular. You’ll lose a bit of sleep to get up there, but the views are pretty epic. Add a day to do the Road to Hana and you’ll get to see some incredible beauty. Take a look at our pics doing both.
Link to NPS Info
Click to visit the park’s website with maps, history, and lots of great info on things to do and places to see.
Trip Report
Read about our adventures to Haleakala…
Maui is a wonderful place to visit. The actual caldera is like a lunar landscape and you’ll need to get a special entry ticket if you want to catch sunrise. You can do this part easily in a day. While the Road to Hana isn’t entirely in the park, it’s a worthwhile effort and requires another day. If you do both, hopefully your trip is as much fun and maybe a little less “adventure” than ours.
Haleakala Blog Posts
Haleakala Trip Report
You can’t just fly to Hawaii and visit the National Parks there. Neither park is on Oahu, so you’ll have to travel to Maui for Haleakala and the Big Island for Hawaii Volcanoes. It’s not cheap, but visiting multiple Hawaiian Islands is a treat. And I like Maui and...