Haleakala – The House of the Rising Sun
Mount Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui is the House of the Rising Sun – literally. The sunrise on Haleakala is of such an epic magnitude that it draws people to get up at ridiculous o’ clock at night and drive up its endless winding hairpin roads to the summit, braving dizzifying steep drop-offs, in order to gawk over the ethereal beauty of its caldera when the sun lights up and paints it in otherworldly colours.
Sunrise at the top of Haleakala
So I circled myself up to Haleakala at an ungodly hour to see the famous sunrise into the Ko’olau Gap. The caldera is full of colourful cones & craters, which are slowly lit up in an amazing display of colours by the rays of the rising sun.
Craters painted by the sunrise into the Ko’olau Gap.
Haleakala crater hike
From the Haleakala lookout point at the top there’s a walking track into the bottom of the valley. On the Keonehe’ehe’e Trail you can hike all the way across to Halemau’u, on the other side of this vast caldera. The track is aptly nicknamed Sliding Sands, as it slides down 762 metres to the valley floor, over a distance of 6,3 kilometres.
It’s one big crunchy crater wonderland out there, with imaginative features such as Pele’s Paint Pot and the Bottomless Pit along the way. The total distance from the Visitor Centre to Halemau’u is 18 kilometres. Be sure to bring plenty of food and water – and a Wilderness Coffee to enjoy! 😉
Hike summary and map
Distance: 18 kilometres one-way.
Time: About 6 to 8 hours.
Start: Haleakala Visitor Centre at 2926 metres above sea level.
Finish: Halemau’u Trailhead at 2436 metres above sea level.
Difficulty: Very challenging. Steep descent into a high altitude desert area.
You can find more information about the Keonehe’ehe’e Trail (and the necessary preparations) on the Haleakala National Park website.
Haleakala hiking routes from the Visitor Centre across the caldera. Source: NPS (National Park Services).
The jagged peaks of Mount Haleakala.
Freezing temperatures & howling wind
I would have loved to do the Haleakala hike, and explore its countless craters & cones. But unfortunately it was so windy that morning that I would probably have been blown across the valley like a tumbling weed.
I just couldn’t handle the severe temperatures (below freezing!) and the howling gale-force winds around the caldera, which made it feel like at least 20 degrees (either C or F!) colder. Even with a wooly hat, gloves and 5 layers of clothing I was still suffering from hypothermia. Sadly, I had to let go of my intentions to walk across the Haleakala crater valley…
Rows of craters and cinder cones.
According to geological definition Haleakala is actually not a real crater or caldera, but an eroded valley.
The walking track at Halemau’u, at the lower end of the Ko’olau Gap caldera.
Halemau’u hiking track
So instead I went down the mountain to the lower & less windy end of the valley, where the walking track from the summit emerges at Halemau’u. It peeks into the caldera from a different angle, with continuous changing views from all sides. The Halemau’u Trailhead is about 11 kilometres down the road from the Visitor Centre, at an altitude of 2436 metres.
Steep ridges and weaving clouds
I wandered along steep ridges, while the track was frequently engulfed by foggy clouds weaving in and out of the caldera. But when they lift, you will be rewarded with some truly breathtaking views of the Haleakala Wilderness Area.
It all adds to the mysterious beauty of this epic mountain.
Rainbow Bridge, the narrow ridge above the crater valley.
The Rainbow Bridge
The Halemau’u track leads to a lookout point on the edge of the Ko’olau Gap. After about 2 kilometres you’ll reach a narrow ridge, with views into the gap on one side and the Haleakala crater valley on the other. This beautiful ridge is also known as the Rainbow Bridge.
From here you can make the (steep!) descent further down into the valley itself, which is another 430 metres below the Rainbow Bridge.
The elusive green flash at sunset on Maui…?
How to get to Mount Haleakala
Once you’re on Maui, you can reach the summit of Haleakala by taking Road 37 from the coastal town of Kahului. Take the turnoff to Road 377 and then drive up the steep curvy Road 378 to the Haleakala Visitor Centre at the top. To indicate the mind-boggling steepness, this takes you from sea level to an altitude of 3000 metres within a straight distance of roughly 20 kilometres.
The distance on the road itself is about 60 kilometres from Kahului. But you will need at least 2 hours to precariously crawl up to the top.
Haleakala sunrise
Unfortunately, things have gotten quite busy in the meantime. Since 2017 reservations are required to go into the summit area between 03:00 and 07:00 hrs to watch the sunrise.
Hair-raising hairpin roads in the sky!
The endless road up to Mount Haleakala.
View to Haleakala from the Road to Hana on the south coast.
Haleakala road map
This handy interactive map shows the road from Kahului to the top of Mount Haleakala, and the Halemau’u walking track. You can also zoom in on the different sections of the route for more details.
Mountains & Volcanoes – Mount Haleakala, Maui (Hawaii)
This article was originally published as a NaturePic Challenge: pictures of epic nature with a specific theme, and places that will trigger a natural high.
@ If you have any questions, let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you! Your questions, comments and suggestions are also helpful for other readers and travellers. Thank you for sharing.
Follow Wilderness Coffee & Natural High on Facebook and Instagram for more stories.
Maui also has an abundance of refreshing waterfalls!
More to explore & discover
Solar eclipse – A mind-blowing experience
Hawaii – Volcanic fields of fire
Flower Art – Hawaiian Pua Lehua
Cook Islands – The stuff of Pacific dreams
Aurora Solaris – The sunset version of northern lights
© All photos and content on this website are my own, and subject to copyright (unless credited otherwise). Please contact me if you want to use a photo or quote a text from one of my articles. You’re welcome to share a link to my blog articles and photos on social media, with a tag and mention to Wilderness Coffee & Natural High.
First published: 21 February 2017