Nightmare before sunrise at Haleakala

Before heading up to the summit to see the sunrise at Haleakala, you need to know the whole truth: It was 3 weeks until Christmas and 3 days before leaving Maui…

Hold on a second. Before the soap opera begins, let me give you some context.

Haleakala National Park

It's not just a single volcano, but a collection of them. All extinct, though.

It covers a huge area divided into two districts:

1. Kipahulu District, which includes the Ohe'o Gulch pools and the Pipiwai Trail, at the furthest end of the Road to Hana.
2. Summit District, supposedly the best spot to witness Maui's true awakening… and where the events I'm about to tell you took place.

The park entrance ticket gives you access to both areas and is valid for 3 days, with unlimited visits. So remember to keep your receipt.

Watching the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala has become one of Maui's must-dos.

So much so that, since February 1, 2017, they have rolled out an online booking system to visit the summit district between 3.00 and 7.00 in the morning.

• Each permit costs $1.50 per vehicle.
• This price does not include park admission, which must be paid at the gate.
• You can book up to 60 days in advance.
• There are 150 spots available, divided across 4 areas: Pu`u Ula ula or Red Hill summit (3,050 m), Haleakala Visitor Center (2,970 m), Kalahaku Overlook (2,840 m), and Leleiwi Overlook (2,690 ft).
• The exact parking spot is first-come, first-served; it is not specified on the pass.

If you want to enter the park after 7:00, you don't need to make any reservation.

Sunrise at Haleakala, Take 1

The day started going downhill the night before…

In late 2016, the reservation platform didn't exist yet.

It was simply a matter of: every man for himself!

So, the previous evening, we packed water, breakfast, and lunch ready to go, and hit the sack early. We knew that the drive from Wailea to the Haleakala summit would be long and the early wake-up call, brutal.

However, there were unexpected bumps in the road we hadn't planned for…

A slap in the face

The new guests in the apartment next door arrived at midnight, super hyped up, yelling at each other, slamming suitcases, banging closet doors, letting the tap run as if there were no drought in that part of the world… You get the picture. It was 12 at night…

At 3:00 in the morning, the alarm went off. With a heavy heart (well, not so much, because I knew the noise would wake up my 'dear' new neighbors a bit), I got up to take a shower.

Good thing I didn't wash my hair… You'll see why in a moment, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Just as recommended, I put on every single layer of clothing I could:

3 pairs of pants (one over the other), short-sleeve shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweater, fleece, raincoat, two pairs of socks, a sarong as a scarf… Plus some beach towels and an extra comforter in the trunk, just in case.

Since we had read there was a food truck selling freshly brewed coffee on the road up to the park, we didn't pack any hot drinks. Big mistake! We didn't come across any coffee stand. And they don't sell any food or drinks inside the park.

I'm getting ahead of myself again…

On our way to the summit

At 3:30 in the morning we set off for the national park. A 1.5-hour drive awaited us before reaching our destination.

As we made our way up the switchback road toward the entrance gate, the temperature started dropping… and the car's AC wouldn't kick in.

• Total panic.
• All the windows fogged up.
• We couldn't see a single thing.
• We pulled over onto the shoulder.
• We tried everything we could.
• Try to start it, Carlos! I mean… Nahuai!
• Nothing

In the end, we had to drive up Haleakala with the windows halfway down.

Man, did we freeze. And things had only just begun…

Parking at Haleakala

Once we paid the park entrance fee (for the second time, but that's a story for another day, otherwise I'll go on forever), there was still a 30-minute drive up to the summit.

The speed limit is 50 km/h to respect the wildlife living in this area and avoid accidents. We were going at 25 km/h or less because the fog didn't let us see anything right in front of our faces.

They say the road is really beautiful up there. Unfortunately, I can't confirm that for you, although I believe it.

We passed several parking areas. However, we already knew that the ones that were truly worth it for watching the sunrise were the last two: Red Hill and the visitor center.

Naturally, these are also the spots where the biggest crowds of tourists gather. And since we always try to run from the crowds, we looked for a lesser-known alternative. But let's take it one step at a time.

We parked at the Haleakala visitor center at 5:00 in the morning.

A wind and rain storm was the perfect finishing touch to the dense fog covering everything around us.

Because of the cold, the gas level drops more than usual. This effect decreases when you head back down to lower elevations. In any case, if you don't want any nasty surprises, make sure you have a pretty full tank.

When we got out of the car to use the restroom, we almost froze to death. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but only a little, trust me.

There was a group of people standing guard with a guide at the best-oriented viewpoint in the parking lot. There was more than an hour left before sunrise, and the little I could gather from their body language was that it was the absolute last place they wanted to be.

We went back to the car, wrapped ourselves in the duvet, and shivered for half an hour.

At 5:30 we decided to head toward our destination: the viewpoint at the end of the Pa Ka’oao Trail.

Pa Ka’oao Trail

This short trail of about 300 meters can be done in less than 5 minutes.

It took us 10 because we couldn't see beyond our own feet, battling the wind and rain as we pushed forward.

When we reached the viewpoint, we saw that we were the first ones there.

There were 50 minutes left until sunrise.

We set up the tripod in what we assumed was the best spot.

We tried to shelter ourselves from the storm, without much success.

Sunrise at Haleakala?

15 minutes before the scheduled sunrise time, a few more tourists arrived.

We took our positions next to the tripod, which had blown over a couple of times because of the wind.

• The photo camera fogged up.
• The video camera got soaked every time I took it out.
• Our fingers froze.
• The fog didn't clear.

It kept getting brighter, but the sun never came out up there.

So:

We didn't see the sunrise. We didn't see the volcanoes. We didn't see anything.

This was the face we were left with…

The frustrated trek

We went back to the car with our tails between our legs.

We covered ourselves with the duvet, turned on the heat, and had a little breakfast. How we missed having a warm cup of coffee or tea!

We waited nearly an hour inside the vehicle. The fog was still right there.

We had planned to hike the first section of the Keonehe’ehe’e Trail (also known as Sliding Sands) all the way to the Ka Lu’u oka O’o volcano. However, at the visitor center they told us there was no forecast of the storm letting up during the day, and they advised us against hiking any trail in those conditions.

Dejected, we headed home.

After the rain, the sun always comes out

The fog didn't clear until we left the park.

And, what happens in Hawaii when it stops raining?

A rainbow.

A rainbow so perfect it almost formed a full circle right before our eyes.

We got back home and enjoyed a hot tea. And then a steaming cup of American coffee.

And, to make up for the morning nightmare, we treated ourselves to a day of beach and snorkeling in south Maui. 

We also swore never to try it again…

Sunrise at Haleakala, take 2

… but the excitement got the better of us.

Or rather, it got the better of me. I have to admit it took a bit of convincing with Nahuai. His hands suffered the worst frostbite symptoms (for the record, I'm not kidding).

However, the weather forecast was looking much better.

You learn from mistakes

Two days after the first failed attempt:

• We added two extra pairs of socks each to use as improvised gloves once we were at the Haleakala summit.
• We made ourselves a big hot tea (piping hot) and carried it in a tupperware inside a beach cooler bag we found in our apartment.
• We turned on the car's heater as soon as we left home, so it would warm up and not act up when we needed it. Spoiler: it worked!

Back to the Haleakala summit

We knew the way, the heater was working, and we didn't have to pay entry again because the ticket is valid for 72 hours.

What could possibly go wrong?

15 minutes away from reaching the summit… the fog covered everything as far as the eye could see once again.

Noooo!!!

Once again, a wind and rain storm welcomed us, although slightly less violent than the previous time.

We did everything the same. The same parking lot, the wait in the car, the Pa Ka’oao Trail…

And what did we see?

Nothing.

For the second time, the sun didn't rise over Haleakala.

We thought:

Well, maybe we can do the long trek today. The wind isn't as strong…

When we got back to the parking lot, we realized that all the fog was trapped in the valley where the sun was supposed to rise. However, right behind us, we could see the West Maui Mountains towering above the clouds.

It wasn't a sunrise, but it was better than nothing.

We had a "more or less" warm breakfast and waited almost an hour inside the vehicle.

We went back to ask at the visitor center and… our hopes were completely dashed.

There were no signs of improvement. Once again, goodbye to hiking the Sliding Sands Trail to the Ka Lu’u oka O’o volcano.

It was our last day on the island. So we had no choice but to add it to our wish list for the next trip (if I manage to convince my photographer for a third time… let's see how I pull that off!).

To the sound of Moana's 'You're Welcome', we drove down the mountain heading towards our last afternoon of beach and snorkeling in Maui.

My tips

What to bring

• Dress as warmly as possible and in layers.
• Make sure your car's gas tank is pretty full.
• Bring all the water and food you're going to need. If you have a thermos, even better.
• Put on a good pair of hiking boots if you're going to trek.

Sunrise or sunset at Haleakala?

I couldn't tell you which one is more beautiful, because I didn't manage to see either.

It's true that sunrise is the most popular, but at the same time:

• It requires waking up early
• It requires booking in advance (since February 2017).
• It is crowded.

By the way, if you want to be sure you get a spot in the upper parking lots, even if you have an online reservation, I recommend getting up early and arriving at least 1 hour in advance.

Sunset, from what I've read, is also totally worth it.

Either way, the weather conditions are the most important thing. So, make sure to check the forecast before setting off on your trip.

Well, I did and look how that turned out for me… Ouch!

In any case, I'll leave the weather link below.

The Maui PDF guide

Want to download all the info from this blog on what to see in Maui and, even better, how to do it in a PDF?

54 pages to help you organize your custom route and enjoy Maui at your own pace.

Interested? Then click here and grab the guide for just €1.95.

Useful links

• Map with the hiking trails in Haleakala.
• More information on how to get your entry permit from 3:00 to 7:00 am.
• Official booking page.
• Weather forecast page.
• Hotel deals in Maui.
• International flight deals to Hawaii: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.
• 5% discount when you get your IATI travel insurance here.

And if your attempt to see the sunrise at Haleakala goes just as wrong as mine, I'm sure some of these other Maui wonders will leave you with a great taste in your mouth:

• 7-day Maui road trip.
• Guide to planning a DIY trip to Maui.
• The best snorkeling beaches in South Maui.
• Humpback whale watching off the coast of Maui.
• The full description of our experience at O’hoe Gulch and Pipiway Trail.
• 3 days and 2 nights exploring the Road to Hana.

Want to explore another Hawaiian island? My recommendation: take a look at Kauai:

• 9-day Kauai road trip, step by step.
• Practical guide to organizing your own trip to Kauai.
• Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
• Kalalau Trail, Kauai's most demanding trek.
• Kauai's most beautiful beaches: what are you in the mood for today?
• Awaawapuhi Trail, the Napali Coast at your feet.
• Fly over Kauai in a helicopter… with no doors!
• Discover the Napali Coast on a luxury boat.
• Queen’s Bath, forbidden beauty in the Garden of Eden.
• Mahaulepu Trail, hiking, temples, and pristine beaches in Kauai.

Did you get to see the sunrise over Haleakala? Lucky you! Tell me all about it in full detail down below, please. Is it as stunning as I imagine?

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