Haleakala Crater, Hawaii, United States

5BnMadven 5:00 PM Dec 6, 2021

Sensational Sunrise
The chance to watch the sun rise above the clouds sounded like a magical experience. I marked the date I could make a reservation to enter Haleakala National Park and snagged a reservation (and you must have one for entry). My partner and I were lucky that the sun rises a little later at the end of November, so we left our hotel in Kihei at 3AM to give ourselves enough time to safely drive up the mountain while it was still dark. The drive up had hairraising moments, particularly the highest sections where there weren't guardrails between the edge of the road and the mountain face. & a tip to future drivers going up, it isn't necessary to tailgate the car(s) in front of you going at the proper speed limit and have your brights on the entire time. You will also be charged $30 for a 3 day parking pass for Haleakala (we were visiting the other side of the park the following day, so that worked in our favor. However, if you're only visiting once, you may need to tell them you only want a 1 day pass). We got to the summit with 45 minutes to spare before the official sunrise but many people got there before us and we were one of the last cars to park at the summit lot. My partner and I were able to wear our November clothes from NYC up at the summit to keep warm. Gloves would be smart, if you're keeping your hands out on your phone/camera to capture as much as you can. The way the light changes truly is magical, turning high and low laying clouds from shadows to shapes. A park ranger was at the summit giving some background and did a Hawaiian sunrise chant as the sun appeared from the horizon of clouds. It was an absolutely magical moment. Many people appeared to leave after the sunrise, but take a few hours to hike part of the Sliding Sands Trail. The topography really feels otherworldly. And if you look hard enough, you can see smoke or steam coming from the tops of the cinder cones further in the valley, to remind you that Haleakala is still a live volcano. Take your time with the hike (and bring water) as you are just under 10,000 feet above sea level and may have shortness of breath at that height. Regardless, it's an experience like no other.

5Lynn K 5:00 PM May 28, 2021

Sunset just as amazing
I have been to Maui three times and have not had a chance to see the Sunrise. This last trip was really tough to get a reservation. They only offered a very limited about of reservations each morning and could only try to reserve it 24 hours prior. Every morning at 7a I woke up and tried to make reservations for the following day and in literally 30 seconds all of the reservations were gone. We finally decided to try the Sunset and wow that was beautiful. We downloaded the Shaka Maui app($30 for 6 driving tours) and followed the Sunset & Stargazing Haleakala Tour (self-guided). Totally worth it. It is about a half-day tour (4-6 hours). If you like to hike there are a few trails during this guide. We packed a cooler and do not forget warm clothes, it gets chilly when that sun goes down. We could not find parking near the observatory, however, there was plenty of parking at the visitor's station right before the observatory with equally as great of a view of the sunset. I would recommend adding this to your list of things to do.