Have List, Will Travel

Haleakala National Park

And the Road to Hana

Maui, Hawaii

"Volcanoes are one way earth gives birth to itself."
Robert Gross
"As long as you're here in Hawaii you learn to have great respect for this particular goddess and you can see her work evident today at her volcanos."
Daniel Akaka

We recently went to Maui and drove up to the top of Haleakala Volcano to the National Park, and then the next day we drove the Road to Hana which also ends at the lower part of the Haleakala Volcano National Park.  We found both parts of the park quite interesting and I decided to add this park to my national park series.

I will start with the upper part of the park, the volcano itself. Visitors can drive to the top of the now dormant volcano.  The most popular time to go is early morning, to watch the sunrise. The Park headquarters and 10,023 foot summit can be reached from Kahului via route 37 to route 377 to route 378.  Driving time to the summit from the resort areas is about 2 hours.  Weather and viewing conditions at the summit are unpredictable and can change rapidly.  Be prepared for cold, wet, windy weather.

There are many tour companies that will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the summit to see the sunrise.  Most of those tours leave the tourist areas at around 2:30 in the morning, in order to get everyone to the summit in time to see the sunrise.  You can also drive yourself up, but be aware that you may get to the top and find no parking, because this is a very popular thing to do, even for locals.  So you need to arrive early.

The second most popular time to go is the sunset.  I read up online before we went, and so many locals said that the sunset was just as spectacular as the sunrise, and less crowded.

Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden

We decided that it made sense to go for the sunset.  We left mid-day and explored along the way.  We stopped at the Kula Botanical Gardens and walked through them. It was quite an enjoyable stroll, with some good photographic opportunities.  You can also visit a Lavender Farm which is nearby.  We stopped in the town of Kula and purchased some delicious sandwiches at the Kula Bistro, which I highly recommend.

We took the sandwiches with us to the summit and had a picnic while waiting for the sun to set.  Getting there early allowed us time to visit the Visitor Center at the summit and to take pictures into the crater before it got too dark.  We arrived around 4 PM, and we were glad we had that time.  It was also much easier to park then. The night we were there it got very crowded right at sunset and people were having a hard time finding parking.  Last minute visitors may not find a place to park, and then you would have to leave, after driving so far.  Also, it did get very chilly, we were glad we had brought our jackets.

Looking into the crater

And the sunset did not disappoint, it was spectacular.  

Us and the crowds,  enjoying the sunset

Another popular thing to do from the national park is the downhill bike tour.  Maui offers the longest downhill bike tour experience anywhere in the world! Participants are taken to the 10,000 foot elevation summit of Haleakala National Park for views into the crater, and then the ride down the mountain starts just outside the park boundary at an elevation of 6700 feet.  The ride is 26 miles, all downhill.  It can be done in conjunction with a sunrise tour, or anytime during the day.  It is not cheap, but is one of the most popular things to do on the island.

There are also many hiking trails from the summit area of the park.  There is some camping available and some cabins.  The cabins must be reserved ahead of time.  Pets are allowed in the national park, but of course, must be restrained at all times and you must pick up after them, which is always important no matter where you are.

Admission to the entire park is $15 for a three-day pass, this will get you into the summit area as well as the lower area near Hana.  Make sure you save your receipt.  Also, seniors who have the Lifetime Senior Pass may use this pass to get in.  If you are a senior and do not have the pass, you can purchase it there for use there and in other parks in the future - that pass is $10.

Just before sunset - the clouds rolling in over the top of the crater

Roadside stand, selling banana bread and

other things.

The other section of the national park is the lower section, which can be reached by driving the road to Hana.  There are CD's which can be purchased from any ABC store, which will give you information about where to stop along the road, and what you will see if you take a short hike into the rainforest.  You might also check with your resort before you go, our resort had CD's to loan and we just borrowed there CD.  They will also be able to tell you before you go if there is a problem with the road.  It is occasionally closed due to landslides during storms.  So check for driving conditions before you leave.  Leave early, it is a long drive, with lots to see.  Also, make sure you have a full tank of gas, the last place to purchase gas is Paia.  Take drinks with you, and maybe some sandwiches, although there are places to buy food along the way.  And one of my favorite things to do along the road, stop at some of the food/produce stands.  People are selling coconut candy, fruits, home-made banana bread and other things.  There are barbecue places, and at one of the falls a man was making baskets and grasshoppers out of palm fronds.

Sign on the road

The road to Hana is approximately four hours of driving time from your resort.  That doesn't include all the stops you will make along the way, so that is why it is important to leave early.  There are 617 switch back turns,54 one lane bridges where you have to stop and wait for oncoming traffic.  The road is 15 to 30 mph in most places.

There are many places to stop along the way, but sometimes hard to find a place to park as the road is narrow with only a few places to pull off, and those fill up quickly.  You will find lots of waterfalls, some are not visible from the road, but the CD will give you ideas of where to stop, and you can take a short hike into the forest, and if the conditions are right you can go for a swim.

One of the falls and pools at Ohe'o

The town of Hana is not the last stop on the trip, make sure you go on to the national park.  If you have already visited the summit you may show your receipt to receive admission to the park.  Otherwise you pay the $15 park admission (unless you have a yearly pass or a lifetime pass, see the red note above.)  Make sure you keep your receipt to visit the summit of the park.

So, you’ve probably heard this place referred to by many names, and you may be asking: “Which is it? ‘Ohe’o Gulch, Haleakala National Park Kipahulu, or Seven Sacred Pools?” The proper name of this attraction is ‘Ohe’o (Oh-Hey-Oh). “Seven Sacred Pools” is a name coined decades ago by the owner of what is now Travaasa Hana (previously Hotel Hana Maui) for the purpose of marketing this deservingly spectacular (but then unknown) remote location to tourists. Since this is part of the Haleakala National Park, the NPS has also added their own name to the mix “Haleakala National Park, Kipahulu.”

Another pool and falls

The most famous park of this park are the pools and waterfalls.  They are very popular, so you should expect the place to become more and more crowded as the day progresses – and there is such a difference between a crowded ‘Ohe’o madhouse and the less crowded majesty offered to the few that get here earlier in the day. There are a number of ways to avoid the crowds at ‘Ohe’o – all involve getting there before noon. Staying in, or along the Road to Hana (or in the campgrounds at the park) can get you there well before the afternoon rush.  There are also some excellent hiking trails in this part of the park.

If you drive straight through to the park and do the pools and waterfalls first, you can always explore the road on the way back.  That is hard though, you see all these places to stop and to just pass them by is hard, however the pull off places are crowded early in the day, and less so later in the day.

Now you may ask about driving on through the park and out the backside.  It is possible to do a circular trip which will not take you back to Hana and the curvy road.  It is actually much shorter and straighter and people do take this road all the time.  When we were here years ago we went that way, and it wasn't bad, and did leave us more time to explore and still get back to the resort early enough for dinner.  However, you must be aware that if you are driving a rental car and you break down on that section of the road, your rental contract does not cover you.  The roads are not paved in areas and there is no cell phone availability in some parts of this area.  So, you do so at your own risk.  This said, we did it the first time and considered doing it this time, but there had been some recent storms and we were told by our hotel that it would not be advisable, so this time we turned around and came back the same way we had come.  Always check with the locals before you do take that road.

Enjoy the park, both the summit and the Kipahulu section, and the Road to Hana.