Haleakala National Park

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  • 08:00 - 16:00

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Lonely Planet review

Get ready for an otherworldly experience at Haleakala National Park. It's astonishing volcanic landscape so resembles a lunar surface that astronauts practiced mock lunar walks here before landing on the moon.

You simply haven't seen Maui, or at least looked into its soul, until you've made the trek up to the top of this awe-inspiring mountain. Its appeal is magnetic: ancient Hawaiians came to the summit to worship, Mark Twain praised its healing solitude, and visitors of all walks still find mystic experiences here.

Often referred to as the world's largest dormant volcano, the floor of Haleakala measures a colossal 7.5 miles wide, 2.5 miles long and 3000ft deep. In its prime, Haleakala reached a height of 12,000ft before water erosion carved out two large river valleys that eventually eroded into each other to form Haleakala crater. Technically, as geologists like to point out, it's not a true 'crater,' but to sightseers that's all nitpicking. Valley or crater, it's a phenomenal sight like no other in the US National Park system.

Lookouts on the crater's rim provide breathtaking views of Haleakala's volcanic surface. But there's a lot more to Haleakala than just peering down from on high. With a pair of hiking boots you can walk down into the crater on crunchy trails that meander around cinder cones, or saddle up and mosey down onto the crater floor on horseback. For the ultimate adventure, bring a sleeping bag and spend the night.

The best conditions for viewing the crater are in the morning. Later in the day warm air generally forces clouds higher and higher until they pour through the two gaps in the crater's rim and then fill the crater itself.

The visitor center on the rim of the crater (9745ft), half a mile below the actual summit, is the park's main viewing spot. The center has displays on Haleakala's volcanic origins and details on what you're seeing on the crater floor 3000ft below. Books, postcards and bottled water are for sale, and there are rest rooms here.

Haleakala National Park stretches from the summit here all the way down to the pools of 'Ohe'o Gulch in the park's Kipahulu section on the coast south of Hana. There are separate entrances to both sections of the park, but there's no passage between them.