MAUI: Haleakala

My last post covered the Road to Hana and how amazing that is.  If you haven’t read it, I highly suggest you do. 🙂  Today’s post is going to cover Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui.

Haleakala is something surreal and indescribable and majestical.  Yes, I just said majestical.  It is a word, (have you seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople?!).  It’s all that.

Now, I camped Haleakala YEARS ago, so when the fam mentioned they wanted to check it out during our summer vacay, I was all for it.

Haleakala is a national park and there are so many things you can do!  You can camp and hike the crater or head up there to watch the sunrise or sunset (like we did).  Because it is a national park, it costs $25/car to enter.  Make sure you wear warm clothes!  Haleakala is 10,000 feet above sea level and it gets cold!

It’s about an hour drive from Kihei, so plan accordingly based on where you’re staying.  We got on the road around 4pm to start the drive up to the volcano.

Note: if you do decide to go up there for the sunrise, they now require reservations so make sure you check their website to get all the necessary information.

As we began to head up the mountain, the air turned cool and we were enveloped in fog. 

We began to inch above the clouds; it’s something you usually only witness when you’re flying.  So cool.

Roll down the window and breath in the fresh, brisk air.

Parking can be a little crazy once you reach the summit, especially the closer you get to sunset.  Good luck!

There’s something exciting about being 10,000 feet above sea level.  Literally being above the clouds.  Once up there, soak it all in.  Enjoy the amazing view and the beauty around you.

Have fun exploring. :)

Check out the sunset.  Pretty amazing.

Once the sun set, the sky turned to a beautiful pink.  We decided it was time to head back home.

We ended the evening in Paia at Flatbread Pizza (this place is so good and has always been a fave of mine).  It was the perfect way to end the night. 🙂

XO, Jenneke Rose