SUNRISE ON MAUI'S HALEKAKALA CRATER: WHY YOU NEED TO EXPERIENCE IT

It’s hard to find adequate words to describe the bucket-list sunrise on top of Haleakala Crater in Maui. Awe inspiring, majestic, magical, heavenly, breathtaking and enchanting don’t even seem to do it justice. Standing on a volcano, 10,000 feet above sea level and above the clouds…watching the sun illuminate everything around you in a brilliant display of lavender, orange and pink is absolutely spell-binding. There is a reason it is called Haleakala- in Hawaiian it means “House of the Sun.” This is your guide to the epic sunrise on Maui’s Haleakala Crater and why you need to experience it at least once in your lifetime.

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What is Haleakala Crater?

Haleakala Crater is located in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui, Hawaii. The crater lies within Haleakala Volcano, one of the most massive volcanoes in the world. The crater itself is other-worldly. Not only does it feel like another world from the palm trees and blue waters of Maui below, but it also feels like you are on a different planet. The crater resembles the surface of the moon, but with rich, bright colors unlike anything you have seen.

The volcano is worth visiting any time of day, but the best time to visit Halekala Crater is during sunrise. That is when Haleakala shines with all of its glory and why it is called “House of the Sun.”

The summit of the volcano rests at 10,000 feet above sea level, giving you an ethereal view of the sunrise. While the sunrise has the more superior views, the sunset is also beautiful and a good option for those who can’t get sunrise tickets or who aren’t early risers.

Mandatory Vehicle Reservations

Due to the popularity of sunrise at Haleakala, and in order to control crowds, the National Park Service has required mandatory vehicle reservations to enter Haleakala National Park between the hours of 3:00am to 7:00 am. You will not be permitted to enter the park until after 7:00 am if you do not have a vehicle reservation. Since the sun rises between 5:30am and 6:30 am, you will miss the sunrise if you can’t enter until 7:00am.

Vehicle reservations cost $1 per vehicle and can be purchased at recreation.gov. The vehicle reservations are released 60 days in advance at 7:00 am HST (Hawaiian Standard Time) and they do sell out almost immediately. Log on to recreation.gov a few minutes before they are released and start refreshing your screen until you see the tickets available.

Tip: Create your account a few days prior to the release. You have to create an account prior to adding the tickets to your cart. That will cost precious time the morning of the release and will likely cause you to lose the tickets in the registration process.

Haleakala National Park Entrance Fee

The $1 fee only covers your vehicle reservation. All guests entering Haleakala National Park will also have to pay a $30 entrance fee per vehicle. This entrance fee can be paid at the entrance gate upon arrival as they check your vehicle reservation. The entrance pass is also good for the Seven Sacred Pools at O’heo Gulch but it must be used within 3 days. So, you will want to plan your Road to Hana trip within 3 days of Haleakala.

When To Visit

Plan your sunrise at Haleakala for the first full day of your Maui vacation. Most visitors are coming from the Mainland and Maui’s time zone (HST) will be at least 3 hours behind your home time zone. We visited from the East Coast and Maui was 6 hours behind our Eastern Standard Time. This means that on your first morning in Maui, you will naturally be waking up at least 3 hours earlier than normal. For us, we would naturally be waking up 6 hours earlier than normal. When 3 am really feels like 9 am, it is much easier to do!

The Drive to the Summit

Driving Times

If you are staying in West Maui, it will take you about 3 hours to reach the summit of Haleakala. For those staying in South Maui, you can reach the summit of Halekakala between 2 and 2.5 hours. Central Maui (Kahului) to the summit it is about a 2 hour drive.

Once you reach the entrance to Haleakala National Park, it will take you an hour to drive to the top of the volcano.

How Scary is The Drive?

The entrance to the park sits at sea level. It is 37 miles from the entrance of Haleakala National Park to the summit with a 10,000 foot elevation gain in those 37 miles, making it the world’s highest elevation gain in the shortest distance. The vertical drive up to the summit has 32 switchbacks, blind turns and extremely steep drop offs with no guardrails. To add another layer of difficulty, if you are visiting for sunrise, you will be navigating these turns and drop offs in pitch darkness. There are no street lights, so the only lights will be your headlights.

There will be cars before and after you, so you want to make sure to drive slow and allow plenty of room between yourself and the car in front of you.

Parking at the Summit

Once you reach the Visitor’s Center at the summit, follow the road just a bit further until it dead ends at the Observatory parking lot. The observatory is the best place to watch the sunrise. The parking lot begins to fill up around 5:00am. We arrived at 5:00 am and the parking lot was about half full. It was completely full by 5:15am.

If you can’t find parking at the Observatory parking lot, drive back to the Visitor’s Center and park there. You can walk from the Visitor’s Center to the Observatory. Just remember, you have to walk along the road and it is dark, so watch out for other vehicles.

The Observatory is enclosed, but not heated. It is good for getting out of the wind while you wait for the sunrise to begin, but the best viewing of the sunrise will be from outside of the Observatory.

There are no restrooms at the Observatory. Restrooms are located at the Visitor’s Center.

Stargazing At Haleakala

When you arrive to the Observatory, it will still be dark. Look up at the sky! Stargazing at Haleakala is a remarkable experience due to the high elevation and minimal light pollution.

The Once In A Lifetime Haleakala Sunrise

When the sun begins to peek out from below the clouds, the sky and clouds illuminate in breathtaking colors. Even though there are a lot of other visitors around you, everyone is quiet and there is an air of reverence. You keep thinking it can’t get any more beautiful, then it does.

Haleakala Sunrise Chant

Right before the sun crests, in the middle of the most stunning part of the sunrise– the Hawaiian Park Ranger at the Observatory begins to chant the traditional Hawaiian “E Ala E.” The chant, which translates to “Awake, arise” in English, is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture and spirituality, serving as a way to honor the rising sun and express gratitude for the new day,

Listening to the chant, while watching the most beautiful sunrise you will ever experience will give you goosebumps and might even bring a tear to your eye. It is truly that incredible.

We visited Maui during spring break and experienced the sunrise on Easter morning. Watching this spectacular sunrise on Easter morning was such an unforgettable experience.

Important Tips for the Sunrise At Haleakala Crater

What to Wear

It is very cold at the summit of Haleakala National Park. The temperature difference from sea level to the summit of 10,000 feet is about 40 degrees. It was in the upper 70s when we reached the entrance to the park at 4:00 am. By the time we reached the summit parking lot, the temperature had dropped to the upper 30s!

You will want to wear long pants, long sleeves, sneakers and a jacket. Be sure to bring a hat and gloves. If there is an extra blanket at your accommodations, bring that, too. Wear sneakers with socks–no flip flops!

I know it seems crazy to be packing a jacket, hat and gloves for your trip to Maui, but TRUST ME..you will need them for the Haleakala sunrise.

Gas

Be sure to gas your car up before you go as there are no gas stations near Haleakala National Park. The last chance you will have to get gas before the park entrance is the town of Pukalani.

Breakfast

You will be in Haleakala National Park for several hours, and during breakfast time. There are no places to get food within the park. Pack food and drinks in your travel cooler to keep in the car.

A collapsible travel cooler is one of the must-have things to bring to Maui. Travel coolers fold flat so they can fit easily in your suitcase. You will use it almost every day, for keeping food and drinks cold for your beach days, for the long Road to Hana drive and for Haleakala.

Restaurants Near Haleakala

There are some fabulous restaurants in the town of Kula, which is the closest town to the entrance of Haleakala National Park. Kula Bistro is one of the most popular. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kula Lodge and La Provence are two other restaurants in Kula that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are great options on your way back from Haleakala.

Sunrise Times

The sun rises at different times throughout the year. For planning purposes, be sure to look up what time the sunrise will be for the day you are visiting. It is important to note that the time listed as sunrise is when the sun is all the way up. Remember that the beauty of the Haleakala Sunrise is when the sun BEGINS to rise, about an hour before the actual sunrise. It would be a huge mistake to plan your arrival at the exact time of the sunrise.

Halekala Sunrise Tours

If you are unable to secure vehicle reservations, or simply are not comfortable driving the steep and winding road up to the summit in the dark, there are other options for you. The best option is to book a tour. Since vehicle reservations are per vehicle-not per person-you do not need a vehicle reservation if you book a tour. Some of the tours include pick up at your hotel.

Sunrise Van Tours

Check out these top rated and most popular Haleakala Sunrise tours:

Haleakala Sunrise with Pickup From West Maui

Haleakala Sunrise with Pickup From South Maui

Haleakala Sunrise Tour with Hotel Pick Up and Breakfast

Sunrise Bike Tours

Bike sunrise tours are extremely popular. A van takes you up to the summit to watch the sunrise, then after the sunrise, they give you bikes to ride back down the mountain. The bike ride is all downhill, requiring you to only pedal a half mile.

Check out these Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tours:

Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour

Bike Maui Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour
Mountain Riders Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour

For those not wanting to visit at sunrise or sunset, these bike tours are offered during the day:

Haleakala Small Group Bike Tour

Haleakala Guided Large Group Bike Tour

Sunset at Haleakala Crater

Another option is to watch the sunset at Haleakala instead of the sunrise. Because there are less people at sunset, vehicle reservations are not required. While the sunset is not quite as spectacular as the sunrise, it is still stunning. If you decide to visit Haleakala for sunset, but don’t want to drive yourself up the windy road, consider booking a tour like this one.

Haleakala Sunset Tour

Audio Guide

Download this Guide Along (formerly GyPSy Guide) audio tour of Maui before you go to Haleakala. Guide Along is both an audio tour and a GPS. You don’t need to use Waze or Google Maps- it will not only tell you where to go, but the guide gives you information on where to stop, and tells you background stories and interesting facts as you go. The drive up to the Haleakala summit was so interesting listening to the story of the Haleakala Volcano. This guide is also very helpful on the Road to Hana. A few friends recommended it to us for our trip, and we were so grateful!

Haleakala Crater Overlooks

There are two overlooks that you should stop at on your way back down the mountain. Both lookouts are other-worldly, giving the feeling of being on the surface of the moon or Mars! The views are unlike anything you have ever seen.

Kalahaku Lookout

The Kalahaku Lookout is located at mile marker 18.7 Turn into the parking lot and walk to the observation deck.

Leleiwi Lookout

Located at mile marker 17.5, the Leleiwi Lookout gives dramatic views of the crater. Pull into the parking lot and walk down the short path that leads to the lookout.

Hiking Trails at Haleakala Crater

After the sunrise, if you are up for exploring Haleakala Crater, these are the most popular hiking trails in Haleakala National Park.

Sliding Sands Trail : The most popular hiking trail in Haleakala National Park is the Sliding Sands Trail. The entire trail is 11 miles out and back, although you can walk in as far as you like and turn around at any point. The terrain is unreal, like you are walking on the surface of Mars!

Pa’akoa Trail: Short half-mile out and back.

Halemau’u Overlook Trail: 7.3 mile out and back, challenging hike with some steep drop offs.

Hosmer’s Grove Nature Trail: Located at the base of the mountain, this .4 mile loop through trees is great for bird watching and exploring the fauna of Maui.

Is Haleakala Sunrise Worth It?

Considering the cold weather, leaving your accommodations at 3:00 am, driving scary switchbacks in the pitch dark, and the hassle of getting vehicle reservations, you are probably wondering if the sunrise at Haleakala Crater is worth all of that. There are a lot of “cons” for sure. But the answer to whether Haleakala sunrise is worth it, is a resounding YES!

Experiencing the sunrise atop Haleakala Crater in Maui is not only worth the hassle, it is a bucket list, once in a lifetime, must-do experience in Maui. To this day, my teens rank Haleakala as one of the most incredible things they’ve ever done. And trust me when I tell you that they thought I had lost my mind when I told them we were getting up at 3:00 am to do it!

Whether you drive yourself up the volcano or take a tour, don’t miss out on this experience in Maui! Check out my Ultimate Maui, Hawaii Travel Itinerary for more of the top things to do in Maui.

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@postcardsfromcarrie Bucket list, once in a lifetime experience in Maui, Hawaii ☀️Sunrise on Haleakala Crater, 10,00 feet above sea level ☀️Drive 37 miles up the volcano from sea level to 10,000 feet to watch this epic sunrise ☀️The tenperature at the summit is 40 degrees colder than at the entrance to the park. Dress warm! It was in the 30s at the top! ☀️ Mandatory vehicle reservations are required. Check out my blog for more information on this breathtaking sunrise. #maui #mauihawaii #hawaii #hawaiitiktok #hawaiilife #sunrise #sunriseview #haleakala #volcano #nature #vacation #bucketlist #bucketlisttravel ♬ Here Comes the Sun - Relaxing Instrumental Music