SUNSET AT HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK

Overview

For those who don’t know this already but Maui is home of 1 out of the 2 National Parks in the Hawaiian Islands called Haleakala National Park. Haleakala National Park is on the southeastern side of the island of Maui and stands at about 10,023 feet above sea level taking up three quarters of Maui’s 727 square miles. When the skies are clear, massive dormant volcano provides stunning views of the island and a trip to this national park should be on your bucket list when visiting the beautiful island of Maui.

Fun History Fact: Haleakala means “House of the Sun”

A popular time to go visit Haleakala National Park is during sunrise and I think that’s what most people do but I am here to tell you NOT to go during sunrise and go to sunset instead! Don’t get me wrong, I have witnessed sunrise and it was beautiful, however, I am here to tell you that sunset may be equally or more beautiful.

Entry Fee:

30 dollars per vehicle

25 dollars per motorcycle

15 dollars per pedestrian or bicyclist

What to bring:

There are many trails at the national park that I will not touch on in this blog but a search on alltrails.com can provide lots of information if planning on a hike.

The climate drastically changes from the sunny warm humid beaches of Maui to a windy mountain landscape resembling Mars. Bringing the correct attire can make your trip an enjoyable one!

I recommend bringing:

Layers! Base layers such as long sleeves and breath-able attire especially for people that hike
Down Jacket or Jacket
Pants
Hiking or athletic shoes (the terrain of the National Park is rocky and trails are not paved)
Water bottle
Camera/tripod
Hat

Here are my reasons to visit sunset vs. sunrise:

No waking up early!

I’m not sure about you, but I am not a morning person. Yeah, shocking. I do enjoy waking up early for the occasional sunrise photography spot to capture the perfect lighting, however, I really do not like waking up early especially on vacation. Sunset at the top of Haleakala is perfect for those who want to sleep in, spend a day at the beach and then drive up to witness a beautiful sunset above the clouds.

If you still choose to attempt sunrise, remember to map out the summit of Haleakala from your location as driving times to the summit can take ~ 2 hours from Kaanapali and Wailea.

Time to check the weather

Although the Hawaiian Islands are known for their incredible weather and beautiful sunsets on perfectly white beaches, the weather and clouds can change rapidly throughout the day. Being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, tropical storms can roll in or large cloud coverage at the summit of Haleakala. Luckily for those seeking a sunset tour of the National Park, modern technology helps tremendously to make sure the trip up to the highest point of Maui is worth it.

The National Park Service website has a few live cameras that help with monitoring the weather.

Here is the link

Check weather apps and the live cam as different parts of the island have different weather climates throughout the day and before you head out.

No parking fee and reservation needed

Because of the popularity and tour groups that go for sunrise, the National Parks Service has limited the amount of people can go due to limited parking through reservations. This reservation can be made through the NPS website.

Things to Know about the reservation:

Tickets are per vehicle, not per person
Still need to pay for the National Park Entry fee
$1.00 per reservation
Fills up quickly, so plan ahead!

When visiting for sunset, there is no reservation needed! You will still need to pay for the entry fee pass to the park. I know the sunrise reservation is only 1 dollar and that is really not much, however, planning ahead for the reservation for a specific day during a short trip can be stressful especially if weather is no cooperating. When visiting sunset you can go any day without a reservation which makes you schedule super flexible.

Less Crowded

Sunset is a lot less popular that sunrise, that being said there is fewer people up there to ruin that peaceful moment as you watch the sun fade below the horizon. When I went during sunset, there were still quite a large amount of people there to witness the sunset so be prepared to come earlier than the actual sunset time to find parking and explore the beautiful park.