Haleakalā is a massive active volcano that forms more than 75% of the island of Maui. Although the tallest peak of Haleakalā is only a little over 10,000 feet, if measured from the base it is actually 675 feet taller than Mt. Everest.
One of the more adventurous activities on Maui is to get up super early and watch the sun rising on top of Haleakalā. Oftentimes combined with a short hike down into the crater, this is a beautiful way to see the more rugged part of the island. We, however, decided to take this popular tour a step further. There are three cabins within Haleakalā that you can rent. Our plan was to watch the sunrise, then hike deep into the crater, sleep overnight in the cabin, and hike out the following day. This would allow us to spend a night alone within this spectacular landscape and take our time to enjoy the experience. We successfully secured all of our permits and were looking forward to taking Sky on her first backpacking trip.
It was a long drive up Haleakalā. We reached the lookout just in time to watch the sunrise with a huge crowd. It was beautiful and definitely lived up to the hype.
Immediately after sunrise the crowd dispersed and we were left almost entirely alone at the top of Haleakalā.
It was 8:00am and we had enough of waiting for the sun to get higher in the sky. It was finally time for our hike to begin. We shot our intro video at Pā Ka’’oao lookout and began to show Sky how painfully slow our video-making process can be. This would truly be a test of her patience! After a few takes we finally nailed the intro and started on our 6.5 mile hike into the depths of the enormous crater.
The name of the trail into Haleakalā is Keonehe'ehe'e, or Sliding Sands Trail. Never has a name been so appropriate...this hike leads you straight down a trail comprised of slippery, sandy surfaces and you could almost slide all the way down the trail.
We were excited to finally be on the trail. Sky had her trusty walking stick from the Pipiwai Trail and we were fully stocked with water, food and warm sleeping bags.
We were excited to finally be on the trail. Sky had her trusty walking stick from the Pipiwai Trail and we were fully stocked with water, food and warm sleeping bags.
Even though the lighting was still terrible, the views were gorgeous. The trail meandered through the harsh landscape and we could see all the way down to the lava fields and beyond to our cabin. Because of our slow pace,
Sky sometimes had to find ways to entertain herself. We often found her drawing pictures or writing words of encouragement in the sand next to the trail. Her walking stick not only doubled as a deadly sword, but also as an etching tool!
On our way down the Sliding Sands Trail the sky was constantly changing. Clouds rolled in and covered the sun and threatened rain, then cleared up and the sky was perfectly blue. The temperature was perfect...not too hot, not too cool. As the light shifted, the small cinder cones and distant walls of the crater just lit up with a variety of vibrant colors. We were surprised at how colorful everything was, despite being such a harsh, unforgiving landscape.
About halfway down the trail we started seeing the rare Silversword plants. Native to Hawaii, these beautiful, spiky, metallic-looking plants live up to 50 years. Despite their long lives, these unusual plants bloom only once and then die.
We thought that because we started hiking at the top that the views couldn’t get any better. But we were dead wrong. As we got closer and closer to the bottom of the crater, the colors and details revealed themselves with greater clarity and the view was constantly changing. The plants were also getting interesting and they added some bright splashes of color to the the rocky terrain.
Sky was able to work on her Junior Ranger activity book while we stopped for video and timelapse shots.
The crowds from the rim of the volcano quickly disappeared and we saw almost no one the rest of our way down.
We spotted a pair of friendly chukar birds. They had a cool bandit-like mask and were used to picking up crumbs from messy hikers.
Around five miles in we found ourselves at the lowest part of the crater. Despite going entirely downhill so far, we were getting pretty tired from the steep, slippery trail. It was a relief to be walking on flat ground and it didn’t take long to cover the last two miles to our cabin.
We encountered some light rain as the sky started to fill in with clouds, which was refreshing and gave us a little extra boost to finish the hike. Our timing was perfect. As we reached the door of Kapalaoa Cabin, the sky opened up and it began to pour.
As the rain poured down, we all quickly claimed our bunks in the nice, dry cabin and I had a short nap.
Sky and I were both ready to call it a day, but were forced into a short evening hike around the base of the crater once the rain had stopped. We hiked for about two miles in a loop that meandered through a variety of landscapes. We were completely alone!
After returning from our hike we had an outdoor meal consisting of packaged tuna and Hawaiian bread. Sky had plenty of time to work on her Junior Ranger book, and even wrote a haiku about our adventure!
Kapalaoa Cabin is one of the three cabins that you can reserve within Haleakalā National park. Built in 1937, the cabin has no electricity, heat, or (obviously) wifi. It does, however, have running water, plenty of fire wood, and an outhouse. It was rustic but comfortable and we slept like babies, or rocks or whatever sleeps soundly. I was planning on shooting a timelapse of the stars but was too lazy to get up in the cold. Thu was the only one to go outside and take a look at the star-filled sky.
We had a very restful and long sleep in the cozy cabin after our first day of hiking. The next morning, we woke up early and were on the trail around 6:30am. Today we would be making a small loop within the crater around the colorful cinder cones, then retracing our steps back up and out on the Sliding Sands Trail.
Kapalaoa Cabin is at 7,250 feet and the end of the hike is near 10,000 feet. This elevation change meant we would have a serious climb ahead. We were still a little tired from the day before, so thankfully day two began on a relatively flat trail within the crater and we wouldn’t start the climb until around four miles in. This gave us some time to loosen up and enjoy the quiet interior of the crater.
The views from day one of our hike were beautiful so we weren’t expecting much different on the hike out of the crater. Little did we know this day would be one of the most incredible hikes we’ve ever been on and the landscape would offer countless unique and gorgeous views.
The morning light was beautiful as we hiked through the crater over harsh, rocky terrain, through deep red, black and orange sand, and even through fields of Silversword plants.
Despite being over 7,000 feet it felt like we were almost at sea level. However, if we looked off into the distance where the crater walls were not so high, we could see that we were well above the tops of the clouds that surrounded Haleakalā.
Pele’s Paint Pot
We didn’t do a ton of research on the portion of our hike within Haleakalā. Not knowing what we were about to see, we rounded a bend and stumbled upon one of the most magnificant views imaginable, Pele’s Paint Pot. There was an ongoing conversation about our favorite views and what we considered our best views, and this easily qualified as both. The funny thing is that most people visiting Haleakalā never make it to this spot, and once again we found ouselves completely alone in argueably one of the most beautiful spots on earth.
Pele’s Paint Pot got its name from the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, Pele (not to be confused with Brazilian god of soccer Pelé).
No surprise, we spent a ton of time taking pictures, getting views from various angles, and just enjoying this breathtaking view. And to top it off, the sun was in the right position to light everything perfectly.
Vivid colors of red, orange, yellow, and white derived from oxidized volcanic minerals give the surface the appearance of a painter’s palette, rivaling the colors of Rainbow Mountain in Peru.
On the other side of Pele’s Paint Pot. Looking up we could see the visitor center and the long, steep climb we had ahead of us.
The trail continued on through multi-colored hills and cinder cones with gentle climbs and easy downhills. The views changed around every bend and the weather was perfect. Too often we hear the words “other-worldly” used to describe travel destinations, but this truly felt like we were on Mars or some other desolate planet.
In a quiet little depression between two colorful cinder cones we found what looked like a dragon’s nest surrounded by dragon eggs.
Haleakalā Crater sits at the top of Mount Haleakalā. The erosional valley at the summit of Haleakalā is usually incorrectly identified as a volcanic crater. This massive valley was formed when Kaupo Valley and the Ko'olau Valley connected near their headwaters. The current erosional valley formed as a result of erosion from these streams and landslides. A later eruption of Haleakalā created the 14 cinder cones that we were wandering through on our way out to the junction with the Sliding Sands trail.
Between the cinder cones and the junction to the Sliding Sands Trail stood a formidable obstacle, the Land of Mordor. Actually, it was just a lava flow and it only took us about 10 minutes to walk through. The rocks were extremely sharp and there were areas that would be very dangerous if there wasn’t a trail.
Looking back down at the lava flow and cinder cones we had hiked through earlier that morning.
At around four miles into the hike we rejoined the Sliding Sands Trail and began our ascent up and out of the crater. Sky had been struggling a little bit on day one, and we knew this would be a pretty tough climb. Making sure she was motivated, we promised her a feast of fried calamari once we finished the hike. It seemed to work, and Sky sped her way up the mountain, sometimes taking a break and talking to other hikers while she waited for us to catch up.
While we hiked within the crater the sun was out and brilliantly illuminated all the wild colors in the cinder cones and in the crater walls. Just as we began to climb, the clouds filled the sky and we had mostly shady conditions on the long, exhausting climb. The weather gods must have been listening to our plea for cool weather on the hard part of the hike.
As we climbed further up the Sliding Sands Trail the views opened up, and even though they were the same views as the prior day, the colors were completely different as the sun had come out again and was shining directly into the crater. It was gorgeous!
Finally after six hours, eight miles and about 3,000 feet of elevation gain we emerged from the crater, exhausted but happy. Sky was way ahead but slowed down so she could join us for the final steps of the hike. We quickly shot a few photos, ended our video, and hurried over to the visitor center and restrooms (where I accidentally used the women’s restroom, oops!!).
Sky managed to complete the Junior Ranger booklet and received her official Junior Ranger badge. This was a fun way for her to learn a little more about the national park. It was fun to see how happy and proud the ranger was while issuing the badge, especially when Sky recited her haiku. I have a feeling Sky’s mind was so focuesed on the fried calamari that she barely remembers any of this!
Our final view from the visitor center.
Hiking into Haleakalā and staying overnight has definitely been one of our most unique and beautiful backpacking experiences. We didn’t fully know what we were getting into, but it blew our expectations away. We’re hoping that Sky enjoyed it as much as we did, and that this trip will give her inspiration to think about future backpacking trips. Or maybe she was secretly miserable and will never want to go backpacking again. Only time will tell!