Haleakala National Park

PO Box 369
Makawao, HI 96768
Phone: Visitor Information
(808) 572-4400

Operating Hours & Seasons

Seasons

Haleakala National Park is open year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for severe weather closures.

Hours

The park is open 24 hours a day. 
Park Headquarters Visitor Center (7000 ft) - 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Haleakala Visitor Center (9740 ft) - 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Kipahulu Visitor Center (sea level) - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Visitor Centers

Park Headquarters Visitor Center, Haleakala Visitor Center, and Kipahulu Visitor Center are open daily and year round subject to staff availability (with the exception of Haleakala Visitor Center on December 25 and January 1).

All visitor centers have cultural and natural history exhibits.  Books, maps, and posters are offered for sale by the Hawaii Natural History Association.  Naturalists are on duty during business hours to answer questions and help you make the most of your visit.

There is a pay phone near both the Park Headquarters Visitor Center and the Kipahulu Visitor Center.

This special place vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people.  The park also cares for endangered species some of which exist nowhere else.  Come visit this special place - renew your spirit of adventure amid stark volcanic landscapes, sub-tropical rain forest and the unforgettable experience of hiking the backcountry.

History

It was originally made part of the Hawaii National Park along with the volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea on Hawaii Island in 1916, but was made into a separate national park in 1961. The park area was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. The name Haleakala is a Hawaiian name that means "house of the sun." According to a local legend, the demigod Maui imprisoned the sun here in order to lengthen the day.

The park features the dormant Haleakalā (East Maui) Volcano, which last erupted at around 1790. The park is divided into two distinct sections: the summit area and the coastal Kipahulu area.

The two sections of the park averages 1,450,000 visitors per year.

Summit Area

No place you have ever been can prepare you for the experiences and feelings you will have on the summit of Haleakala volcano.  The landscape - deeply sculpted, richly colored, and intensely evocative will be unlike any landscape you have known. Visually expansive, the summit area continually eludes any attempt to understand its scale or dimensions.

You may spend a few hours hiking in the cinder desert landscape, or a few minutes looking for native birds in the shrubland - whatever you choose to do, you will do it surrounded by native Hawaiian plants and animals. The mountain summit is one of the only easily-accessible areas of Hawaii where our rare and endemic species survive and thrive.

Already impressive in the light of day, the summit takes on a new dimension at night when the darkness reveals the brilliant night sky.

Wilderness Area

An unexpected and dramatic landscape at the top of the world, the Wilderness Area encompasses 24,719 acres and countless microclimates. Elevation change from rim to the floor can be 3,000 feet.  You can day hike, spend the night in a tent at one of the two Wilderness Campgrounds, or reserve one of the three historic cabins along the trail. Your steps will take you from brown and red cinder cones, towering hundreds of feet tall in dry, cold desert air to cloud forests dripping with red and green native ferns.  Nene and endemic honeycreepers can be seen in the lower, wetter parts of the Wilderness area during the day.  Seabirds can be heard (in season) at night, and stars saturate the sky. Photographers will quickly run out of superlatives.

The Wilderness Area of Haleakala can be accessed by two mountaintop trailheads: Halemauu Trailhead at 8000 feet, and Keoneheehee (or Sliding Sands) near the summit at 9740 feet (2969m).  Both trails merge eventually and lead down the southeast side of the volcano to the relatively barren and unpopulated coast in the Kaupo district.

Overnight camping requires a permit, cabins must be reserved, and it is always advisable to stop by a Visitor Center before a day hike to discuss your plans. Weather can be severe and is always changeable and unpredictable. Water is scarce, altitude can be a major factor, and certain seasonal restrictions may apply.

Kipahulu

The Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park can be accessesed by driving 10 miles past the town of Hana, on the famous Hana road that circumscribes the northeast coast of the island of Maui.  The Kipahulu area encompasses both the easily-accessed coastal section and the highly restricted, biologically precious and pristine upper slope reserve that is closed to all by limited research access.

Hiking here is self-guided and quite rewarding. There are also scheduled orientations and cultural demonstrations - ask at the Visitor Center.  This area of the coast has been inhabited by native people for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  Learn more about these people, their lives and their culture by attending and participating in park programs.

Most visitors hike the two-mile trail leading uphill along the Pipiwai Trail, following the stream which courses through the Oheo Gulch.  Some swim in the cool lower pools adjacent to the ocean.  However, the stream can be very unpredictable and flash floods are common - and have caused injury and death.  You are responsible for your own safety in this natural area.  Do not underestimate the risk, and always obey all caution signs and warnings from Rangers.

Expect the tropical weather to be humid, warm to hot depending on the season, and prone to sudden heavy rains and winds.  Whales, turtles, dolphins and seabirds can sometimes be seen off-shore, while an afternoon spent looking for a glimpse of the freshwater inhabitants (shrimp, rock-climbing goby, other fish) can be a cool and rewarding way to spend your time.

Due to rough conditions, there is no safe ocean entry in Kipahulu.

This area also offers one drive-up campground.  Campers are advised that Kipahlu is wet, remote, and far from most amenities.  Come prepared - bring water.  There is no water available, but shared grills, picnic tables and pit-toilets are available.  Permits are not required, but campers must have paid the $10 park entry fee.  Camping is limited to 3 nights in any 30-day period.

Park Visitors

All park visitors are required to purchase a recreational use pass upon entering Haleakala National Park.  The funds collected from the pass have helped the park to refurbish restrooms, upgrade roads, create park exhibits, and enhance your experience as a park visitor.

General Car Pass: $10.  Valid for 3 days.  Admits private, non-commercial vehicle and all occupants to Haleakala National Park.
Haleakala Annual Pass: $25. Valid for 12 months from issue.  Admits private, non-commercial vehicle and all occupants to Haleakala NP, Hawaii Volcanoes NP, and Puuhonua o Honaunau NHP.
Individual Entry: $5.  Valid for 3 days.  Admits one individual with no car - usually used for bicyclists, hikers, and motorcycles.
National Parks Pass: $50.  Valid for 12 months from issue.  Admits permittee and any accompanying persons in a private non-commercial vehicle to any National Park Service unit.
Golden Age Passport: $10.  Valid for lifetime.  Available to anyone at least 62 years of age who is a US citizen, or domiciled in the US.  Admits permittee and any accompanying persons in a non-commercial vehicle to any National Park Service unit.
Golden Access Passport: Free.  Valid for lifetime.  Available to any US citizen with a permanent disability.  Admits permittee and any accompanying persons in a non-commercial vehicle to any National Park Service unit.
Golden Eagle Upgrade Sticker: $15.  Valid as long as National Park Pass is valid. Upgrades National Park Pass to include any Federal Recreational Fee Area.