Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Word of Warning About the Weather
The weather at nearly 10,000 feet can change suddenly and without
warning. Come prepared for cold, high winds; rain; and even snow in
winter. Temperatures can range from 77°F (25°C) down to 26°F (-3°C),
and high winds are frequent. Daytime temperatures can be 30° colder
than at sea level. Sunrise and sunset temperatures average 30° to 40°F in
winter (-1° to 4°C) and 40° to 50°F (4-10°C) in summer. Rainfall varies
from 40 inches a year on the western end of the crater to more than 200
inches on the eastern side. Bring boots, waterproof gear, warm clothes,
extra layers, and lots of sunscreen—the sun shines very brightly up here.
For the latest weather information, call
&
808/871-5054.
Tips
Some shorter and easier hiking options include the half-mile walk down the
Hosmer Grove Nature Trail,
or the first mile or two down
Sliding Sands Trail,
which gives you a hint of what lies ahead. (Even this short hike is exhausting at
the high altitude.) A good day hike is
Halemauu Trail
to Holua Cabin and
back, an 8-mile, half-day trip.
STAYING IN THE WILDERNESS AREA
Most people stay at one of two
tent campgrounds, unless they get lucky and win the lottery—the lottery, that
is, for one of the three wilderness cabins. For more information, contact
Haleakala National Park,
P.O. Box 369, Makawao, HI 96768 (
&
808/572-
4400;
www.nps.gov/hale).
Cabins
It can get really cold and windy down in the valley (see “A Word of
Warning About the Weather,” above), so try for a cabin. They're warm, pro-
tected from the elements, and reasonably priced. Each has 12 padded bunks (but
no bedding; bring your own), a table, chairs, cooking utensils, a two-burner
propane stove, and a wood-burning stove with firewood. (You may also have a
few cockroaches.) The cabins are spaced so that each one is an easy walk from
the other: Holua Cabin is on the Halemauu Trail, Kapalaoa Cabin on Sliding
Sands Trail, and Paliku Cabin on the eastern end by the Kaupo Gap. The rates
are $55 a night for groups of one to six, $110 a night for groups of 7 to 12.
The cabins are so popular that the National Park Service has a lottery system
for reservations. Requests for cabins must be made 3 months in advance. (Be
sure to request alternate dates.) You can request all three cabins at once; you're
limited to 2 nights in one cabin and 3 nights total in the wilderness each month.
Campgrounds
If you don't win the cabin lottery, all is not lost—there are
three tent-camping sites that can accommodate you: two in the wilderness and
one just outside at Hosmer Grove. There is no charge for tent camping.
Hosmer Grove,
located at 6,800 feet, is a small, open, grassy area surrounded
by a forest. Trees protect campers from the winds, but nights still get very cold;
sometimes there's ice on the ground up here. This is the best place to spend the
night in a tent if you want to see the Haleakala sunrise. Come up the day before,
enjoy the park, take a day hike, then turn in early. The glass-enclosed summit
building opens at sunrise for those who come to greet the dawn—a welcome
windbreak. Facilities at Hosmer Grove include a covered pavilion with picnic
tables and grills, chemical toilets, and drinking water. No permits are needed,
and there's no charge—but you can only stay for 3 nights in a 30-day period.
