Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
eycreeper) flying among the preserve's koa and ohia trees. You might also glimpse the
yellow-green ʻalauahio (Maui creeper) or the ʻakohekohe (Maui parrotbill), both en-
dangered species found nowhere else on earth.
The National Park Service offers free 3½-hour, 3-mile guided hikes that enter the pre-
serve from Hosmer Grove campground at 8:45am on Monday and Thursday. On the third
Sunday of the month hike deep into the native forest on a five-hour, 5-mile hike which
starts at 11:45am. Make reservations for both hikes up to one week in advance. Expect
wet conditions and bring rain gear. Both hikes are rated moderately strenuous.
Park Headquarters Visitor Center TOURIST INFORMATION
MAP
( 572-4400; www.nps.gov/hale ; 3-day pass car/individual on foot, bicycle or motorcycle $10/5;
7am-3:45pm) This is the place for brochures, camping permits and the skinny on
ranger talks and activities. This is also a convenient stop for restrooms and one of only
two places in the park where you'll find drinking fountains. If you're going hiking, fill
your water bottles here.
Keep an eye out for nene wandering the grounds, as they're frequent visitors here.
Also note that these endangered birds are too friendly for their own good; do not feed
them, and be careful when driving out of the parking lot - most nene deaths are the result
of being hit by cars.
Leleiwi Overlook VIEWPOINT
A stop at Leleiwi Overlook (8840ft), midway between the Park Headquarters Visitor
Center and the summit, offers your first look into the crater, and gives you a unique angle
on the ever-changing clouds climbing up the mountain. You can literally watch the
weather form at your feet. From the parking lot, it's a five-minute walk across a gravel
trail to the overlook.
En route you'll see an 1880s stone wall built by ranchers and get a fine view of the
West Maui Mountains and the isthmus connecting the two sides of Maui.
Kalahaku Overlook VIEWPOINT
Time your visit for late-morning, after the the sunrise crowds have gone home, and you
might have this above-the-clouds overlook to yourself. Perched on the crater rim 0.8
miles beyond Leleiwi Overlook, the stunning Kalahaku Overlook (9324ft) offers a
bird's-eye view of the crater floor and the ant-size hikers on the trails snaking around the
cinder cones.
 
 
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