Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hosmer Grove is the only drive-up campground in the summit area of the park.
Surrounded by lofty trees and adjacent to one of Maui's best birding trails, this camp-
ground at an elevation of 6800ft tends to be cloudy but a covered picnic pavilion offers
shelter if it starts to rain. Facilities include grills, toilets and running water.
Camping is free on a first-come, first-served basis. No permit is required, though
there's a three-day camping limit per month. The campground is just a small field, with
no individual campsites, so it can get supercrowded. It's busier in summer than in winter
and is often full on holiday weekends. The campground is just after the park entrance
booth. And here's a bonus: you're close to the summit, so it's a cinch getting up for the
sunrise.
Backcountry Camping CAMPGROUND $
For hikers, two backcountry campgrounds lie on the floor of Haleakalā Crater.
The easiest to reach is at Holua , 3.7 miles down the Halemauʻu Trail. The other is at Pa-
liku , below a rainforest ridge at the end of Halemauʻu Trail. Weather can be unpredict-
able at both.
Holua is typically dry with clouds rolling in during the late afternoon. Paliku is in a
grassy meadow, with skies overhead alternating between stormy and sunny. Wasps are
present at both campsites, so take precautions if you're allergic to stings.
Permits (free) are required for crater camping. They're issued at the Park Headquarters
Visitor Center on a first-come, first-served basis from 7am until 3pm on the day of the
hike. Photo identification is required for the permittee, and an 8-minute video orientation
is required for everyone in the group. Camping is limited to three nights in the crater
each month, with no more than two consecutive nights at either campground. Only 25
campers are allowed at each site, so permits can go quickly when large parties show up, a
situation more likely to occur in summer.
Rustic Cabins CABIN $
( 572-4400; https://fhnp.org/wcr ; per cabin with 1-12 people $75) Three charming rustic cab-
ins dating from the 1930s lie along trails on the crater floor at Holua, Kapalaoa and Pa-
liku. Each has a wood-burning stove, two propane burners, 12 bunks with sleeping pads
(but no bedding), pit toilets and a limited supply of water and firewood. There is no elec-
tricty.
Hiking distances to the cabins from the crater rim range from 4 to 9 miles. The driest
conditions are at Kapalaoa, in the middle of the cinder desert off Sliding Sands Trail.
Those craving lush rainforest will find Paliku serene. Holua has unparalleled sunrise
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