Distance: 12.7 mi.
Elevation Gain: 2100 ft.
Elevation Loss: 4100 ft.
I had the fortune of having to travel to Maui for work, but I only needed to be there for one day, so I started scheming how I could get a good hike around Haleakala in that time. I needed to be in Seattle on Saturday for an event so I arranged an early Sunday morning flight which would get me there with just enough time to get my rental car and drive up the mountain for a camping permit before the ranger station closes at 3 PM
I landed at the Maui airport at 12:45 on Sunday, gathered my checked bag, walked to the rental car center, and quickly drove to a walmart to pick up some snacks. I had hoped to find a fuel canister for my stove there as well, but no luck. I found an Ace Hardware on my way up the mountain that had fuel however.
I managed to get to the Headquarters Visitor center by 2:30 to get my permit. It was easy to get a spot at the Hōlua campsite within the crater. There is a hut here as well that is much harder to get a reservation for but tenting is not nearly as competitive. I then drove up to the Halemau’u trailhead where I intended to end my hike. I walked across the road to the designated hitchhiking pickup area (pretty common here) and waited for about 20 minutes before a nice couple agreed to take me to the top.
I wandered around the visitor center and area trails at the top for a while before heading down into the crater on the Sliding Sands Trail. I passed a few people near the beginning but had the trail to myself after the first mile or so up until I reached my camp. I hiked down about 3.8 miles until the trail split with a sign for the Halemau’u Trail. I passed some beautiful silverswords on the way too!
I had to go up and over some minor craters here before getting on the Halemau’u Trail to Holua. The last stretch to camp was interesting because I was getting low enough that there were more plants growing. There is a nice cabin here but it is much harder to reserve than the campground which you can often get on a walk up. The campground is a little bit of a hike up the hill from the cabin and its really only a handful of flattened out spots between lava rock piles and bushes. I chatted with a few others camped here just before dark (I arrived at 8 PM), made some dinner, and went to sleep.
I had a plan to get up well before sunrise to start hiking up the trail for a beautiful sunrise view (and to get out in time for my work meetings). I was up at 6:30 AM and moving shortly after. A bit after leaving camp I was startled by some critters just off the side of the trail. It turns out it was two Nenes that were trying to avoid me. Cool to see them in the dark.
The trail is easy to follow and I was most of the way up the ridge for sunrise which was at about 8:30 am. I enjoyed it for a bit and was at my car by 9:15 in plenty of time to drive down for my 11 AM meetings. It was pretty amazing to fit this little adventure in with minimum preparation and not a lot of available time.
(Download the free Gaia GPS app on your phone to view tracks and then get a Gaia GPS membership if you want offline access. Discount below!)
Recommended brew:
Gear Used:
- Solo tent
- GPS
- Overnight pack
- Sleeping pad
- Summer sleeping bag
- Stove
- Trail runners
- Trekking poles
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