After graduation my family and I decided to visit Hawaii for the first time! In addition to surfing on Kaanapali Beach, snorkeling with sea turtles at the Molokini Crater, and eating spam we made sure to explore all parts of the famous Volcano on Maui named Haleakalā.
The first day, we drove to the southeast corner of the park to a place called the Pipiwai Spring Trail. There are two ways to get to this place. The northern road, otherwise known to tourists as "the Road to Hana." And then there's the southern road, otherwise known to my sister and I as "the Death Trap."
We accidentally took the southern road. It was rocky, much of it was unpaved, and it curved the side of a mountain that overlooked steep cliffs falling into the ocean. Two lanes with opposing traffic sometimes merged into one lane miraculously, and some parts of the road were cordoned off because it had collapsed due to landslides. It's a miracle that we survived the Death Trap and got to the National Park entrance safe and sound.
This trail had everything. Bamboo forests, lush waterfalls, helicopters buzzing overhead, and streams. It almost made the ride over there seem less tense. The only meal you can really get on this desolate side of the island is in Hana.
After touring the beautiful southeast side of Haleakala, we thought we would take a tour of the actual summit. The Volcanic Summit requires a permit and NPS makes sure that there are enough parking spots on the summits for tourists on a daily basis. Most tickets are booked 2 months in advance, but if you are like me then you would have waited and procrastinated to the last minute. Luckily, NPS releases 40 extra tickets two days before the trip. You must go to recreation.gov to book your summit ticket two days in advance at 4 p.m. Hawaiian Time. $5/ vehicle and definitely worth it.
So we woke up at 2 a.m. on the west side of Maui, and drove to the park for 1.5 hours. The park opens at 3 a.m., and we arrived at 3:30 a.m. We then drove to the summit for another 1 hour. At 4:30 a.m. we were at the second highest parking lot of the summit. Sunrise occurred at 5:30 a.m., so we sat in the car like 4 cold burritos. A short 0.2 mile hike to the summit was fantastic at 5 a.m., and we luckily found a secluded part of the trail. Winds crept up as faint glimpses of the Sunrise peaked over the sea of clouds. Totally worth it. Watch this cool time-lapse!