Two Best Ways to Experience Haleakalā National Park

My 31st National Park!

I have had dreams of visiting this park for years, but was too afraid to island hop solo four years ago when I was last on Oahu. This time, with friends in tow, I would make it to see this dormant volcano. And better yet, I’d find unique ways to explore what it has to offer. With that, here are the two best ways to see Maui’s only national park, Haleakalā:

1. Drive up Crater Road for sunset.

On a clear day, if possible, drive up Crater Road. The drive alone takes you through a variety of trees and landscapes. As you make your way up the winding road, you’ll want to stop and take in the clouds. Soon enough, you’re above the clouds – an experience most of us only take part in on an airplane, not actually outdoors.

The beautiful above-the-clouds drive up Summit Road.

I had only been in the clouds once before on my trek on the Inca trail, so this was a refreshing delight. There are a handful of pull-in spots to step out safely and take a picture at an overlook.

Take advantage of all the lookout points like these.

If you are pressed for time, make your way to the summit parking lot to not miss the sunset. Once you park, head up a very short (and I mean, short) path to the viewing points of the crater. The trail we hopped onto is the Keonehe’ehe’e Trailhead, which takes you into the crater (also referred to as the Sliding Sands trail).

This isn’t what I often picture Hawaii as at all and I loved every moment of it.

You’ll stay on the trail for .1 miles and a remarkable view of the dormant volcano greets you suddenly. At this viewpoint, you have the volcano on one side, and on the other, a stunning sunset above the clouds.

Watching the sun disappear into the clouds at the summit of Haleakalā.

The road to the Haleakalā Observatory is closed, but you can make the half mile or so trek to the top. I initially wanted to do this, but my friend suggested we stay where we were and wow was I glad she said that. We had a kaleidoscope of colors setting on the crater as we turned around and watched as the clouds consumed the sunset. Had we of watched sunset from the observatory, we would have missed the crater views.

Above is the short hike up to the Observatory since the road is blocked off to car access.

2. Reserve a bike tour to cycle down from the park.

When I found out you could bike downhill from Haleakalā, I was sold. I reached out to Bike Maui via email and they were extremely helpful in assisting me in picking the right ride. They offer so many – from sunrise rides to self-guided. I booked the morning self-guided tour, which started off at 9 AM at their location near the park.

The same Summit Road, but immersed in the clouds.

Our incredible tour guide, Kimo, drove us to our drop-off location just outside the park. He provided great commentary and humor along the way, and mapped out our ride for us back to the bike shop.

He also had a keen eye for photography, and took this silly shot for us.

I would highly recommend Bike Maui for your tour company! The equipment was clean and comfortable and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful.

We biked down some of the winding road we had just driven up the previous night for sunset, and stopped along the way for some scenic vistas. The ride overall was comfortable, beautiful, and quick. My Garmin logged the ride at 22 miles with a gain of 236 ft. The entire experience took 5-6 hours with the set-up and drive time with the guided tour on the way. The ride down is entirely up to you and your speed, but it is also almost entirely downhill, so there’s no way it’ll take you hours. All in all, an awesome way to experience Haleakalā aside from seeing it at sunset.

Our ride took us under the clouds and through more of the beauty this park has to offer.