Trekking into the crater
VISITED AUGUST 2017
Maui was built yesteryear ii volcanoes at nowadays separated yesteryear a primal lowland, The smaller western too older 1 at correct inwards this oblique GOOGLE EARTH prototype from the N is 5788ft/1765m MAUNA KAHALAWAI - the bigger eastern 1 is 10062ft/3658m HAKEAKALA. The latter is non a high volcano yesteryear earth standards but interestingly it's the 2d highest mount inwards the earth when measured from its base of operations on the body of body of water flooring from where it began growing several 1000000 years ago. You tin run into the volcano makes upward most of the eastern 2/3 of the isle - apart from the primal lowlands it drops direct into the body of body of water making for either no or real lilliputian express coastal plain. It is currently dormant - final volcanic action was inwards 1790. Note the lowland passage betwixt the ii volcanoes - expert cane growing province too a existent funnel for the prevailing N eastward merchandise winds which blow 90% of the fourth dimension - non groovy for riding a rental wheel against: don't enquire how I know this. KAHULUI to a higher house is the primary urban expanse on the isle too PAI'A is the funky surfer/hippy town on MAUI'S N coast too below the slopes of HALEAKALA.
HALEAKALA is a shield volcano - the upshot of depression viscosity outflows spreading considerable distances - it's well-nigh 40km broad north-south inwards this shot (slightly to a greater extent than east-west). So it doesn't appear 10000 ft high inwards this motion-picture exhibit taken from the upper suburbs of KAHULUI well-nigh 30km from the peak. Actually this is a rare persuasion - most of my August three weeks saw the upper reaches obscured yesteryear cloud. The non-conic nature of shield volcanoes suggests gentle slopes but inwards fact in that place are some needlelike parts especially inwards the north-east/east/south eastward hidden from the camera.
BANANA BUNGALOW'S CRATER TREK/SUNSET TRIP This rather expert hostel inwards WAILUKU (adjoining western KAHULUI) puts on a FREE HALEAKALA TRIP for guests incorporating both a 6+ hr crater trek too sunset observation from the summit.
It's a 42mile/68km trip from the hostel to the summit. Here nosotros receive got stopped one-half means upward the mount at a viewpoint beside the HALEAKALA HWY overlooking south-central MAUI. Some expert outlooks along hither if clouds don't impede...
....which they oft do.
A lilliputian higher the clouds cleared too nosotros reached the green entrance tollgate - $15 gets a three twenty-four hr catamenia exceed which is useful if you lot are going to army camp inwards the crater or nearby (there is a army camp expanse simply upward the road) or if you lot desire to see the south-east coastal department of the green at OHEO GULCH. From the to a higher house shout out for in that place is soundless 12miles/20km too 3300ft/1000m to go.
First persuasion of the summit - the white observatory buildings (may hold out clearer if you lot click-expand). Note nosotros are to a higher house the tree occupation hither but soundless some distance from the top. The slope of the HALEAKALA HWY interested me because I had considered riding a wheel upward hither (as indeed many keen peddlers were) - slopes varied from gentle to moderate but never approached what I'd telephone telephone existent steep for people used to riding hills - even therefore that loma keeps on keeping on: from the start of HALEAKALA HWY off route 377 it is 21miles/34km to the summit (and the junction of HHwy/377 is already at 3600ft/1097m). Note several companies offering an slowly bicycling alternative - they van bicyclists upward to simply brusk of the toll gates too allow them to coast dorsum down. Sounds similar an ideal excursion for the less fit.
THE SUMMIT There are truly 2 motorcar parks at the summit - this is the get-go you lot come upward to, the 1 for the HOUSE OF THE SUN VISITOR CENTER (9980 ft/3040m). The other is 0.7mile/1000m upward the route close the observatory a few hundred ft higher inwards altitude. The expanse shown inwards motion-picture exhibit has restrooms and......
....a rather expert VISITORS' CENTER amongst a whole bunch of maps, hike information boards, geological/flora/fuana information panels, warm clothing** too the common t-shirts/ hats/trinkets/yada, addition observation windows where you lot tin depository fiscal establishment check out the crater.
The affair I liked most - it was WARM. The summit is SERIOUSLY COLD: it was 80F when nosotros left WAILUKU but upward hither somewhere inwards the 40s too the wind-chill constituent exterior (those nor-east trades HOWL) made it experience good below freezing. I was PREPARED amongst multi-layers of warm materials but soundless was mutual frigidness outside.
NOTE - no nutrient for sale: I reckon if NATIONAL PARKS allowed a FOOD TRUCK to laid upward inwards the parking expanse the vendor would brand a fortune.
** warm clothing: lotsa visitors seemed unprepared for the cold. Naturally nosotros aren't talking grapple prices.
THE CRATER This is the crater equally seen from exterior the VISITORS' CENTER. It's well-nigh 2 miles/3.3km broad at this shout out for but inwards the longitudinal administration abt 7mi/11km long. Drop to the valley flooring is abt 2600ft/800m. If you lot click-expand you lot volition to a greater extent than clearly run into some of the many pocket-size cinder-cones that are a characteristic of the crater.
THE TREK STARTS We start out our 6+ hour/11.2mi-18km trek yesteryear descending from the summit on the (only) SLIDING SANDS TRAIL. This drops 2500ft/760m inwards 3.9mi/6.3km. Because I'm a 72yo geezer who has worn out his knees from also much jogging inwards no/unsuitable shoes dorsum inwards the day, I'm pleased to written report TRAIL SURFACE was pretty benign - lotsa areas had volcanic ash underfoot which is kinda similar non also deep sand too the rail seemed largely clear of all those stone you lot tin run into inwards the pic. There were few step-downs too I didn't respect whatever staircases.
WEATHER was interesting - 1 infinitesimal it was blowing too freezing, following we'd hitting shelter from the air current too if the Sun came out it was fourth dimension to take away a few layers, therefore it would stat to drizzle. BE PREPARED!
GOOD NEWS FOR CASUAL TREKKERS - the GRADIENT was pretty benign varying from gentle to moderately steep but never VERY steep. So this is a department where you lot could descend for country a one-half hr too therefore provide without also much problem (unless you lot are similar my circumferentially-enhanced pal SLIM SAM, the pizza-eating champ of SACRAMETNTO - the exclusively human being [still alive] who tin surroundings an 18" HAWAIIAN DELIGHT inwards less than 25 seconds). TREK ROUTE HALEAKALA HYW inwards white. TREK ROUTE inwards yellow. Most of the driblet from the rim is eastward to that 7200ft house marker. There nosotros turned off the SLIDING SANDS TRAIL (it continues eastward too eventually joins amongst a rail which drops to the coast inwards far south-east MAUI) too headed N to bring together the HALEMAUU TRAIL which eventually climbs out of the crater to the PARKING LOT top center. Because of many trail junctions/options brand certain you lot receive got a TRAIL MAP if unguided - nosotros had no problems - our BANANA BUNGALOW trek leaders had done this weekly many times.
HORSIES On reaching the crater flooring nosotros met upward amongst this HORSE-TREKKING GROUP resting themselves too their steeds. We took payoff to receive got a spell of our own. These stops kinda threw me - I'm non fast but maintain on keeping on at a wearisome but steady pace: the exclusively fourth dimension I halt is for mayhap a few minutes for snacks/drinks too pics. But nosotros stopped mayhap 4 times over the 6+ hours too each 1 was lengthy - 20+minutes. And therefore off we'd larn - at a stair means higher than my normal shuffle. All the fourth dimension my knees were telling me they were less than impressed.
VALLEY FLOOR This is non apartment - it undulates for over 6mi/10km until the climb out of the crater. The full general slope is SLIGHTLY DOWN - nosotros dropped several hundred feet over the distance. Plenty of rim views across this section
FURTHER NORTH VEGETATION/LANDSCAPE varies markedly. The 2 shots to a higher house this are simply about the southern rim inwards a existent dry out expanse amongst a MOONSCAPE-LIKE outlook - banknote the cinder cones inwards background of the get-go motion-picture exhibit - the shot forthwith to a higher house this caption is farther N amongst to a greater extent than vegetation (still also high for trees) because moist north-easr trades come upward up the KO'OLAU GAP nearby.
HOLUA CABIN Abt 1.5mi/2.4km from the start of the climb out is 1 of several crater-floor trekkers' huts run yesteryear NATIONAL PARKS - a few hundred meters to the left is a campsite. These would larn pretty chilly at night. We stopped for some other 20 infinitesimal residual here.
THE CLIMB OUT Less than a mile yesteryear the hut begins the climb out - a serial of switchbacks rising 1000ft/3050m over well-nigh 1 mile/1.6km. Slopes moderate to fairly steep but no heartbreaking gradients. Surface varied - a fair fleck of stone oil broken rock, some roots, a few step-ups but no staircases. I usually similar heading uphill - I'm real represent too uphill is usually easier on my knees: but I receive got to acknowledge that afterwards to a greater extent than than v hours I was starting to experience a fleck secondhand. However my wearisome too steady/no stops affair seemed to pay - I was towards the goal of the queue at the start but well-nigh tertiary out. These panorama shots click-expand nicely.
FROM RIM TO CAR PARK
The final department is flat, has a fairly miserable surface too at abt 1mile/1.6km seemed to receive got forever.
HALEMAUU CAR PARK
This is side yesteryear side the HALEAKALA HWY at the 14mile marker, some half-dozen mi/10km too 2000ft/610m below the summit. I receive got to country this was 1 20 infinitesimal residual catamenia I didn't mind. Our guides had relocated the vans downwards hither before nosotros started the treks too hitched dorsum upward to us, therefore it was simply a example of hopping inwards too heading dorsum up....
....TO CATCH THE SUMMIT SUNSET When nosotros arrived at the top the VISITORS' CENTER CAR PARK (yellow arrow) was total too therefore nosotros headed upward to the OBSERVATORY VISITORS' CAR PARK. This was real crowded also - it took some fourth dimension for the guys to larn a spot. Pretty shortly NATIONAL PARKS volition innovate a PERMIT SYSTEM for sunset viewing similar to the sunrise organization they started inwards Jan 2017.
AS THE SUN SINKS INTO THE CLOUDS.... This tin kinda spoil things - evidently the outlook equally the Sun sinks over due west MAUI on cloudless days is excellent. But I didn't hear - sunset was a kinda anticlimax afterwards our fantabulous trek. Plus it was fifty-fifty windier too colder at the summit than before - I could't hold off to larn dorsum into the shelter of the van.
HALEAKALA'S COASTAL RIM You tin explore the volcano's coastal periphery - roads circumnavigate the mountain.
Actually the route climbs quite high on the side of the mount inwards the due west too south-west corner areas reaching an height of several thou feet, but elsewhere it clings to the spectacular coast seldom getting to a greater extent than than a few hundred feet to a higher house body of body of water level.
This is an fantabulous expanse - I'd country equally many people practice the northern ROAD TO HANA equally see the summit. The southern route is less traveled but good worthwhile for people amongst enough of time. I receive got got to a greater extent than info, pix too maps on my ROAD TO HANA page.
No shortage of waterfalls on the route to Hana....
....nor lava tubes.
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