Haleakala National Park
Maui Hawaii
2010
by Melissa



https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/index.htm

https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/253731

Haleakala National Park is home to Maui's highest peak. Rising 10,023 (3,005 m) feet above sea level, Haleakala means "house of the sun" and is where demigod Maui lassoed the sun, slowing its passage so people had more time to dry kapa (cloth) and grow food. The dormant volcano's "crater" is actually a valley carved by erosion. Sunrise at the summit of Haleakala has been a visitor attraction since the late 1800s when Samuel Clemens wrote: "It was the sublimest spectacle I ever witnessed, and I think the memory of it will remain with me always."


The park's Summit District begins at 7,000 feet (2,134 m) of elevation and reaches 10,023 feet (3,055 m). The summit's high elevation, the lack of light, and environmental pollution, and dynamic weather patterns make it an ideal and popular place to view the sky. Due to the popularity of sunrise viewing at the summit and limited parking, Haleakala National Park now requires reservations for each vehicle entering the park before sunrise (3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.).

Haleakalā National Park is on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It’s home to the dormant Haleakalā Volcano and endangered Hawaiian geese. The Leleiwi and Kalahaku overlooks on the steep Crater Road have views across the West Maui Mountains. Rugged trails in the Summit District pass cinder cones and lava flows. In the coastal area of Kīpahulu are the Pools of Ohe’o, freshwater pools and waterfalls set amid bamboo forest.