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Haleakala National Park

Name: Haleakala National Park
Rating: 4.00

Type: Trail

Length: N/A

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: $25.00

Rating:

(4.00)1

Difficulty: 3stars

(3.00)

Solitude:

(3.00)

ADA Accessible: N/A

Bikes Allowed: N/A

Dogs Allowed: No

Interpretive Guide: N/A

City: Kula

County: Maui

More Information: More Info

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Photos

Coppertone enjoys the views of the Haleakala Crater. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

The "lunar landscape" at Haleakala made it a finalist for NASA's lunar landing training in the 1960's, but in the end it lost out that competition. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Lots more trails into the crater itself, but unfortunately we did not have time to explore them. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

The view from the turnaround point provides sweeping views of the desolate Haleakala Crater. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Coppertone on the Pa Ka'oao Trail, not far from the visitors' center at the crater. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Log Entries

Pa Ka'oao Trail - Short stop as part of a bus tour
By Austin Explorer on 4/21/2019
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 0.59 Mile Duration: 31 minutes

Coppertone and I spent most of this tour on a bus, but we did manage to get a short hike in here at the Haleakala Crater. The bus driver actually warned us about going up the Pa Ka'oao Trail from the crater visitor's center because of its unstable nature liability insurance for the tour operator, etc. We weren't going to spend 30-45 minutes sitting in the small visitors' center, so off we went.

The views from atop the conical mound were much better than from the center, so we're glad we took our lives in our own hands to make the trek. In truth, the path is marked by the park with no warning signs. Yes, there are some loose rocks around, but it was not terrible strenuous (other than the high altitude!) or dangerous.

We could see many more trails leading off into the distance, including within the crater itself. Hopefully the next time we're on Maui we'll have more free time to come and hike him rather than catch a fleeting glimpse.