pemberley

Hi! I've been reading the "must-do" sunrise visit to Haleakala Summit. But most posters seem to recommend the "biking" way. Has anybody done this by car instead? Can we park the car at the summit and maybe hike down the crater? Along the road downhill are there stops we can make for photo-ops? We're staying at Royal Kahana. How long does it take to get to summit so we can view the sunrise? Thanks.

travelisfun

I would actually recommend you do it by car. We did that and were glad that we weren't stuck on a bike careening down the mountain with cars whizzing by! My husband went alone once and parked at the summit for a hike...he has some great pictures of it. There are definitely places to stop on the way down for photos. Not sure where the Royal Kahana is, but it took us about 2 1/2 hours from Wailea to get to the top.

bonniebroad

Pemberley, do the sunrise by car!!! We did, and loved it! Lots of place to stop for photo ops, then stop at the Kula lodge on way down for Eggs Benedict and great views!

rahmanbar

pemberley

Yipes!

Your post and bonniebroad's reply takes me back twenty years!

I agree, take your car and dress warmly - it gets a bit breezy up there. (We stayed in the Hyatt Regency Maui and they provided a blanket for my wife who would have really been uncomfortably chilled without it.)

I remember the distance was about 50 miles from our hotel and sunrise that day (late July) translated into a 3 AM wakeup call.

We also had breakfast at Kula lodge on the way back and highly recommend it.

The sunrise is spectacular and the trip down the volcano is something to behold (you don't see much on the way up when it's dark).

If you're like us you'll have to crash in your bed for a few hours when you return to your hotel, but allt the same, the disruption of your bodily clock is worth it.

Have a good time (and remember to keep the car in "low" on the way down.)

Craig

Noone has mentioned doing the horseback ride into the crater. The whole biking thing is stupid. The horseback ride is a unique experience -I would equate it to something like being on the moon. It is eerily quiet and the vegetation is unique - do it!

lukesaunt

We went the car route. We were on our honeymoon, and as great as biking it supposedly is, we had absolutely no desire to get up at the crack of dawn and freeze the whole way down. We actually didn't even go for the sunrise, we went later afer a leisurely breakfast and still thought it was amazing. We were pretty glad we didn't take the bike way. I can't remember exactly how long it took, though, so maybe someone else can help out with that info!

caribtraveler

No biking for us! We did it by car because we had absolutely no interest in torturing ourselves on our vacation.
We passed on the sunrise because we're not early morning risers.
The whole trip was fabulous.
Make sure you have your sweater! (and a blanket if you do the sunrise).

MelissaHI

I think many people recommend the bike route as an alternative to the car route. But I would much rather go in the comfort of a car!! I don't recall the number of times I've gone to the Haleakala summit, but I have done two different hikes there right after sunrise and liked it (if that's your sort of thing).

Also, my friend biked down Haleakala a while back....however, she's got short legs so she had a really hard time.

pemberley

Thanks for all the reply. We're definitely going by car. Another question, what are the hiking options when you get to the summit? Can you hike down to the crater or is this only done by getting on a horse?
thanks again.

Nancy03

we want to do this by car too. How are is the drive, reading signs and maps in the dark on the way up? Is there enough traffic that you are justing following the tail lights in front of you.

We are driving so after sunrise we can hang out awhile and enjoy some time at the crater.

I have read that there are 2 parking lots. If you don't get there early enough you have to park down the road and walk.

Is it possible that you get there with no place to park and spend too much time looking around to stop that you miss the sunrise? If you have to park in the lower lot, how long or difficult is the walk to the summit?

Is it sooo crowded that there is a chance that you could have no view of the sunrise coming over the clouds?

Thanks for words of advise from those of have do this before.

retire2007

Definitely car.....we went by car and on the way down saw a biker that was hit by a car.....biking would be great if you did not have to share road with cars

cruisin_tigger

Another vote for going by car. We were staying in Kihei and left around 3:30am. After a certain point, there is only one road up there, so no chance of getting lost. There are two parking lots, one right up by the observatory and a second lower one by the visitor's center. We ended up having to park by the visitor's center. That lot is fairly large. It was a bit of a walk to the observatory, considering you are at 10,000 feet - huffing and puffing- Definitely bring warmer clothes - I just grabbed two extra blankets from our condo closet and those worked great.

My husband and I did hike down into the crater. From what I understand, it is 11 miles one way all the way across. We only hiked 8 miles round trip, down to the first cinder cone. It was awesome. Talk about something out of a scifi movie - red dust and black volcanic rock. Very cool. Beautiful scenery, and you are up above the clouds a lot of the time. If you do hike, remember sunscreen. Even though it was a bit chilly (enough for a sweatshirt type jacket) I ended up getting a sunburned face. Its very easy to find the trail - it starts right across the street from the observatory and next to the visitor's center. Bring tons of film- its beautiful!

Cammie

Another vote for doing it by car. I'm sure the biking is fun, but I wouldn't do it with all those cars whizzing by. Plus, we heard a biker exclaim that his forearms were really sore from constantly using hand brakes. They all looked very cold, too (our trip was in March).

maslow

We drove to the top for sunrise. Left around 3:15 (from Kaanapali) and arrived plenty early. It is cold up there -- dress appropriately. The sunrise is spectacular. We then hung out until our horseback ride with Pony Express. Very very cool. There were also people hiking there, but I imagine the hike back up and out of the crater was not a lot of fun.

Roma

Pemberley, there is a lot of very useful information about Haleakala on the National Park Service website at http://www.nps.gov/hale/ When I emailed them recently for information they sent me a superb color map, and a Haleakala National Park Guide which among other things discusses dayhikes and programs at the summit. Hope this helps, from Roma.

Kula

Sounds like by car and then a nice hike would be the best option. Other places to see in the area are Tedeschi's Winery, & Makawao's Historic Paniolo Town with art galleries, old Rodeo General Store, charming boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants and more.