i'm going to maui in november. what it is like hiking in haleakala crater? what time of the day is it best to hike? what kind of attire and gear should i have? please offer your experiences and suggestions. thanks.

Aloha,
I've only driven to the top like so many others but can definitely say it will be cool to cold. Dress with atire that can easily be shed as hiking at higher altitudes can cause you to break a quick sweat....
Standard hiking boots are fine as the trail is well traveled and scenic enough so that you should not travel off the trail.
Start out as early as you can... Sunrise is supposedly the best time up on the mountain...
Enjoy and let us know how it was. Aloha

Greg, the ONLY time to hike there is at the crack of dawn. You need to get up to the top while it is freezing to watch the sun rise, then IMMEDIATELY take any of the prescribed trails to hike in. I've done two of the trails. Make sure your clothes is layered so that as the sun keeps rising, you can peel them off...and it sure gets HOT! By the time you are done with the hike, you'll be nice & sweaty, ready to drive down to Makawao and gorge yourself on cream puffs.

Also--I hope you are in shape. The hikes are not for people who don't normally engage in physical activity. Have fun!

If you can possibly arrange to have two cars, you can do a point-to-point hike and see alot more of the crater. It is fantastically beautiful, well worth a full day of exploring. Take plenty of water---you can get dehydrated very fast at that altitude, and dehydration is a set-up for altitude sickness.

thanks for the advice. we're thinking about hiking the sliding sands trail. has anyone hiked this one or recommend others that can be done in 3 hrs round-trip? also, how do you check if the weather in the crater is appropriate for hiking? any info would be helpful.