Maui's Haleakala - scary to drive?
 

Thanks for the posts about where to stay near Haleakala.

A friend is trying to convince me to stay in one place on the water for the week instead of moving around - condo's cheaper for 7 nights too.

This means that we would drive ourselves up to Haleakala for the sunrise and stay for some hiking afteward from the coast somewhere.

Is the Haleakala Highway to the top very scary to drive, especially in the dark morning hours? Are there alot of curves on the edge of cliffs without railings? I have driven quite a few "scary" roads, but find the older I get the less I want to drive them.

I'm not worried about the bike riders on the way down since we plan on staying and hiking. I'm also not interested in a tour that brings me up and makes me come down shortly after sunrise. I'd like some flexibility to do hiking etc.

Thank you all. T.

Moving around such a small place seems counterproductive to me, too. The drive up is not scary, per se, but it is a curvy, steep road and you will be in a line of cars (that's why we like to go up for the sunset).

Yes, I would drive up during the day for sure. It is such a gorgeous drive. Fruit stands on the way. Watch out for the cows. They sometimes are in the road way. Prettiest cows I have ever seen by the way. jt

I drove up April 2005. Curvy and sometimes fog (clouds maybe?) as you drive up. Was a cool drive. However, we went after the sunrise so the line of cars was on their way down. It was absolutely beautiful all the same. And it was cold. Literally a 40-50 degree in temperature at the top.

Have fun!

I say do the early moring drive before sunrise. The road is very curvy but not dangerous, and you will have plenty of company. The sky is beautiful with a million stars, usually. (Check with your concierge before you leave to make sure it isn't fogged in!) I have been for sunrise and sunset, and loved both, but really, the sunrise is awesome!

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to move around as the island is pretty darmed small and anyplace (except Hana) is very easy to get to.

The drive up Haleakala is easy. Though the mountain is very tall, it's not steep and in fact is more like a very, very tall hill than mountain in many respects. By this I mean that it's not jagged and craggy, with large cliffs, but rather just a very slow but steady ascent. It is curvy and there are a few drop-offs, but not nearly as many as you would expect for a mountain that rises from sea-level to 10,000 feet. The reason for this is that Hawaiian lava is thin and runny so when the volcanoes there get created they are sort of "pancaked" (ie they spread out very, very wide, with a gentle slope. The craggy areas of Hawaii (such as the mountains of Oahu and Kauai) come from mountains that are heavily eroded. Haleakala is a very new mountain and has not eroded much yet, so the slopes are still very gentle. The end result is that the drive up and down is not very dramatic in terms of narrow roads or steep cliffs, but the views along the way (looking wayyyyyyy out over the island) are very very nice indeed.

Go for it and don't worry about it.

Ken

PS - It IS cold up there though.

Thanks everyone for your input and keen opinions. I think Lord Balfor pinned it for me; I was a bit worried that the road had steep drop offs. (Similar to the drop offs on Sky Line Drive in Virginia). I'll definately do the driving instead of through a tour company.

T.

You're quite welcome. Glad I could be of help.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and you'll even be able to see the Big Island and even as far as Oahu. One of the nice things about Maui is the fact that so many of the other islands (Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe) are visible even from down at the shoreline. It really makes you understand that you are in a cluster of islands rather than just on a single one.

Ken