Haleakala ("house of the sun") Crater is located in Haleakala National Park. It towers 10,023 feet above sea level, which makes it a popular place to watch the sunset and sunrise. Entrance to the National Park is $25 and valid for 3 days.
Also, if you plan to watch the sunrise here, you will need to make reservations ahead of time. We attempted to make reservations about two months prior to our trip and it was already booked. Luckily, you do not need to make reservations to watch the sunset from the summit.
Some tips before you go:
-Make sure you have a full tank of gas
-Take plenty of warm clothes (gloves, hat, jackets, blankets, etc) since the temperatures can drop below freezing
-Leave plenty of extra time to park and get a spot. Although no reservations are required to watch the sunset, the parking lot is small and does fill up fast.
Not only will you be driving through the clouds. Eventually, you will end up looking over the tops of them.
The drive to the Haleakala Summit is filled with lots of opportunities to pull over and capture the view.
There's a larger parking lot before you get to the top of the Summit, which is where you will find this visitor center. Don't pass it by, or you'll miss out on an incredible view...
View from the visitor center right below the Summit
The drive up to the Summit
Plenty of time to take in the view before sunset
There was a lot of cloud coverage, but we were still able to enjoy a small sliver of pink and orange as it lit up the night sky.
And just like that, the day was over. One of the best things about traveling is being able to experience everyday things in a new way. All it takes is a little exploration.
