Eventually I tired of beach life and I wandered into interior Maui, a place they call Upcountry. The elevation rises slowly but steadily at the base of Haleakala, a massive shield volcano dominating the larger eastern portion of the island. Beaches give way to farmland and the climate starts to moderate as the road climbs.
We were heading into Haleakala National Park, a unique habitat of flora and fauna protected by elevation, essentially an island within an island.
Distance is deceiving. Fewer than 15 miles (24 km) separated the beaches at Kihei from the summit of Haleakala but the drive takes about an hour and a half. Despite being located nearly due-east, the path swung north towards the airport, then southeast into Upcountry, and finally south through a crazy number of tight switchbacks (map). So consider the drive part of the adventure and savor it.
Park Headquarters
Generally, whether driving or hiking, I like to rush to the top and explore leisurely on the way down, and that’s the approach I took here. However, I’d recommend starting at the visitor center at the park entrance. This offers a good orientation for the rest of the journey. We visited on the way out, and that was fine, but seeing it earlier would have enhanced the experience. The center isn’t large; it should take more than a few minutes with an added bonus of a restroom break before venturing deeper into the park.
Summit
Instead, we high-tailed it to the summit. This is Pu’u ‘Ula’ula (Red Hill) at an elevation of 10,023 feet (3,055 metres). It sits well above the treeline — and indeed the clouds — and it’s cold even in the middle of summer. The wind can also make it feel a lot colder like on the day we visited. So we donned layers: shirt, sweatshirt, light jacket, and that was pretty effective although long pants might have been a nice addition too.
It’s very barren, almost moon-like, and the views stretch as far as the eye can reach. We had no problem spotting the summit of Mauna Kea on the neighboring Big Island. We also greatly appreciated the shelter because it blocked the biting wind. It made the all the difference between a quick photo stop and a chance to linger and appreciate the view. So we wandered around for awhile, then popped into the shelter to recover from the wind, then wandered some more.
Haleakala means “House of the Sun” and forms part of a Hawaiian legend. Here the demigod Maui lassoed the sun as it rose one morning and released it only after negotiating an agreement; that days would last longer for half of the year. So now we have seasons. There’s more but that’s the gist of it. Tourists make reservations in advance to experience that legendary summit sunrise.
Observatory
Such a delightful perch high above the clouds, so far away from city lights favors something else: Stargazing. The Haleakala High Altitude Observatory is called “one of the most important observing sites in the world”. Managed by the University of Hawaii and supported by NASA, scientists study near-earth objects, the sun and moon, asteroids, and the wider universe.
Unfortunately the site is closed to the public although anyone can easily see it from the summit just a short hop away.
Trailhead
A trail network begins/ends at the summit, depending on whether a trekker wants to hike uphill or down. I know which one I would choose. Actually, I’m even lazier than that because we only took a small spur trail for maybe a half-mile for a better view. It’s tough getting enough oxygen at this altitude! But people do hike the entire length and even stay overnight in a remote campsite along the way.
Endemic Species
An endemic species exists naturally in only one specific place, and nowhere else. Haleakala has several, including some that live only on this single mountain and not even in other parts of Hawaii, much less beyond. Some of them are animals, specifically birds, and particularly critically endangered varieties of honeycreepers. We didn’t see any of those but we didn’t really know where to look for them either. They survive up here solely because invasive disease-bearing mosquitos cannot handle the altitude.
However we did see an endemic plant, the silversword (‘ahinahina). Obviously plants don’t move and helpful signage led the way, primarily so visitors wouldn’t accidentally trample them. The species did shimmer in a silvery way, adapted perfectly to the dry, barren, elevated slope. We even saw one in bloom, which happens a single time near the end of its multi-decade lifecycle.
Before humans arrived, a new plant or animal might establish itself in Hawaii once every twenty or thirty thousand years. Then isolation and evolution worked their magic. Island remoteness resulted in so many unique species that are now threatened by invasive competitors. Mountains are some of the last protected refuges.
Kalahaku Overlook
So we left the summit and began our downward descent, stopping first at the Kalahaku Overlook. This gave a great view into the Haleakala crater and some of its prominent cinder cones. It was a lower elevation, a little bit warmer, and a different perspective on the scene.
Leleiwi Overlook
Then we continued even further downhill to the Leleiwi Overlook. This one required a short hike from the parking lot, not much and not too challenging, but also not quite the drive-up-view experience at other scenic spots either. The family questioned if it was worth it and… yes, it was.
We were still above the clouds but not appreciably, so we could clearly see the difference between windward and leeward. This overlook gazed upon the windward side of Maui, where Haleakala blocks prevailing winds and rain falls in abundance. Clouds collide into the mountain and dump their moisture right there. They don’t go over and they don’t go around.
They also blocked our view down to the ocean. Haleakala National Park stretches all the way to the sea on the windward side and even has a visitor center along the coast. It features rainforest trails to amazing waterfalls but it takes two or three hours just to drive there. Maybe next time.
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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