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Haleakala Secret Spot To Enjoy Crowd-Free Speechless Hawaii Sunset

Visit Haleakala National Park at Maui Hawaii to enjoy a one-of-a-lifetime Haleakala Volcano Summit sunset at the SECRET CROWD-FREE SPOT we'll share with you!

Most famous for the cosmic landscapes of its dormant Haleakala Volcano and out of this world volcano crater lookouts, Haleakala National Park is definitely worth a priority place on your itinerary when visiting Maui in Hawaii. The park is a popular destination for hiking, swimming, camping, tours, downhill bike rides and, of course, unbelievably stunning above-the-clouds Haleakala sunrises and sunsets! 

In this post, we’ll share our own Haleakala visit experience, along with cool facts & myths about the Volcano, and tell you about an untouristy secret place we’ve discovered to experience speechless Haleakala Sunsets crowd-FREE. 

Quick links:

• Haleakala National Park
• Haleakala Volcano
• Sunrise at Haleakala
• Sunset at Haleakala (secret spot ALERT)
• Haleakala Visit Tips
• Haleakala Photo Gallery

***This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. All product recommendations and feedback are ours and based on personal experience. Please refer to our Disclosure Policy. 

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Haleakala National Park

Haleakala National Park is one of the largest and most famous American national parks, located on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. Named after Haleakala, a dormant volcano within its boundaries, the park is over 30,000 acres of beautiful landscapes and diverse wildlife and covers almost 10% of the island of Maui. 

Curiously, Haleakala National Park is home to a whole list of endangered flora and fauna species, some of which exist nowhere else. Good examples are Po'ouli bird (or black-faced honey-creeper), Maui parrotbill and Haleakalā schiedea (Schiedea haleakalensis).

You’ll find some spectacular old trees around the park – both native and European species. 

The best way to explore Haleakala park is to plan a few days' visit. There are countless hiking trails and you can stay at numerous camping sites. 

Haleakala National Park is open year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except during severe weather closures.

There is a fee to enter Haleakala Park – based on your vehicle type or group size it can be quite expensive. See the full list of fees HERE.

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VISIT TIP: Each year the National Park Service designates few FREE days when you can visit but do not have to pay! You can also get in for FREE if you are or are dependent of a US Military member.

BONUS VISIT TIP: If you are planning to stay at the park for a few days, come back the same year or go on “Hawaii hopping” visiting other National Parks on other islands, it may make sense to purchase an Annual pass. There are few options available starting with $50 – check out all the options HERE. 

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Haleakala Volcano

Haleakala National Park is most famous for its Volcano – Haleakala Volcano.

Interestingly Haleakala Volcano is not actually extinct – it is an active but currently dormant volcano. Its last eruption happened (in geological terms) quite recently. Until recently, East Maui Volcano was thought to have last erupted around 1790, however recent advanced dating tests are showing that the last eruption was more likely to have been in the 17th century. 

VISIT TIP: Haleakala is currently on an active Volcano Watch list by Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO). So not to worry. If you are planning your visit to Maui, Hawaii in the future – make sure to check HVO website for any ALERTS. 

Another curious fact: the “crater” below the summit not even volcanic in origin! This almost a kilometer deep, 12+ km long, and 4 km wide “great basin” was apparently worn by long years of water and weather erosion. 

Haleakala Volcano is a special place for the Hawaiian First Nations peoples, it vibrates with stories of ancient Hawaiian culture and aims at protecting the bond between the native Hawaiian land and its people. 

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The House of The Sun and Legend of Maui

“Haleakala” literally means “the House of the Sun”

According to ancient legend, Haleakala got its name from a clever trick that the demigod Maui pulled on the sun. (Reference: FromMers.com)

Maui's mother, the goddess Hina who was a great artisan, complained one day that the sun sped across the sky so quickly that her tapa cloth couldn't dry – the day was too short! The legend goes that Maui set out to capture the sun and convince it to slow down. Undaunted, one night Maui journeyed to the peak of the mountain Haleakala (which actually means House of the Sun) and lay in wait for the sun to wake up and rise from its crater.

As soon as the sun showed itself that morning, Maui swung a mighty lasso and snared the sun, holding it fast! He allowed the sun to go free only after it had agreed to travel more slowly through the sky for half the year. Thus the seasons were born, with shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer. At last, Maui’s mother Hina could complete her fabrics, and the people of the islands were also able to enjoy the warmth of the sun and taste the fruits of a long growing season. (Reference: MauiSunRiders.com)

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Haleakala Summit

The Summit of Haleakala official elevation is 3055 meters above the sea level. The Summit is home to an active astronomical research observatory – Haleakala High Altitude Observatory Site. 

The reason it is called a “site” – there is actually a collection of specialized observatories grouped together at the Summit. 

If you are interested in learning about the work that is being done at the Haleakala Observatory – it even IS possible to visit! There are public events hosted by the Haleakala Amateur Astronomers Group. There are also public talks and events at the Advanced Technology Research Center (ATRC).  

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Sunrise at Haleakala

Sunrise at Haleakala is probably at the top of the bucket list of everyone stepping foot on Maui, Hawaii.  Haleakala Sunrise is so popular, you have to pay to see it.

Since 2017 advanced RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED for Sunrise viewing at Haleakala Summit.

Reservations are available, online-only, up to 60 days in advance.
You can call the recreation.gov or by calling their hotline at 1-877-444-6777 to make a reservation over the phone. 

VISIT TIP: A small number of last-minute tickets are released online two days beforehand – at 7:00 AM HST. So if you arrived to Maui and decided you want to watch the Sunrise at Haleakala after-all, make sure you have a stable WiFi connection and are ready to book with the speed of light once the last minute tickets are released.

As for many families traveling with young kids – it is hard to plan anything in advance (obviously dah!..), let alone a 4 am ready-start-go 2-hour drive to make it to the Summit by 6:00-6:20 am for the Sunrise.  So we opted in to watch the Sunset instead.

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Sunset at Haleakala

Sunset at Haleakala is an absolutely divine, epic, simply speechless experience. We loved it so much – we came back to watch it twice! Our 3 yo was so impressed, now almost a year later he still remembers “flying over clouds, watching sunny go to sleep”.

What we loved most: the experience is completely manageable even with a “terrible-threes” toddler aboard!

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There are few locations you can enjoy Sunset experience from. Most popular are: the Red Hill (the very top, near the Observatory) and by the Haleakala Visitors Center. Both are extremely overcrowded. 

As of the time of this writing, the reservations are NOT required to watch Sunset at Haleakala. However, with the size of the crowds we’ve seen – we won’t be surprised National Park Service introduces sunset reservations at the nearest future too!

Where there are crowds – there is noise and there are garbage, bathroom line-ups, and parking problems… Hardly a serene experience you’ve been longing for….

So on our second visit, we’ve found a Secret location to watch the Sunset in absolute peace and serenity…..

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Secret Crowd-FREE Sunset Spot – Kalahaku Overlook

Ok, and here are the promised “goodies” – we are sharing with you our own SUPER-SECRET Spot to see stunning Sunset CROWD-FREE!!!!

…tah-tah-tah… Let me present to you – Kalahaku Overlook. 

Kalahaku Overlook is located along the main road to the Summit above. The elevation here is about 2700 meters above the sea level. 

There is a small parking pocket along the road and a hidden hiking trail that can be easily missed.  The hiking trail will lead you to Kalahaku Overlook – you can see Haleakala Crater from here. 

But we encourage you to look the other way – towards the Sunset.  The scenery is absolutely sensational! 

All our “Flying Photos” were taken in this specific spot!

VISIT TIP: Bring warm clothes, blankets, thermoses with hot tea and a FLASHLIGHT. Once the sun goes down, you’ll have to hike back down to the parking lot, and it can get pretty dark… 

On the other hand, you can stay a bit to enjoy the stars! The rocks around the area are shielding your eyes from the light of cars driving down from the summit, and the stargazing experience is truly magical!

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Haleakala Visit Tips

Plan Ahead, Fuel-up and Time It

Depending on the time of year and where you start driving from, you'll need to drive for anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours to reach the Summit. If you are also keen to make few stops on the way and briefly explore Haleakala National Park itself, you'll definitely want to start early and make sure your car is well fueled-up as there are no gas stations up there.

Dress in Layers

It gets cold at the Summit. Really cold. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperatures fall down drastically. We were lucky that in addition to warm jackets we had extra pants in the car – your regular jeans layer is NOT enough. We wished we had hats and gloves too, so we could stay longer to enjoy the astonishing stargazing experience! Maui, after all, is so close to the stars – it feels like you can pick starts right off the sky by just reaching for them!

Have Proper Hiking Shoes

If you plan to explore beyond your vehicle and the parking lot, both you and your kids need proper hiking shoes. Haleakala trails are a bit traitorous, especially in the late hours before sunset.

Bring Snacks & Hot Drinks

Make sure to have plenty of nutritious snacks with you, as there is no food sold in Haleakala National Park. The second time we went, we brought our thermoses with us with hot tea. Definitely recommend, as once again it became extremely cold once the sun was down. 

We specifically advise you to NOT bring or consume alcohol at the Park. The landscape is tricky and can be quite dangerous to navigate under the influence.

Make Sure Your Devices Are Charged

With so much filming and photo opportunities all around you even before you get to the top of the volcano, you can run out of juice on your devices quite quickly. Best cars for road trips are equipped with many charging plugs. If that's not the case for your car – get a USB hub for your car so you can charge all your devices at the same time!

Leave No Trace

Most importantly, remember that Haleakala National Park is an extremely fragile ecosystem. Make sure to pack out everything you packed in. Do not bring in any plants or seeds, and do not take any out. There is no throwing around orange peels or banana peels thinking “its ok, it's biodegradable” – Leave No Trace means EVERYTHING you bring has to go out with you.

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More Haleakala Sunset Photos

Happy to share the EPIC photos we’ve taken at Haleakala at Sunset. 

We have NOT used special or advanced equipment – most of these have been taken on regular iPhone, Pixel phone, our action go-pro camera and our old Sony point-and-shoot. Next time we’ll definitely be bringing some advanced cameras for night photography to capture some of the star-light! Enjoy!

Good news: some of our photos are available for sale as a high-resolution image or desktop wallpaper! Check out the banner below to see the full gallery! WE NOW SELL DRONE FOOTAGE TOO!!!

We can totally see now how Haleakala on Maui made its way onto so many bucket lists! The Haleakala Sunset experience is absolutely A-mazing and something you SHOULD do when in Hawaii. 

To help our active parents who can't seem to figure out how to get their kids to enjoy hiking, we have prepared this post: Five Tried-And-True Outdoor Activities To Get Kids to Absolutely Love Hiking – find many creative ideas, kids outdoor activities, treasure hunts, and nature experiments within!

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Have you been to Haleakala already?!! Share your experience in comments! 

More Hawaii!

Traveling to Hawaii in 2021 during the pandemic? READ THIS: Family Vacation Safety: from Vancouver to Hawaii in 2021

Are you planning to go for the first time? Then this post is for you: Hawaii Packing List For Active Family Holidays

Looking for a place to stay when in Maui?
Read our recent review of Kahana Sunset vacation rentals:
Kahana Sunset, Maui Hawaii – Family Review and Honest Feedback

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Are you an active traveler and can recommend other volcanic landscapes offering stunning sunrise & sunset experiences? Share in the comments!

Check out next:

• Nagarkot – Best Place in Nepal to Watch Stunning Sunrise Over Himalayas 
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More HAWAII posts:

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Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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