Our Haleakala Sunset Experience (plus how it compares to sunrise)

Drive to Haleakala Summit

Below are the distances and travel times to Haleakala Summit from various cities in Maui:

• West Maui (Kannapali, Lahiana) to Haleakala Summit – 64 miles, around 2-hour drive
• South Maui (Kihei, Wailea) to Haleakala Summit – 50 miles, around 1.5 hour drive
• Paia to Haleakala Summit – 35 miles, around 1 hour 15 minutes drive

Once you cross Kahului, you can see Haleakala Mountain towering along the side of the road in the distance. It is so huge that it is hard to miss.

Depending on the weather that day, you might see the summit peak if it’s a clear day, or it might be lost in the clouds.

You will first hit upcountry Maui in your drive an hour before you reach the summit. We found the drive to upcountry Maui to be really pleasant, with no sharp curves or cliff edges.

As we had time, we stopped in Makawao and explored some cool businesses there.

Sherri Reeve Gallery and Gifts was a beautiful store with unique handmade gifts, paintings, and t-shirts with beautiful colors and prints on them.

The Maui Cookie Lady is a great little bakery where we picked up some snacks for our trip to the summit!

Kula Lodge is a nice restaurant on the way to the summit. You can stop here for lunch. It is also a hotel if you would like to stay late for stargazing and spend the night.

Once we were past Kula, the switchbacks and curvy roads to the summit began.

We hit clouds on our drive, and for a while, we were driving through them. It was so cool!

At first, we thought that it was a cloudy day and we might not see the sunset. But as we went further up, the sky cleared, and it was sunny!

Around 20 minutes before the summit, we reached the Haleakala National Park entrance gate.

You need to pay the National Park entrance fee of $30 per vehicle, which is valid for 3 consecutive days.

You can use this same entrance permit for the Kipahulu entrance on the Road to Hana to access the Pipiwai trail hike in Haleakala and the Pools of Oheo. These are some of the best stops on the Road to Hana.

The Park Headquarters Visitor Center is right inside the entrance gate, and there are restrooms here. There is another Visitor Center near the summit, which also has restrooms.

The drive from Haleakala Park Entrance to the Summit is the most nerve-racking and not for the faint of heart! The mountain roads are extremely curvy, with no guardrails on the cliff side.

We are used to mountain roads as we have driven several times on the Pacific Coast Highway, but this was the most extreme to date, and the elevation of 10,000 feet makes it feel worse! Well, we made it to the top slowly, just like everyone else!

If you are not used to mountain roads, I highly suggest you book a Haleakala sunset tour and leave the driving to an experienced guide!

Parking at Haleakala Summit

There are two parking lots at the Haleakala Summit.

First, on your way up, you will reach the bigger parking lot at the Haleakala Visitor Center. This is where the restrooms are. There are several hiking trails here to explore, like the Sliding Sands trail.

Next, just half a mile up, is the smaller Haleakala Summit parking. There are no restrooms here.

We had some time before sunset, and it was not very cold, still sunny, so we hiked the Sliding Sands trail a bit.

Sunset viewpoints

There are several places from which you can watch the beautiful Haleakala sunset:

• From the Haleakala summit – If you have parked at the Visitor Center as we did, you can walk up half a mile to the summit and watch the sunset from there.
• From the viewpoint on the right side of the Visitor Center parking lot – This was a great unobstructed place to watch the sunset and this is where we went. We even had space to put out beach chairs. Later on, a lot more people joined us to watch the sunset.
• From the Pakaoao Trail – The Pakaoao trail is a short half-mile trail from the Visitor Center and takes you to Pakaoao Peak, which is a great, less crowded spot for viewing the sunset.

Haleakala Sunset

The sunset time that day was 7 PM, as it was in winter.

We have seen hundreds of sunsets before, but seeing a sunset at 10,000 feet above a blanket of clouds was an extraordinary experience, something that words cannot describe, nor can pictures capture the beauty of it.

The crowd clapped and cheered as the sun finally set over the crater, leaving behind a sky with beautiful hues of oranges, reds, and pinks.

The crowd started dispersing right after sunset, but the best pictures come after the sunset as the sky colors are so pretty!

Stargazing

If you are comfortable driving down mountain roads in the dark, consider staying for stargazing at the summit.

The Haleakala sunset is devoid of any light pollution because of its elevation and is a great place to see the stars and Milky Way galaxy at night.

Timing

For sunrise, you’d have to leave your resort between 3 and 4 AM to arrive in time, and even earlier to get summit parking. For sunset, we started around 11 AM, explored upcountry Maui, and reached the summit by evening. It was a relaxed day, and still left time for sightseeing.

You can even combine the Haleakala sunset with other activities in the morning, like a Maui whale watching tour!

Weather at Haleakala sunset vs sunrise

Sunrise can be freezing, with temperatures near or below 40 degrees. At sunset, it’s still chilly but more comfortable, usually in the 45 to 55 degree range. The light and warmth of the day make the sunset more pleasant overall.

We were well equipped with jackets, beanies, and gloves at sunset time, but just a light jacket and a beanie were enough!

Parking and Crowds

The Haleakala Summit has parking for only about 40 cars. If that lot is full, you can park at the Haleakala Visitor Center half a mile down, which has a much larger parking area.

For sunrise, you need to enter the park around 3 AM when the gates open to get a summit parking spot. The lot fills up quickly, and if you end up parking at the Visitor Center, it’s a tough half-mile walk uphill in the dark and cold.

For sunset, parking is much easier since there’s still daylight, and the lot at the Visitor Center usually has space. In fact, some of the best viewing spots for sunset are right near the Visitor Center, which is where we watched from. The atmosphere felt relaxed, with fewer people and plenty of room to enjoy the views.

Flexibility

Because there are no reservations for sunset, you can choose your day based on the weather. If the summit is cloudy one evening, simply go another day during your trip.

Tips from our visit

These tips will help you plan your Haleakala sunset visit and make the most of your time at the summit.

Bring warm layers

The weather at the summit is very different from the rest of Maui and can change quickly. It can be cold, windy, or foggy even when it’s warm at sea level. Pack a jacket, beanie, and gloves at a minimum. We visited in winter and didn’t see any snow, but it was definitely chilly once the sun went down.

Arrive early for parking and viewpoints

Plan to reach the summit at least an hour or two before sunset to get parking and secure a good viewing spot. If the lots at the summit and Visitor Center fill up, cars are turned away. Your next best options are Kalahaku Overlook at 9,324 feet or Leleiwi Overlook at 8,840 feet.

Don’t leave right after sunset

When we were there, most people started heading out as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon. Some of our best photos came after sunset, when the sky turned into brilliant shades of orange, pink, and red. Staying a little longer also means fewer crowds and better light for pictures.

Stay for stargazing

If you’re comfortable driving down mountain roads in the dark, it’s worth staying a bit longer. The summit has minimal light pollution, making it one of the best places in Hawaii for stargazing.

Explore summit trails earlier in the day

Arrive early and walk part of the Sliding Sands Trail near the Visitor Center to see the crater and cinder cones. Even hiking half a mile gives incredible views. The full trail is 11 miles long, but we only explored about a mile before turning back. The Haleakala crater views were spectacular — just vast, beautiful nothingness stretching as far as you can see.

Make a day of it in Upcountry Maui

We made a full day out of our Haleakala trip and stopped in Makawao and Kula on the way up. Both towns have great local shops and small businesses. The Maui Cookie Lady in Makawao is a fun stop for snacks, and the Surfing Goat Dairy and Kula Lavender Farm are also worth visiting.

Drive carefully

The road to the summit is steep and winding, with many hairpin turns and no guardrails in some sections. Take your time, drive slowly, and keep your eyes on the road. Watch for nene (Hawaiian geese), which sometimes wander near the roadside.