Haleakalā National Park

 Wow!!! This awesome NP is located on the island of Maui. Myself and "The Mysterious one", were given the opportunity by powers outside our own, to visit this beautiful Island and this park back in early April 2023.

A majority of the park is made up of the dormant volcano, Haleakalā, but the southeast flank of the mountain extends to the Kīpahulu coast and into tropical rainforest and waterfalls. (I provided a link to the park website below)

Bring your water and sunscreen, and a wide brimmed hat would help with the sun as well. 

The trail we chose was just below the summit of Haleakalā, at 10,023 ft., and was called Keonehe‘ehe‘e (Sliding Sands). This trailhead is in the Haleakalā Visitor Center parking lot near the road. Once away from the parking area the trail begins a continuous descent into the crater of this volcano.   

The beautiful colors and shapes of ancient lava flows were surreal. We saw plants endemic to this park (silverswords {'ahinahina}), which we were told are making a comeback from near extinction. (Endemic plants are special because they are found in only one location on the planet, and nowhere else.)

We hiked down approximately 1.5 miles, maybe 2, and back out. This NP has backcountry sites and some other awesome looking trails I'd love to trek someday. Check out the website and I hope you're able to experience the privilege of this park someday!

Plan Your Visit - Haleakalā National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)