Sliding Sands trail, Maui

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.

I’m happy to report that the most popular hike on Maui is one of the best walks in the world. Greeting the dawn atop this volcano is one of the ultimate Hawaiian experiences.

I tented at nearby Hosmer Grove Campground so to not need to drive far in the dark.

My down parka was most useful at that cold altitude. (Many tourists are under dressed, wrapped in beach towels and hotel blankets.)

… next day climbed the remaining nine thousand feet, and anchored on the summit, where we built a fire and froze and roasted by turns, all night. …

Mark Twain

Soon after dawn it’s time to begin the famed Sliding Sands trail.

From Trailspotting:

Explore cinder cones and lava flows in the desolate basin of Maui’s Haleakala, possibly the largest dormant volcano on the planet.

Formed by erosion rather than volcanic activity, the valley at the summit of Haleakala boasts much to marvel at, and the packed cinder and soil underfoot makes for a relatively easy hike. Here you’ll find the silversword, an endangered plant found nowhere else on Earth with an alien appearance that compounds the other-worldly appearance of this remote location.

Ascending and looping up the mountain, the road to Haleakala National Park is equally spectacular, climbing through the clouds to the summit. Watch out for tour groups of cyclists on this road who freewheel down the mountain. These popular tours begin in the early hours of the morning so they can witness the sunrise over the island from the summit before they begin their two-wheeled kamikaze return back down the volcano. …

read more (photos, video, GPS, etc.) – Maui: Haleakala Volcano Trail

I went as far as the cinder cone of Ka Lu’u o ka O’o (spelling varies) and backtracked to my vehicle. That’s about 4mi (6.4km).

No need to go that far, however. The views are great everywhere … if the vista is clear. Go as far as you want. Savvy hikers check the weather report in advance before making the long, dangerous drive to the summit.

On a nice day you can see a big island volcano.

Views over Maui are impressive too.

Be aware of various dumb, inevitably endangered birds that chase tourists for handouts. They tend to get run over on this highway, as do the downhill cyclists. And cows.