Haleakala

Sunrise from the summit of Maui, above the cloud at three thousand metres, where the sun arrives about eight minutes before the coast below sees it.

House of the sun • 3,055 metres • Near freezing at dawn

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Elevation

Just over 3,055 m at the summit

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Temperature

Near freezing at dawn. Bring more than you think

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The Timing

The sun reaches the summit about eight minutes before the coast

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On the Ridge

Haleakala Observatory, locally Science City

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Getting There

About two hours up from the south shore, in the dark

Why Visit

The summit sits at just over three thousand metres, which on Maui means above the weather rather than in it. You drive up in the dark through cloud and come out on top of it, and at dawn you get a floor of white stretching to the horizon with the sun arriving on it about eight minutes before the coast below sees anything.

A Little History

Haleakala means house of the sun. The basin at the top is one of the largest dormant volcanic craters anywhere and the mountain makes up most of the island by area. The observatory on the ridge, locally Science City, has been there since the nineteen sixties, and the four metre Inouye Solar Telescope now points at the sun from the clearest air in the state.

Worth Knowing

The best thing happens behind you. As the sun clears the cloud the mountain throws its own shadow west, a clean triangle across the isthmus toward the West Maui Mountains, and it lasts a few minutes. Most of the car park is still facing east and misses it. This page is the summit at dawn and nothing else: the crater, the trails into it and the long drive up are not photographed here.

Where to stay nearby

Wailea Beach Resort, a Marriott Resort

Two hours down on the south shore, which is where most people drive up from.

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Before the light

Before the Light

Two hours of dark at three thousand metres, with the moon over the channel and a car park filling up at five in the morning.

Moon over the ocean before dawn with coastal town lights below a cloud layer
The Moon Over the ChannelTwo hours before dawn the moon still hangs over the channel and the towns along the coast below are lit.
Cars parked at the Haleakala summit before dawn under a bright moon over the ocean
Five in the MorningThe summit car park before five in the morning. People drive up in the dark for this, and the moon does most of the work until the sky starts.
Star filled night sky above the silhouetted domes of Haleakala Observatory
The Sky at Three Thousand MetresThe sky at three thousand metres, with the domes of the observatory low on the ridge beneath it.
The summit

The Summit

Haleakala Observatory on the ridge, and the four metre solar telescope pointed at the thing everyone else is waiting for.

White observatory domes on a red cinder ridge under a dawn sky
Science CityHaleakala Observatory, known locally as Science City, sits on the ridge beside the summit and catches the light well before anything below it does.
The faceted white dome of the Inouye Solar Telescope on the Haleakala summit ridge
The Inouye Solar TelescopeThe faceted white tower is the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, a four metre instrument pointed at the sun from three thousand metres up.
Sunrise

Sunrise

The sun arrives on the cloud deck about eight minutes before the coast below sees it, and the mountain throws its shadow west.

First sliver of sun on the horizon above a cloud deck with a cinder cone silhouette
First LightThe first of the sun on the cloud deck, about eight minutes before the coast below sees it.
Orange sun disc resting on a cloud deck seen from above
The Disc on the CloudThe disc sits on the cloud for a minute or two before it lifts clear.
Chukar silhouetted on a rock wall against the rising sun
A Chukar Against the SunA chukar works along the rock wall while the sun comes up behind it.
Chukar with a red bill and barred flanks standing on red cinder near the summit
Chukar on the CinderChukars were introduced to Hawaii and have taken to the summit better than almost anything else up here. The red bill and the barred flanks are the giveaway.

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  • Dress for near freezing. It is warm at sea level and it is not warm at the top, and the wind makes it worse
  • Turn around once the sun is up. The mountain’s shadow to the west is better than the sunrise and it does not last
  • Sunrise entry is managed and has needed a reservation in recent years. Check the current rule before you drive up in the dark
  • Stay a while after the crowd leaves. The light on the cinder and the observatory ridge is better at seven than at six
  • Fuel up before you start. There is nothing open on the way at four in the morning

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the sunrise worth getting up for?
Yes, and the part people underrate is what happens afterwards. The sunrise itself is a few minutes; the shadow of the mountain, the light coming onto the cinder and the observatory ridge, and the cloud deck breaking up are the next hour, and most of the car park misses them.
How cold is it?
Near freezing at dawn, and windy. People arrive in shorts because it was warm when they left the coast in the dark. Take a proper jacket.
Do you need a reservation?
Sunrise entry has been managed by reservation in recent years and the rules have changed more than once. Check the current requirement before you go rather than trusting anything written a while ago, including this.
Can you see the crater?
From the summit district, yes, but not on this page. Our photographs look outward rather than in. The crater is its own trip.

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