Haleakala is separated into a couple sections; park headquarters with the summit and the coastal area of Kipahulu

Kipahulu is accessed on the Road to Hana, so we saw this side on our first day in Maui. It was definitely our favorite side. It is coastal so it’s a rainforest, with incredible bamboo forests. We hiked the Pipiwai Trail to see the Waimoku Falls – unfortunately, this area is prone to flash floods, so the trail was closed about a half mile away from the lookout point. But, this trail was still mind blowing due to the bamboo that was 50-60′ tall! Just look at it!!!

After that hike, and playing on some amaze balls trees, we hiked down to Ohe’o Gulch; better known as the Seven Sacred Pools. People can play and swim in these – except when the rain is too much. There are signs everywhere “Danger, fatalities have happened here, and quickly.” 

The following day, we went to the other side of the park. The most famous thing to do is watch the sunrise here. Unfortunately, you have to reserve in advance for this and it was sold out a week out when I looked. I even looked through the month and they have no tickets until April 6th! Damn. 

However, like I’ve mentioned, the weather has not been cooperating. The rangers said that the island has had a cold front for about a month now, and the sunrises have been nothing worth watching. So, while I kind of feel bad for everyone that woke up at 3am, it made me feel slightly better for not getting to see it. 

So, we were up there around 7am, when the park opens to everyone. We went to the summit, on another windy road up to over 10,000 feet. It was SUCH a beautiful view, right?

 

We know that the weather can change in an instant, so we waited for awhile, went down to a lower area, and then back up – but to no avail. We did a hike on the Halemau’u Trail too…. pretty plants, but couldn’t see anything more than 10′ in front of us. While I know people will say “it’s about the journey, not the destination”… this was pretty disappointing to have such bad luck with the weather. 

The park did have a super fun booklet for the Junior Ranger program though – a lot of activities that don’t require seeing anything, so maybe this is a common occurance for a lot of people 🙂

One thing I’ve noticed in both this JR program booklet, and the one for the Big Island – they have a page to talk about climate change and being a responsible steward of the Earth. I love love love seeing this; the refusal to ignore science. There is a quiz to see how eco friendly you are, and I got a “True Pal” to the Earth!

Second Junior Ranger Badge down, 56 to go!