Everything about this park is fantastical so far and we have yet to hit the climax.

April 15–19, 2023

I have never been to Hawai’i before. In fact, I grew up thinking Hawai’i would always be outside my price range, so I never really had an expectation to visit. Yet, here I am, boarding a flight to Kahului, Maui, looking to backpack the crater of a dormant volcano. To say I’m excited would be an understatement.

Around 8:00 p.m., my friend Kevin and I land at the Kahului Airport stiff and sore from the long flight over the Pacific. Because the park extends beyond the crater, we plan to camp in the Kipahulu District a couple nights before embarking in the backcountry. So we pick up our rental car and drive 3 hours to Kipahulu Campground. The road is dark, winding, and tight. It’s past 11:00 p.m. when we pull into site 6 and set up camp. The night air is warm with the sound of waves crashing on the beach not far away. If it weren’t for the 4 hour jetlag, it would be hard to fall asleep.

The next morning we rise to a gorgeous sunrise on the rocky beach. Spotty clouds dot a picture blue sky. After a quick bite of breakfast, we suit up for a hike up the Pipiwai Trail. This trail is famous in Maui for leading visitors through lush foliage to a towering 400-foot waterfall. Around 9:00 a.m. we cross the road from our campsite and ascend the 2-mile trail to Waimoku Falls.

Roughly half a mile in we reach an overlook point for the nearby Makahiku Falls. This waterfall spills into the Ohe’o Gulch and replenishes the Pools of Ohe’o downstream. Just a few steps further, we pass an ancient and massive banyan tree. These trees are notorious for living long and growing big. In fact, a banyan tree grows so big it will drop support roots from its branches to hold up the weight of its ever-widening canopy. The sight of this tree is impressive as we continue along the path under its arms.

After half a mile more, we cross two footbridges over the Pipiwai Stream just as the scenery makes a dramatic shift. The foliage grows dense and cool as we enter a bamboo forest. Filtering through the leaves, the light takes on a greenish hue. Rustic boardwalks guide our way through the maze of stalks and leaves. Through the vegetation, I spot wild pigs digging in the dirt.

Everything about this park is fantastical so far and we have yet to hit the climax. Leaving the bamboo forest, the last mile of the trail crosses a few more bridges and climbs steadily through dense jungle to a view of Waimoku Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on Maui. There is no access to the foot of the falls, only a viewpoint from further back. So we stop here taking in all 400 feet of water free-falling down the mountainside. I’m barely half a day in Hawai’i and already blown away.

Back at the campground, we hop in the rental car and drive to a nearby food stand for a lunch of huli huli chicken. But as we return to the campground we learn that we were supposed to check in when we arrived yesterday. And because we did not, the camp staff assumed we were a no-show and released our site to the public. Panicked, we try to connect to Recreation.gov to rebook the campsite before anyone else does. But with no internet service, we cannot complete the transaction. So as anyone else would do, I turn to my most trusted travel source: my mom. I call her from Hawai’i to rebook the reservation in my name from Colorado. Success! Our campsite is saved. Where would the world be without mothers?

The rest of the afternoon, we lounge around the campground, exploring the random camp trails leading to various overlooks and beaches. One of these trails, Kuloa Point Trail, takes us over to the Ohe’o Gulch to view the scenic Pools of Ohe’o, a series of natural waterfalls cascading into basins and eventually emptying into the sea. It is convenient to have so many attractions within walking distance of camp. Back at the tent, Kevin and I make freeze-dried meals for dinner and turn in for the night, falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle.

The next morning we pack up the campsite. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed Kipahulu, but we just about exhausted the activities in this district and we must make our way to the park’s Summit District to begin our backpacking adventure in the crater. But we have plenty of time so on our drive to the summit we decide to explore various points of interest along the way.

Wailua Falls is our first stop. A gorgeous waterfall pouring into a small swimming hole tucked back along the side of the highway. We also stop at Wai’anapanapa State Park to check out one of Maui’s famous black sand beaches. The shoreline is dark and beautiful against the electric blue waters of Keawaiki Bay. The nearby Wai’anapanapa Trail skirts along the coast over black volcanic rock and green naupaka plants. From here, we spot a sea turtle riding the waves in the bay.

Moving on, we stop for lunch at a food truck in Kahului before ascending Highway 378 to the summit of Haleakala. About halfway up the volcano, we park at the Halemau’u Trailhead. Here at 4:00 p.m., we don our backpacks and plunge into the exotic backcountry of Haleakala National Park. The terrain is already very different than Kipahulu—much rockier and less vegetation at 8,000 feet. The trail is stunning though. With only shorter shrubs and bushes, we have unobstructed views of the surrounding landscape. We round a ridge and descend into the 7-mile long crater of Haleakala.

Holua Campground is a backcountry campground nestled in the heart of the crater, some 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Arriving just after dinner we set up camp. A barren landscape of cinder cones and volcanic deposits surrounds our new home base. I fall asleep under the stars marveling at my experiences in Hawai’i so far—hiking a bamboo forest yesterday, sleeping in a volcano today.

The next morning I rise early to view sunrise on the rim. A blanket of clouds over the ocean float below us. Orange and red alpenglow creeps down the rim towards our tent, breathing color into the crater. When I return, I find Kevin waist-deep in bushes pointing beyond him. A rustle in the distance alerts me of wildlife. I sneak closer with my camera to find a mother nene goose and two goslings scampering about. Their cute fluffy bodies scurry away with every step I take, but I manage to capture a few shots. Ever since I planned this trip, I’ve hoped to see a wild nene goose. Check that box!

Packing our daypacks, Kevin and I head further up Halemau’u Trail to Silversword Loop Trail. Dozens of rare silversword plants line the pathway. Their radial spines catch the morning sunlight making them look almost fuzzy. Pressing on, we explore Pele’s Paint Pot and the Bottomless Pit among the cinder cones along the crater floor. Black, twisted contortions of rock blanket the ground. Images of Mordor flash through my mind.

The sun high in the sky now grows hot. Kevin and I decide to return to camp for lunch and hike 3 miles back to the car so we can drive up the summit for sunset. It’s a lot of mileage, but this seems better than hiking 7 miles to the summit and back in the dark. With some time to kill before sunset, we head over to Hosmer Grove, a small forest of invasive trees once planted to manage erosion, but now conserved for their honeycreeper populations. The Hawaiian Honeycreepers are small fist-sized song birds, endemic to Hawai’i and on the verge of extinction. However, you would not know that from this grove. Hiking along the short trails, we spot red ‘apapane and i’iwi’s flitting from tree to tree.

Come 5:00 p.m. we find ourselves at Pu’u’ula’ula, the official summit of Haleakala. We were hoping for a spectacular sunset, but a layer of clouds moves in and leaves us with a gray bleary evening. However, the views from the top are still breathtaking. Overlooking the crater, we make out Holua Campground and the surrounding trails.

With little hope for sunset, I drive us back to Halemau’u Trailhead. Equipped with headlamps, we once again dive down the familiar trail, this time in the dark. 3 miles later we crash in our sleeping bags tired and happy.

The next day, we pack our gear and hike out of the crater. Misty clouds corral us along the trail back to the car. Waving goodbye to the park, we drive down the mountain towards civilization, stopping at a beach in Lahaina to wash off before flying home later in the evening. It’s been a thrill-packed stay in Haleakala and a good first impression for Hawai’i. Dozing in and out on the plane home, I dream of returning to Hawai’i, knowing at some point I’ll need to visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. After this trip, maybe it needs to be sooner than later.