Haleakalā National Park

Haleakala is where Maui reaches for the sky. Its name means House of the Sun, and standing on the summit at over 3,000m, looking down into a vast volcanic crater streaked with red, ochre and black cinder cones, you understand why. This is another planet in the middle of the Pacific: a stark, silent, high-altitude world floating above the clouds, so unlike the tropical beaches most visitors associate with Hawaii that arriving feels like teleporting.

Two parks in one

The summit district is the headline, famous above all for its sunrises, when the sun breaks over the crater rim in a blaze of colour that draws visitors before dawn. Here too grows the silversword, an otherworldly silver plant that lives nowhere else on Earth. But Haleakala has a second, utterly different face: the lush Kipahulu coast down at the eastern end of the Road to Hana, where waterfalls tumble into a chain of freshwater pools amid bamboo forest. For a UK family, it is an extraordinary two-in-one park, pairing an alien volcanic summit with a tropical paradise, all on a single island.

You come to Haleakala to watch the sun rise above the clouds from the top of a dormant volcano, an experience that genuinely takes your breath away, and then to discover a completely different tropical world on the same mountain's flanks. The summit sunrise is the stuff of memories: teenagers dragged from bed in the cold dark fall silent as the sky ignites over the crater. By day, the moonscape of the crater floor, dotted with silverswords found nowhere else, feels like walking on Mars. Then, down the coast at Kipahulu, you can swim beneath waterfalls in a bamboo jungle. Few parks offer such wild contrast in one place. For a UK family who have flown all the way to Hawaii, Haleakala adds an unforgettable dimension beyond the beaches.

Haleakala is really two separate destinations, and a hire car is essential for both. The summit district is reached by a single spectacular road that switchbacks up from central Maui to the crater rim in about 1.5 hours, gaining enormous altitude; there are no shuttles, so you drive it yourself, often in the dark for sunrise. Fuel up beforehand, as there are no services on the mountain. The Kipahulu coastal district, by contrast, lies far away at the eastern tip of the island, reached only via the long, winding Road to Hana, and cannot practically be combined with the summit in a single day. Treat them as two distinct trips. Within each district, short roads lead to trailheads and viewpoints, and the rest is explored on foot. Drive the mountain road slowly and mind the altitude.

There is no public transport to or within Haleakala, so a hire car is essential for exploring either district. No buses or shuttles run up the summit road or along the Road to Hana to Kipahulu, and the pre-dawn sunrise trip in particular requires your own vehicle. For a UK family, the plan is to fly into Kahului, hire a car, and drive the winding roads to each part of the park separately. Guided sunrise tours by minibus exist as an alternative for those who would rather not tackle the dark mountain drive themselves, but independent families will want a car for maximum flexibility across Maui.

• Watching the summit sunrise requires an advance reservation booked online ahead of time; secure it as soon as your dates are set.
• The summit is bitterly cold before dawn, often near freezing; bring hats, gloves and proper coats even though you are in Hawaii.
• Sunset at the summit is nearly as spectacular as sunrise, needs no reservation, and is far less of an early start.
• The altitude is real; drive up slowly, and skip the summit if anyone has heart or breathing issues.
• The Kipahulu coastal section is a long drive along the Road to Hana and is effectively a separate visit; do not expect to combine both in one day.
• Check whether the Kipahulu pools are open for swimming, as flash-flood risk sometimes closes them.
• Fill the fuel tank before the long summit or Hana drives; there are no services up top.

Haleakala spans wildly different climates from base to summit, so pack for both. The summit sits above 3,000m and is genuinely cold, especially before dawn when temperatures can approach freezing and winter may bring snow; bring warm layers, a hat, gloves and a proper coat even in Hawaii, along with sun protection for the intense high-altitude sun. Cloud can roll in fast and obscure the view, so clear mornings are prized. Down at the tropical Kipahulu coast it is warm, humid and often wet, with waterfalls and pools fed by frequent rain; think light clothing, swimwear and a waterproof. In short, the same day can take you from near-freezing to tropical, so layer accordingly.

Haleakala sits on the island of Maui, so from the UK it is a serious long-haul journey with at least one or two connections, typically through a US west-coast hub such as Los Angeles or San Francisco and then on to Kahului Airport (OGG), Maui's main gateway. From Kahului, the summit is about a 1.5-hour drive up a winding mountain road that climbs from sea level to over 3,000m, a remarkable ascent in itself. A hire car is essential; there is no public transport up the mountain, and the pre-dawn sunrise trip in particular demands your own vehicle. The lush Kipahulu coastal district is entirely separate, reached by the long and famously scenic Road to Hana, a full day's outing in its own right. Most families base themselves at a beach resort elsewhere on Maui and day-trip to each part of the park.