All your questions answered and breaking down the pros and cons of either one!
Growing up here on Maui, we used to always tell people to skip sunrise and go for sunset – because they’d be the only people there.
Now it seems like sunset is just as crowded and popular as visiting for sunrise… Both are still amazing experiences to do at least once in your lifetime.
Pros of sunrise:
• Gives you something to do when you’re already waking up at 3 AM from jet lag!
• There’s really nothing that compares to the excitement of watching darkness slowly grow to twilight, and then watching the grandeur of Haleakalā crater become fully illuminated by the first rays of sunlight.
• if you’re feeling adventurous, you can watch the sunrise and then combine it with hiking down inside the crater, or grab breakfast and spend the morning in upcountry towns like Makawao or Kula.
Cons of sunrise:
• insanely crowded, and you need to make advance reservations (book sunrise reservations here) if you plan to visit between 3 AM and 7 AM.
•Literally freezing. Windchill on most days is in the upper 20s or 30s!
Pros of sunset
• Don’t need to wake up at 3 AM!
• Don’t need advance reservations! (yet— parking is getting pretty tight)
• Stay and stargaze from 10,000 feet!
• Not quite as cold, but wind chills are still on the 30s or 40s and you’ll need to come prepared.
• The chance to experience standing a blanket of soft white clouds.
Cons of sunset
• The summit parking lot – which faces west, and is best for sunset – has limited parking, so you need to get there early.
• The inside of Haleakalā Crater might be totally covered by clouds.
Where to Stay:
We can recommend three places to stay if your hoping to stay in Upcountry Maui.
