Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits)

I have been going into the crater for many years and every time it’s a spectacular experience. The cabins make to nice alternative to tenting especially during some of the extreme wet cold and windy weather that is a common. I like rustic. I get it. Kapalaoa cabins needed a new stove. Check with the visitor center and make sure they have fixed it. They sent me a letter a week out saying that the propane stove needed to be replaced and that I should bring my own canister of isobutane fuel. I have my own stove if I knew the stove they left in there was a tiny little thing that anything larger than a coffee cup was hard to get balanced, impossible if twelve people were trying to prepare meals at the same time. The huge log splitter in which you must stack all the brick at the same time in order to get one split. Do split them all at the same time. The piston won’t extend enough to only do one or two. The stuff is very hard to light and you must bring your own fire starter. . The above didn’t necessarily take away from the wonderful splendor the the crater provides. I was disappointed that people are still not packing all their junk out. I they somehow justify leaving their empty soap bottles, half used food packets, lighters, dirty towels and rags, old water bottles and any other spent or broken something they don’t want to pack out. I packed out more than I came in with. It is no trace camping people. Take your junk home when you leave.

Incredible Experience

One of the best experiences of my life to hike in to Paliku solo and spend the night with your own thoughts in peace. Cannot recommend enough

This is my 13th time hiking the crater and staying in the cabins. Once again the weather was perfect, the views insane and the overall experience incredible. Two things this year that takes the rating from a 5 to a 4. I wasn't a fan of the change of the type and size of the stove and restricting the amount of wood in the cabins. The 5 brick (there are no longer logs) limit doesn't do much to keep the cabin warm throughout the night. I understand it's all about costs, but the price of the cabins hasn't changed in the 17 years that I've been using them. I don't think anyone would complain about an increase in costs to offset going back to enough wood to keep the cabin warm. Yes, you can carry additional wood in, but packs are already pretty full if you are doing a 3 night trip. A minor problem was that the inside faucet was not working in Holua cabin. There was water available in the outside faucet. I told the rangers when I got back to the summit and they said they were not aware of the problem, so it's quite possible it was a recent problem. Neither of these issues will prevent me from going again next year.

Everything was excellent. Did not see the email for the combination lock to the cabin- luckily it was still in my deleted junk mail.

Paliku cabin is definitely our favorite!
On another note- Holua cabin needs a little bit of work, lots of things that are broken, also some trash that is inside cabinets ( we did take some old trash with us, also found some trash near the cabin that was probably sitting there hidden in a bush for a few months, because the plastic bag was falling apart). This cabin gets used a lot more and probably needs a bit more attention from the stuff members. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy this majestic place.

Cabin was awesome
Everything you need

Such a great experience- I think Holua Cabin was the best because you're sleeping above the clouds and can see rainbows, sunshine and showers all at the same time. We saw only one person while at Kapalaoa. It feels so remote and the silence was deafening (besides the nēnēs!) A great place to do day hikes over towards Kaupo Gap. We had difficulty getting the provided bricks to light, but thankfully, there were directions with images and we brought our own homemade firestarter (egg grates with mulch & candlewax). Definitely bring your own kindling! It was also very helpful to have rainwater available at the cabins. We carried in 9 liters of water and still needed more for cooking. Don't do it if there's a drought! We also brought Clorox wipes for the mats and a little lantern to hang on the clothesline.

Love Palikū cabin. Dishes, silverware, pots, pans, and propane stove all provided. Plus an allotted number of logs for the wood burning stove.

We stayed 2 nights at Paliku cabin. Delighted to find the cabin in great shape and surprisingly well-stocked with pots/pans/dishes/utensils/propane. A few mice inspected our gear the first night but ranger provided a trap the second and we blocked the gap under the front door with dishrags--much quieter second night. So great to see how the native vegatation has boomed with the removal of feral goats and pigs!! Great job, NPS and neighbors!!! A true national and global treasure. We exited down Kaupo Gap and, yes, NPS is serious when they say the trail beyond the park boundary is unmaintained by them. Easy to follow the ranch road for the most part (watch for that pedestrian gate when you first encounter deer fence just below the park!). The last 1/2 mile just above Kaupo ranch and village is the toughest to find. The NPS trail leaves the open ranch road, and the signs showing this junction are buried in roadside vegetation. You wind through lantana and other weeds following what really amounts to a cow/deer path. There are a few NPS post signs but, again, these are tough to see in the weeds. The last 200 yards is through an active goat paddock with overhead guinea grass--thank goodness the goats and cows have eaten the grass down in patches so you can work your way down to the road and trailhead pretty easily. Leave a solid hour for this last bit of the hike, and plan on walking the ranch road out to the Kaupo ranch office--gates and potholes make it tough for a vehicle to get to the trailhead itself.