Haleakalā National Park (Wilderness Tent Permit)

We spent 3 days hiking and 2 nights in Haleakala crater. It was absolutely incredible. Our route was sliding sands to Paliku campsite 3, Paliku to Holua campsite 3, and then Holua to Halemau'u to hitchike back to our car - parked at the sliding sands trailhead. I recommend the route we took and would not recommend the reverse route, it would make for a very strenuous last day of hiking 10 mi with close to 3 ft elevation gain. We packed for all weather and experienced warm sunny days and cool nights with a mild winds. Paliku was a beautiful lush and protected campsite home to many birds and nenes. Holua has stunning views, be aware that Holua is more exposed, most campsites are on dirt rather than grass, and there is not much protection from wind. We had incredible sunsets and sunrises with views above the clouds. We felt so lucky to have been able to experience Haleakala this way. What a wonderful way to begin 2023!

The hike was very strenuous. There is minimal cover from the sun and no fresh water so prepare for that. The views were absolutely stunning, and so dramatically different from the rest of Maui. It was a hard hike, but definitely worth it!

Please ban the playing of music on phones and portable speakers within the park. Every visit I make to this most unique and beautiful place is marred by such noise. Visits to the park are perfect otherwise, thank you!

Most beautiful thing I have ever seen. the park is amazing, the people too, rangers and everything else. Just keep in mind that the Paliku trail is 5 hours and not as easy as other parks! Definitely worth the visit to the park AT LEAST

great camping at Paliku - trails well maintained and marked

The crater is beautiful, weather was cool and dry (January 11,2023) nice for hiking. Water was available at cabins but they said it wasn't guaranteed, I packed in 1.5 gallons, weight I could have done without.
Crater and vegetation was wonderful to observe. Had some other hikers but not overwhelming.

Haleakala's wilderness sites are incredible. Haleakala is one of the quietest places I have ever been and the nightsky is absolutely out of this world.

The sites here are not well-marked, and many of the flattened-grass areas are very bumpy and/or exposed to the wind--though not all, so it's worth exploring a bit to find a good spot. This'd be a great place to have some properly flattened, cleared areas to reduce the amount of trampling around and make camping comfier. Also, note that the water spigot is not potable, but it's fine if you filter it!

We loved camping in the park. The stars were amazing and the campsites were nice. The water was clear and plentiful. We were able to treat it with a steripen. We used spf 30 and wore sunshade hoodies but still got sun exposure. We'd like to hike to the other campside next time.

Someone stole my site so I used theirs, then a group of 8 drugged up people giggled all night 8' away from me in the site for 1-4 people. Book a group site if you are in a group to be away from those that want quiet.