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Your Virtual Guide to Adventure Outdoors!
Hawaiian
Hiking Maps & Trails
Haleakala National Park Hiking Guide - Summit District
Hawaii Volcanoes Hiker's Guide
Featuring one of the largest volcanic craters known, at just over 10,000 feet above sea level, Haleakala National Park covers over 28,000 acres, most of which lies in the crater's valley, on the exotic island of Maui in the Hawaiian islands. This lunar landscape is stunning, with the barren fields of past volcanic activity, set in a lush tropical setting. This large volcanic crater, and the mountain surrounding it, was known as the House of the Sun to early Hawaiian inhabitants; local legend tells how the God, Maui, climbed this mountain to capture the sun, forcing it to move more slowly through the sky, giving his people more hours in the day.
The most stunning plant of Haleakala is the silversword, a rare plant with leaves like silver daggers. After living from 5 to 20 years, the silversword grows a long stalk of 100 to 500 flower heads; as these seeds develop, the plant slowly dies. The silversword is a member of the sunflower family.
The State Bird, the Hawaiian goose, or nene, inhabits the Park, and can often be found feeding on the grasses at Palikea. The tiny red 'i'iwi bird with its long curved beak is harder to spot.
Flora:
Primrose, Hawaiian raspberry, Silversword, Rushes, Ferns of all sorts!
Fauna:
Hawaiian short-eared owl, Finch, 'I'iwi bird , Hawaiian goose, or "nene", Partridge, Mynah bird, Mongoose, Wild goat , (the last two introduced species are wreaking havoc with indigenous species).
Attractions:
Leleiwi, Kalahaku and Red Hill Overlooks all provide good looks at the crater. Puu Ulaula is the very summit of the crater's rim.
Bottomless Pit can be seen along the Halemauu Trail; the pit is not truly bottomless at sixty-five feet deep, but it is cautioned, nevertheless, to stay back from the edge.
Waimoku Falls marks a serene area on the east side of the park, with an oasis of tropical forest, where bright blue waters head toward the ocean.
For an excellent view of the crater, the Crater Observatory overlooks the crater with displays and background history on the island. Other excellent vantage points into the crater from the rim are Leleiwi, Kalahaku and Red Hill Overlooks.
A walk through the crater valley can be enjoyed through a common loop: a walk down Sliding Sands Trail to return on Halemauu Trail. Due to high altitudes, a return trip up Sliding Sands Trail can be excessively strenuous. This can be done in a day, but two days are recommended for this extensive hike, which varies in distance depending on route chosen.
Please note: If swimming inland in the park, be aware of rising water levels; if the water begins to rise, get out fast! A stream can turn into a raging torrent in minutes.
Things To Do:
Scuba diving, Snorkeling, Camping, Swimming, Mtn. Biking
Trails:
- Halemauu Trail
- Silversword Loop Trail
- Sliding Sands Trail
Hawaii Volcanoes Hiker's Guide
Located on the island of Hawaii, the "Big Island", Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is almost 400 square miles, encompassing two active volcanoes and a lush rain forest. Located in the middle of the Pacific plate, the Hawaiian island chain is largely composed of layers upon layers of lava. In Hawaiian legend, Pele, the Polynesian goddess of fire and volcanoes, lives in one of these volcanoes.
Physical Attributes:
In some places, the terrain is seemingly lunar, with the stark ashen and lava landscape. 'Ohi'a lehua trees stand covered in lava as grim reminders that this is a land in change. Pahoehoe lava lays hardened in black ropy strands across the island.
Attractions:
Mauna Loa has the highest elevation of the two volcanoes at just under 14,000 feet. However, if measured from its true base, about 19,000 feet below sea level, Mauna Loa is taller than Mount Everest.
At the summit of Mauna Loa there is a great depression known as Mokuaweoweo Crater. It is in fact a caldera, approximately 3 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide.
Kilauea, the second volcano, is much smaller at 4,000 feet above sea level. Since Kilauea is a young volcano, it is the most active. Halemaumau, the caldera at the summit of Kilauea, has become a great lake of molten lava during past eruptions.
Thurston Lava Tube is located in the rain forest so lush it could be considered a jungle. It is a tube of cooled lava, in which the interior was still molten and flowed out, after the outside had already hardened. The tube extends for about 500 feet.
Trails:
- Halape Coastal Hike
- Hilina Pali Trail
- Kalapana Trail
- Kau Desert Trail
- Mauna Loa Trail
- Puna Coast Trail
- Summit Trail
Haleakala National Park Hiking Guide - Summit District
Haleakala National Park stretches from the rugged Ki-pahulu coastline up through rainforest and shrubland to the summit of the volcano. Much of the rainforest and upper slopes are designated wilderness, ensuring that the primeval character of the area will remain. Though many people refer to the summit's cinder landscape as a "crater", it is actually a valley carved into the volcano by thousands of years of erosion during a period of dormancy. Renewed volcanic activity has partially filled in this valley with cinder cones and lava flows, which can be viewed from the Haleakala Visitor Center if weather permits. To experience different perspectives of the Park, plan to hike in.
PREPARING YOURSELF
The 27 miles of trails in the Haleakala wilderness cover a land of sudden contrasts, not only of terrain, but also of topography. Weather changes rapidly. You may be exposed to intense sunlight, and then engulfed in thick clouds and heavy rain. Haleakala rises to 10,023', with a decent to the valley floor @ of 1400'-3000'. Trails are strenuous at this elevation due to lack of oxygen, and altitude sickness is a concern.
Be on guard for the symptoms: nausea, headache, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Pregnant women and people with heart or respiratory conditions should consult with their doctor before visiting the Park. Temperatures commonly range between 40-65 F, but can be below freezing at any time with the windchill factor. Hypothermia (life-threatening loss of body heat) is a danger due to the combination of exertion and exposure.
Hikers must be properly equipped. No food, supplies, cw gas are available in the Park. The Park trails are not wheelchair accessible.
TRAILS
There are 2 trails leading into the HaleakalA wilderness from the summit area, Sliding Sands and Halemau'u. These trails join near Palika and are also connected by short spur trails. The Kaupo Trail leads down the Kaupa Gap to the coast; ask for the 'Hiking Kaupo Gap' brochure. There is also a brochure for hiking trails in the Ki-pahulu District of the Park.
SLIDING SANDS (Keonehe'ehe'e):
The trailhead is located at the bulletin board near the entrance to the Haleakala Visitor Center parking lot (9740'). The trail descends 2500' in 4 miles to the valley floor. The return trip is difficult due to the grade, elevation, and reduced oxygen. Allow twice as much time to hike out as it takes to hike in.
HALEMAU'U: This trail begins at the 8000' parking lot, 3.5 miles above Park Headquarters. The first mile is fairly level through native shrubland to the rim. Two miles of steep switchbacks descend 1400' to the valley floor, and on clear days offer alternate views of the cloud forest and the subalpine shrubland below.
WHAT TO BRING
Water - 3 quarts per person per day. Water is sometimes available near wilderness cabins, BUT IS NON-POTABLE. Treat before using.
Raingear, warm layered cl'otting and sturdy shoes or boots. Brush all gear clean before hiking to remove alien seeds.
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
First aid kit, bee sting kit
Flashlight
Trail map
Trail mix/snacks, and bag for trash
Toilet Paper
Welcome to Hosmer Grove, at the edge of Haleakala National Park. This half-mile trail will lead you on a 30 minute walk through one of the biological battlegrounds of the Park. The trail begins in the shade of a 20th century alien forest and ends in native Hawaiian shrubland that looks as it did centuries ago. Numbered posts and plaques are found along the trail.
Haleakala National Park was established in 1916 to preserve the original Hawaiian habitat. Alien plants and animals that have been introduced by man make it a difficult challenge. Today the Park's Resource Managers are reclaiming remnants of the Hosmer Grove. Without the removal of adult seed-bearing plants and their rapidly spreading seedlings, an alien forest would soon overrun the native shrubland between here and the crater, thereby erasing a fragile Hawaiian ecosystem that has taken millions of years to develop.
The Alien Forest
Plants and animals that were brought to Hawai'i by people are called "alien". The trees of Hosmer Grove include pine, spruce, cedar and eucalyptus imported from all over the world. They were planted around 1910 by Hawai'i's first territorial forester, Ralph Hosmer, as part of a forestry experiment. Most of the grasses seen in this area are also aliens that became established when cattle were grazed here.
The Natives
Plants native to Hawai'i got here via the three W's: wind, bird wings or waves. The Hawaiian Islands emerged from the sea rhillions of years ago and a colonizing plant managed to become established once every - 100,000 years. Plants evolved to take advantage of a variety of new habitats. Most plants differ from their ancestors, and 86% are "endemic" to Hawai'i, found nowhere else on earth.
Safety
This trail is uneven, has high steps and may be slippery. To protect plant and animal life, stay on maintained trails. Bikes and pets are not allowed on trails - they tire restricted to roadways only. Due to the elevation, persons with heart or breathing problems should use caution. Sunscreen is advised. Litter receptacles are near the shelter. Camping is allowed only in the signed area by the parking lot.
1. Forestry- Years of clearing the land for cultivation and ranching have taken their toll. By the early 1900's removal of native forests had led to erosion and drought. Ralph Hosmer established forest reserves throughout the islands. He experimented with 86 species of trees on Maui, like these eucalyptus, hoping to improve the watershed, and provide building lumber and fuel for the sugarcane mills.
2. Fencing- Near the trail is a fence which was built to keep goats and pigs out of the Park. Because Hawai'i is over 2000 miles from the nearest continent, all land mammals found in Hawai'i today, except the winged Hawaiian Hoary Bat, have been introduced by people. These alien animals destroy fragile native plants which evolved without the presence of browsing mammals.
3. Results of the Experiment- Hosmer's plan for timber farming in Hawai'i never worked out. Only 20 of the 86 species introduced here survived. Of these, some with shallow roots are blown down in storms. Some found the soil chemistry or fungi unsuitable for growth or reproduction. But others have thrived.
4. Gentle thorns- Beneath the alien trees are 'akala, or Hawaiian raspberry. In the summer you may find deep-red fruit among the broad leaves. The branches have only small hair-like thorns, having lost the need for defensive thorns, until grazing manunals were brought in.
5. Native Seeds- You may see berries and seed pods on many of the shrubs along the trail. Although these berries are eaten by the native and alien birds, many of them can make people quite ill. Seeds from these shrubs have trouble sprouting amid the thick alien grasses.
6. Overlook- As you sit amid the Haleakala sandalwood or 'iliahi, and other native shrubs, notice how each has evolved ways of withstanding the often intense conditions on the mountain. The large gnarled trees growing up from the gulch are the native 'ohia, you may see red bottle-brush shaped flowers on them. Honeycreepers, like those pictured on the, panel in front of you, dip their curved beaks into these flowers for neetas, and in doii.g so, flowers. This active interdependence highlights the need for preserving all elements of a forest, and not just the tree.
7. This trail continues on a 1/4 mile loop into the native shrubland; turning right will take you back to the parking lot. L4Doking across the gulch you see a mixture of native trees, shrubs and fems. The larger 'Ohi'a, koa, and olapa are still found in remote gulches, but covered much of the lower mountainsidejust a century ago. The native forests are a vital part of the watershed, drawing clouds and rain to the mountain, and controlling erosion.
8. Some trees have escaped from Hosmer's experimental forest. The Mexican Weeping pine, Monterey pine, and eucalyptus are aggressively seeding and must be constantly tended to prevent them from overrunning the natives.
9. Germination- Some seeds from native shrubs have tough outer hulls and botanists were unable to make them germinate. But a researcher found that from the dropping of the chukar partridge and the Chinese ring-neck pheasant seedlings emerge. These alien birds appear to be benefitting the native plants by breaking down the seed hull, and taking the place of a native seed eating bird which is probably now extinct. However, chukar and pheasant can adversely impact native bird populations by serving as disease reservoirs.
10. Adaptation- Look at the native plants around you and try to see them as a pig or goat would. Except for the heath-like pokiawe, most of these plants are easy food for grazing animals. When the ancestors of the@plants @veA in Hawai'i millennia ago, there were no grazing animals. As plants adapted to their surroundings, they lost defenses they no longer needed, such as poison, thorns, and scent. Fencing protects native plants from grazing pigs and goats.
11. The Silver Geranium, with its silvery tridentate leaves and small whitish flowers, is endemic to Haleakala. It is found nowhere else on earth. Over 86 % of Hawai'i's native flowering plants are endemic to the islands. A single colonizing ancestor usually changed or developed into many new species; this is known as adaptive radiation. There are more than 10,000 species of plants, birds and insects that are endemic to Hawai'i. But sadly, with this great diversity comes great loss. Nearly 75 % of our nation's documented plant and bird extinctions were endemic Hawaiian species.
12. Back to the Future?- From here the trail leaves the shrubland and returns through Hosmer Grove to the parking area. As you walk among the trees, try to picture what the mountain looked like before the native forest was removed. Nearly two-thirds of Hawai'i's original forest cover has already been lost. When forests disappear, so do the birds, snails, and insects that depend on them. About 70% of our native birds are already extinct because of deforestation, overhunting and diseases carried by alien birds.
13. Biodiversity- The native shrublands support a large diversity of life, unlike the understory of this pine and eucalyptus forest. Notice as you walk tinder the Norway spruce ahead that there are few other plants survive being deprived of sunlight and inhibited by plant chen-ficals.
14. We humans brought this struggle to Hawai'i's native life; we bear the responsibility for preserving the unique -ecosystems remaining within our National Parks. With deforestation of the world's rainforests continuing at - I acre per minute, we hold a vital piece of earth's natural heritage.
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