Wake Up with the Haleakala Sunrise

Wake up sleepyhead!

We’re going to watch the GREATEST SUNRISE OF YOUR LIFE.

Maybe you’ve seen an epic sunrise before, but this is one especially worth waking up for.

It’s called the sunrise at Haleakala National Park.

Let me take you back to this moment.

Pitch black. 2:45AM. Beeeeeeeeeep.

Hello alarm. Thank you for waking me.

It’s a two hour drive to get to our destination… dark winding roads, absolute darkness, and did I mention it’s all uphill?

Yeah, nothing like a wilderness adventure in the early morning.

So we stopped at the best 24 hour market around, the beautiful Andaz hotel – only a short two minute drive from our condo – and picked up two giant mugs of our life source, coffee. And a yogurt parfait or two. Finally, we hit the road.

We were headed to the Haleakala State Park. This is the prime location on the island of Maui for watching the sunrise (or set for that matter). More specifically, we were heading to the very top of the Haleakala mountain at 10,000 feet.

When you think of Hawaii, you think warm temperatures right? Well, not at the top of the mountain. It’s absolutely freezing. You have to dress yourself properly. Big coat, gloves, hat, maybe even some boots if you can fit them in your suitcase.

For the record, we were super underprepared. Cropped leggings, a tank top, long sleeves and a hoodie (for me, obviously).

Oops.

So after a long climbing drive to the top, we finally got there. (PS. You need to pay a $10 fee to enter the park with your car. Remember to bring cash or credit cards if you go! It’s good to prepare this in advance, because that early in the morning, you’re more likely to forget.)

When we had parked, the sun was slowly but surely sneaking up in the sky…

And I’m not sure I’ve ever seen something so beautiful.

10,000 feet up grants you these cool temperatures and stunning views.

You need to get there reeeeeeallly early to get a prime spot up at the top. But I was happy to wander and check out all the angles.

It’s such a shame that most people are so solely focused on the sunrise that they miss the rest of the beautiful landscape surrounding them, and the people with them.

Here comes the sun…

It’s amazing, breathtaking.

The sun has celebrity status. Check out the paparazzi!

Once the sun had fully risen, people were keen to head back down to warmer temperatures. But how could you rush to leave these views? The sky continues to brighten and change every minute, and the colors are unbelievable. If you go, stick around a bit after the sun comes up!

I was very much in awe of the entire Haleakala sunrise experience.

But the views don’t end when you get back in your car. Now that you can actually see and the world is no longer engulfed in darkness, you realize that you get to drive down through the clouds.

After such an epic morning, it was only fitting that we stopped on our way back for the breakfast of a lifetime.

Cue a little stop at the Kihei Cafe, where we barely made a dent in our giant breakfast dishes.

J ordered the Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes. I know, I was jealous of it too.

But I thought I’d be healthy and order a veggie omelet. However, the size of it truly could have fed an army and on reflection, was probably not the healthy. But, they were well deserved after our morning of exploring!

I thoroughly recommend traveling to the Haleakala National Park if you’re in Maui.

The views are unparalleled. You’re up above the clouds unlike anything you’ve experience before.

And the drive isn’t as disastrous as attempting the drive to Hana. So you’re fully capable of making it happen.

The only thing standing in your way is making sure you wake up to your alarm!

What do you think about the Haleakala sunrise? 

Where have you seen your favorite sunrise? (or sunset!)

xx Kelly