Haleakalā National Park

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required. $150 non refundable application fee. Submit at least 3 weeks in advance; complex requests may need 4 weeks for environmental and cultural review. Maximum group size: 25 people. Approved summit ceremony locations are Puʻuʻulaʻula (Red Hill), Pā Kaʻoao (White Hill) Overlook, Kalahaku Overlook, and Leleiwi Overlook. Approved Kipahulu locations are the Kūloa Loop Trail and the Coastal Trail from Kūloa Point to Kipahulu Campground. Ceremonies are prohibited in the Wi…

Seasonal Planning

Haleakalā is accessible year round, but the summit is cold at any time, temperatures average 40°F at sunrise even in summer, and wind chill can make it feel much colder. Bring significantly more layers than you think you need. The sunrise reservation system is competitive: reservations open 60 days in advance at 7am HST and sell out within minutes. The Kipahulu section is warm and tropical year round. Rain is more common on the north and east slopes; the summit is often above the cloud layer and sees more sun.

Photography Notes

Sunrise at the summit requires a timed reservation from recreation.gov. Book months in advance. The summit is best in the 30 minutes before and after sunrise when the light shifts fastest. The Sliding Sands Trail descends into the caldera and offers compositions among the cinder cones. The Kipahulu coast section is best in the afternoon when the light comes from the west. Bring a tripod for both the low light at sunrise and the moving water at Kipahulu.

Planning Your Day at Haleakalā National Park

One-Spot Day

Haleakalā one spot days work best at the summit overlooks (Kalahaku, Leleiwi, Pā Kaʻoao) where the ceremony and portraits happen in the same 90 minute window of fast changing light. Dress warm. The air is thin at 10,023 feet and you'll feel it within an hour.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

Haleakalā does not split the way most parks do. The summit and Kipahulu are 2.5 to 3 hours apart, so picking both means two separate days. Most couples pick one zone: summit alpine for the drama, or Kipahulu coast for the waterfalls and ocean. If you want both worlds, build the trip around a rest day in between.

A Note on Light

The summit rewards the 30 minutes before and after sunrise, and again the 45 minutes before sunset when the volcanic ridges cast long shadows. Midday at altitude is harsh, flat light and brutal UV. Kipahulu on the coast flips it: afternoon light from the west into the pools, and morning is shaded by the ridge. Plan the ceremony around the light the location actually gives you.

Ceremony Spots at Haleakalā National Park

• Puʻuʻulaʻula (Red Hill) Summit — Above the clouds sunrise ceremony at 10,023 feet
• Pā Kaʻoao (White Hill) Overlook — Short walk summit ceremony at a 360 degree crater overlook
• Kalahaku Overlook — Quiet cliff edge ceremony on the descent from the summit
• Leleiwi Overlook — Late afternoon ceremony with potential Brocken Spectre phenomenon
• Sliding Sands Trail (Keoneheʻeheʻe): Photography Only — Portrait session inside the crater. Ceremonies prohibited on this trail.
• Kūloa Loop at ʻOheʻo Gulch (Kīpahulu) — Tropical coastal ceremony at freshwater pools overlooking the Pacific
• Pipiwai Trail & Bamboo Forest: Photography Only — Portrait session through a bamboo forest to a 400 foot waterfall. Not an approved ceremony location.
• Coastal (Kahakai) Trail: Kūloa Point to Kipahulu Campground — Ocean cliff ceremony with surf below and campsites 16 through 20 as the endpoint