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Sliding Sands Trail: How to Conquer this Epic Haleakalā Hikes

ByScott
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One of the best Haleakalā hikes to complete is the Sliding Sands Trail (Keoneheʻeheʻe Trail). This hike is one of the most difficult in Haleakalā National Park, but it is worth the effort. Imagine hiking at 10,000 feet into the crater of a dormant volcano surrounded by cinder cones and silverswords.

It’s truly like hiking on Mars! Get the details on this hike below. Plus, learn about how to complete this hike with less elevation gain using a one-way route. But, there’s a catch! Read on to find out.

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Table of Contents
A hiker gets ready to descend into the crater on one of the best Haleakalā hikes.
Getting ready to descend into the crater!

🌺 Whenever you choose to visit Maui, please practice mālama. This means caring for and respecting others, supporting local businesses, and protecting the environment by not littering and picking up any trash that you see. Learn about the Hawaiian culture and pay it forward!

Need to Know Info

Getting to Haleakalā National Park

  • How far away is Haleakalā National Park’s Summit District?
    • From Upcountry/Kula: About 50-60 minutes
    • From Kahului/Airport: About 1 hour and 10 minutes
    • From Kihei/Wailea: About 1.5 hours
    • From Lahaina: About 1.5 hours
  • The road to the summit is steep, winding, and curvy, so be prepared and take your time. You may travel through the clouds and arrive above them. This is such an epic drive!
Two hikers post for a selfie on the Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakalā National Park.
Kathy and Scott on the Sliding Sands Trail – one of the best Haleakalā hikes!

Safety and Weather in Haleakalā National Park

  • Cell phone coverage was spotty at best and may depend on your service provider.
  • Temperatures at the summit are typically 20+ degrees colder than at sea level and are often below freezing. You will be at 7,000-10,000 feet after all!
  • Be prepared for windy conditions in the Summit District
  • Food & Gas: Make sure you bring your own food and have plenty of gas to get up the mountain. There are no food or gas services in Haleakalā National Park. The closest gas station is in Kula.
  • Be aware of altitude sickness. Symptoms can include: nausea, headache, dizziness, and shortness of breath. If you experience altitude sickness, descend the mountain immediately.
  • We did not experience a problem with bugs here, as the altitude is high.
  • Water: Why carry a plastic or large water bottle when you could carry a water bladder? It’s recommended to carry at least 1 liter of water for every 5 miles you are hiking, and be sure to bring plenty of water for this hike. It may be cooler, but hiking at this altitude requires just as much hydration.
  • Make sure to use and apply sunscreen often. The sun at 10,000 feet is strong! While enjoying the water in Hawaii, please wear reef-safe sunscreen. Please help protect our ocean ecosystems. Get our favorites here!

🌴 Check out our 7 Day Maui itinerary for more fun activities and details on what to do while visiting Maui!

What To Wear

Dress in warm layers, and be sure to bring water and wear sturdy footwear. As you hike into the crater, it may warm up a bit. Be sure to bring sunglasses and a hat because there is no shade on this trail.

Animal Safety in Haleakalā National Park

Please, please, PLEASE watch out for Nēnē as you drive into the park. We love the Nēnē! Nēnē are endangered Hawaiian geese and must be protected. We’ll be honest, they are so cute, too! You will likely see them below 8,500 feet in elevation, but they could be anywhere in Haleakalā National Park.

According to the National Park Service, Nēnē were extinct on Maui until a troop of Boy Scouts helped reintroduce them in 1962. Please help protect them.

Haleakalā Hikes: Sliding Sands Trail (Keoneheʻeheʻe Trail) – Out and Back Hike

One of the best Haleakalā Hikes is the Sliding Sands Trail, also known as the Keoneheʻeheʻe Trail. Expect a very strenuous and difficult hike if you plan to venture into the crater and back out. As an out-and-back hike, it’s about a 10-mile round trip with 2,600 feet of elevation gain!

At 7-10,000 feet, this will feel more difficult due to the oxygen levels. Plus, have you ever tried to hike uphill through sand? It’s hard! You can also complete this trail as a one-way hike, but more on that below.

First up, head to the visitor center parking lot. Be sure to visit the visitor center and hit the restrooms before your journey into the crater. During our trip to Haleakalā National Park, we arrived early before the visitor center opened, but the restrooms here will be open even if the visitor center isn’t.

The vast landscape of Haleakalā National Park showing cinder cones and a view into the crater.
It really is like hiking on Mars

Next, hit the trail. The Sliding Sands Trailhead is located south of the parking lot. Get ready for some amazing views on this route! Initially, the trail follows the road and then descends downhill into switchbacks through loose sand from the crater rim.

😎 Get more details on another epic hike in Haleakalā National Park: The Halemau’u Trail.

As you hike into the crater, the barren landscape with sparse vegetation unfolds, revealing multi-colored hillsides and otherworldly views. You will probably be hiking above the clouds here! Be sure to enjoy the cinder cones in the distance to the north. It really is like hiking on Mars.

Stop and check out the Silverswords as you hike. Silverswords only flower once and can live between 3 and 90 years! Please do not touch or pull them out of the ground. These plants only grow here and atop Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa, so they are very rare.

A silversword on the Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakalā National Park.
A silversword

Split Rock

At about 2.1 miles, you will reach Split Rock. This is a nice spot to rest and enjoy the view or turn around if you have had enough. If not, continue hiking on the Sliding Sands Trail.

Hike to the Halalai’i Trail

Continue hiking to the next trail junction, which meets up at the Halalai’i Trail at mile 5 on the Sliding Sands Trail. As you meet up at this junction, the trail flattens out. The junction is the halfway point for the Sliding Sands out-and-back hike.

From here, turn around and retrace your steps back up and out of the crater to the visitor center. This part of the hike is extremely strenuous compared to the quick downhill hike into the crater.

Expect the hike up and out to take twice as long as the hike in, as you’ll be hiking on loose sand and gravel, hence the name, Sliding Sands. Take your time here and don’t overdo it. Once you reach the visitor center, you did it!!

➡️ Read next! Visit the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park to hike the Pipiwai Trail!

Sliding Sands Trail (Keoneheʻeheʻe Trail) – One-Way Hike

To get in two of the best Haleakalā Hikes in one day, hike this trail as a one-way hike. This route is 11.5 miles one way with 1,700 feet of elevation gain instead of 2,600 on the out-and-back route.

Take the Sliding Sands Trail to the Halalai’i Trail junction and take a left. Then, after 0.4 of a mile, you will reach the Halemau’u Trail. Make a left here onto the Halemau’u Trail to complete this route.

Two hikers pose at the summit before starting of the best Haleakalā hikes, the Sliding Sands Trail.
Kathy and Scott at the summit of Haleakalā

But wait! You will need to ensure you have a ride waiting for you at the end of this hike.

  • If you have two cars (unlikely, right?), park one at the Halemau’u Trailhead. This spot is located as you are driving to the summit, and you can’t miss it. Park a car here and take the other one to the summit. Complete the one-way route and drive back to the summit to retrieve the other car.
  • Have someone pick you up. You can also have someone pick you up at the Halemau’u Trailhead. This will require some logistics and timing to make sure you don’t get stranded at the Halemau’u Trailhead.
  • Hitchhike! You also have the option to hitchhike back up to the summit parking lot. There is a small spot here on the road where you can stand to try to hitch a ride from a nice, friendly traveler if you get lucky.

🌄 Read now: Watch the sunrise at Haleakalā’s summit.Learn more about one of our favorite activities in Maui!

Halemau’u Trail to the End

Finally, take the Halemau’u Trail to the end and complete the one-way hike. From the junction of the Halemau’u Trail to the end, it’s about 6 miles total. As you hike along the trail across the lava fields, you will reach the Silversword Loop, where you can take a short trail back to the main trail to see lots of silverswords!

Then, keep hiking until you reach the Holua Cabin. There are tent sites here if you plan on camping. There is also a pit toilet. To camp, get your reservations here.

After the cabin, it’s 4 miles up the switchbacks and out to the Halemau’u Trailhead!

🛏️ Search for your hotel on Expedia for the best deals! Read reviews and find the right place to stay in Maui on your trip!

A hiker on the Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakalā National Park.
Making our way down the Sliding Sands Trail

Where to Stay

There isn’t a bad place to stay while visiting Maui! We actually chose to stay in Upcountry, away from most of the popular tourist destinations. It was so peaceful and relaxing with outstanding views.

We really enjoyed our home base right near the entrance to Haleakalā National Park. Check out some of the options to stay in Upcountry, here.

If you want to be closer to the action and beaches, stay in Kihei or Lahaina/Ka’anapali. Here are some excellent options below:

Kihei’s best accommodations:

Here are some great properties to stay near and north of Lahaina:

🧭 Loving this itinerary? Check out our other trips and itineraries right here!

Final Thoughts

What an epic hike!! We absolutely loved the Sliding Sands Trail. We completed the out-and-back version of this route because we like to feel the pain. Haha! Just kidding. We actually planned to hike the Halemau’u Trail on another day, so we didn’t want to spoil our fun.

That being said, the hike up the Slidings Sands Trail and out of the crater was super hard. It really did take us twice as long to go up than down into the crater. This is truly a 10/10 hike, and if your Maui vacation is short on time, we recommend the one-way route. Just be sure you have a ride back up to the summit to retrieve your car.

‼️Looking for more Maui hikes? Check out the Lahaina Pali Trail in West Maui!

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Haleakala National Park Pinterest Pin Sliding Sands Trail

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Scott & Kathy are the founders of The Mountains Please. They have been traveling together for 11+ years with a focus on exploring each and every national park. They are on a mission to help you plan an unforgettable trip to the national parks of the United States and beyond with detailed itineraries, amazing hiking ideas, and other fun activities nearby.