Above: Coastal region of Haleakala National Park. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons. Right: Haleakala Crater from the Visitor Center. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.

Haleakala Then

Haleakala Volcano - Last active in the 17th century, this volcano, which means house of the sun, is a shield volcano, by type, and formed seventy-five percent of the entire island of Maui.

World War II - From 1941 to 1948, the Haleakala section of the park was used by the United States military for an Advanced Aircraft Warning system station and base camp on six acres of the site.

Civilian Conservation Corps - From 1934 to 1941, the CCC built the trails and structures that dot the park, utilizing mules to trek supplies up the heights of the summit.

Photo above: Haleakala Visitor Center in Summit Region. Source: Historic American Building Survey, Library of Congress. Photo below: Haleakala National Park Summit Region. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Haleakala Now

It's only been on its own as a national park since 1961, formerly part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but today, Haleakala, House of the Sun, is a treat for visitors looking for diversity of landscape to witness from roads or hiking trails. It was thought, by local legend, that the semigod Maui imprisoned the sun here to lengthen the day. Whether your day will be lengthened by clear skies or clouds, the views from the Summit Section of the park create a breathtaking look at what a volcano can do to the land, or make you wonder whether you took a wrong turn and landed on the moon. Down in the coastal region, you're back to tropical views and ocean horizons from closer up. Each section is distinct, not only in flora, fauna, and view, but in how you get there. You can not travel from one section of the park to the other by park road.

Two distinct sections of the park provide a glimpse into the formation of the island and how it abounds today. From the Summit, you witness the volcano, now in its dormant state, with views over the landscape culled by its former activity. The crater is seven miles across and two thousand six hundred feet deep. Sunrises and sunsets here can be spectacular, as long as the clouds cooperate. From the coast, you can walk or view the ocean and its rain forest. This is, in many ways, a place to be outside. The visitor centers are not the attraction; it is the land and the stories of how it was formed and who inhabited the region. Spelling note: rain forest or rainforest. In the United States, both are used. Preferred? Depends on your dictionary.