• Cindercones dot the landscape in the Wilderness Area

    Haleakalā

    National Park Hawai'i

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Water shortage at summit

    The visitor center nearest the summit is very low on water. Please use the toilets at Headquarters Visitor Center near the park entrance if possible.

  • Drive cautiously - Endangered birds land on roadway

    Nene (Hawaiian geese) and 'ua'u (Hawaiian petrels) are nesting in the park and may land on or frequent park roads and parking lots. Drivers are reminded to drive at the posted speed limits and exercise caution.

  • Construction Traffic - May 20

    On May 20, from 6:30am to 11:00am, construction trucks will be using the park road. The road will remain open to staff and visitors.

  • Summit District Parking Lot Rehabilitation In Progress

    During construction, parking spaces at Haleakala Visitor Center (near the summit) will be reduced by at least 50%. Construction is scheduled for May 20 through June 6. Visitors and tour operators may experience delays. More »

Haleakala Silverswords

Juvenile silverswords
Haleakala silverswords ('ahinahina), along a park trail. These individuals are not blooming yet.
NPS photo
 
Silversword in bloom

Haleakala silversword in full bloom.

NPS Photo

The silvery hairs, fleshy leaves, and low-growing rosette form of the Haleakala silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum) allow it to survive in hot, dry climates like the aeolian desert cinder slopes of the crater. Silverswords live between 3 and 90 years or more. They flower once, sending up a spectacular flowering stalk, and then die soon afterward, scattering drying seeds to the wind.

Delicate silverswords ('ahinahina), once ripped up and taken home by visitors as souvenirs, now depend on management efforts for survival. Park staff fence silversword-munching ungulates out, destroy non-native plants that would crowd out silverswords, and educate park visitors to stay on trails to avoid stepping on fragile silversword seedlings and root systems.

 
Silversword seed collection

Park biotech Lindsay Moore collects seeds from a flowering Haleakala silversword for propagation. Juvenile silverswords grown in park greenhouses will be outplanted to supplement wild populations.

NPS Photo

Climate change may now present a new threat to these charismatic plants. Hotter temperatures and lower rainfall may threaten even the hardy silversword. Researchers with the University of Hawai'i are actively working with park staff to evaluate the effects of drought conditions on silverswords, and preserve these unique plants for generations to come.

  • Identify a Plant! Identify a Plant!

    Download plant checklists for different areas of the park... Read More

  • Inventory & Monitoring Program Inventory & Monitoring Program

    at Haleakalā Read More

  • Hawaiian Honeycreepers Hawaiian Honeycreepers

    These endemic Hawaiian birds evolved from a single stray bird species into dozens of different kinds... Read More

  • Birds of Haleakalā Birds of Haleakalā

    An illustrated guide to the birds of Haleakalā National Park Read More

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

If weather is favorable during your visit to the summit area of Haleakalā National Park you can see five other Hawaiian islands from the top of the mountain.