Sunrise and Sunset

The sun rises over the crater walls. Viewing sunrise from the mountain peak is one of the most popular reasons to visit Haleakalā National Park.

Asa Ellison

Driving up for sunrise? Know before you go!

In order to view sunrise at Haleakalā National Park, you will need to make sunrise viewing reservations ahead of time on recreation.gov.

• Reservations are online up to 60 days in advance of your sunrise visit on recreation.gov.
• A visitor may only purchase one sunrise reservation per three-day period.

• A small number of last-minute tickets are released online two days beforehand at 7:00 AM HST. After the initial release of tickets two months in advance sells out, the website will show tickets as "not yet released" until 7:00 AM two days in advance.

• Please note that calling the park directly, or visiting in-person, will not result in a reservation since staff at Haleakalā National Park are unable to make reservations for you.

• For questions, call the recreation.gov help line at 1-877-444-6777.

• No reservations for sunset are required at this time.

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Please note:
The reservation fee is not part of the entrance fee. Entrance fees will be collected upon entry to the park. Visitors with national park passes, please have your pass and ID ready to present at the gate for entry.

Reservations are only for sunrise and can only be used on the day that was reserved.

Weather is constantly changing at the summit of Haleakalā and we can’t predict whether a sunrise is going to be clear or cloudy. There will be no refunds or exchanging reservations for a different day.

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Step-by-step guidance on booking through recreation.gov:

1. Click Sign In or Sign Up to log in to your account or create a new one
2. Visit the page for sunrise reservations
3. Click the Book Now button under the first tab labeled Tour Park Details. This will take you to the next tab.
4. Click the Enter Date button under "Online** availability."
5. Select the tour date for ticket availability, and enter "1" for number of tickets. Click Find Tour Times.
6. Select the 3:00 AM - 7:00 AM option.
7. Enter the number of vehicles as "1" again.
8. Click Book Tour.
9. Have the permit holder present a valid ID and reservation upon arrival at the park entrance station.

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Sunrise and sunset viewing are popular activies in the summit area of the park. However, viewing quality varies greatly depending on the weather conditions. If you are planning to visit the the summit area at dawn or dusk, please keep in mind the following:

• The visitor centers are not open at these times.
• Temperatures immediately before dawn and immediately after dusk are regularly below freezing.
• Weather is unpredictable, but is often windy and wet.
• There are NO weather predictions available for sunrise, sunset is slightly more forseeable.
• There is no food, clothing, or gas for sale in the park.
• The road up and down the mountain does not have streetlights or guard rails.
• It takes approximately 1.5 hours to drive between Kahului and the summit.
• Parking is restricted to designated lots only.
• Parking lots will be closed when full - especially at sunrise.

Why not bring a breakfast picnic and stay after the sun comes up? Then, go for a hike through the volcanic landscape. For activity ideas and trip planning tips, check our Plan Your Visit page.

 

Sunset at the summit is just as beautiful as sunrise. Visitors can still watch sunset without a permit.

Asa Ellison

What time is sunrise? What time is sunset?

Month Date: Sunrise/Sunset

January 1: 6:56am/6:00pm January 15: 6:58am/6:10pm	July 1: 5:41am/7:16pm July 15: 5:46am/7:15pm
February 1: 6:55am/6:21pm February 15: 6:48am/6:29pm	August 1: 5:52am/7:09pm August 15: 5:57am/7:01pm
March 1: 6:39am/6:35pm March 15: 6:27am/6:40pm	September 1: 6:02am/6:49pm September 15: 6:06am/6:33pm
April 1: 6:12am/6:49pm April 15: 6:00am/6:49pm	October 1: 6:10am/6:19pm October 15: 6:14am/6:06pm
May 1: 5:50am/6:55pm May 15: 5:42am/7:01pm	November 1: 6:20am/5:55pm November 15: 6:28am/5:49pm
June 1: 5:38am/7:08pm June 15: 5:38am/7:12pm	December 1: 6:38am/5:47pm December 15: 6:47am/5:50pm

Sunrise/Sunset times calculated from information from the Bishop Museum Planetarium.