Getting to Sliding Sands Trail parking 🌋 What’s the trailhead parking like along Haleakala Highway? 🌴🌋 Maui Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

 

So the Sliding Sands Trail is THE hike to do at Haleakala National Park (aka the national park on Maui). This trail is also called Keoneheehee Trail or Keonehe‘ehe‘e Trail. You will be hiking into the crater.

 

 

 

The Sliding Sands trailhead is located directly along the Haleakala Highway. To hike the Sliding Sands Trail, you can park at the Haleakala Visitor Center parking lot near the summit.

 

 

Hitchhiking to the Sliding Sands trailhead is also an option if you want to make it a one-way hike. For that, you will park at the Halemauu trailhead.

But most people will park at the visitor center to hike the Sliding Sands Trail, and that’s what the focus below will be on.

 

👆 You’ll be driving above clouds along the Haleakala Highway to get to the Sliding Sands Trail parking!

 

Once you enter Haleakala National Park summit side, the Haleakala Highway to basically just one road up to the very end of the road (aka the Haleakala SUMMIT!), and the Sliding Sands trailhead is along the way.

This means that it’s really not difficult to find the Sliding Sands trailhead.

Basically, all you need to do to get to the trailhead is to get yourself into Haleakala National Park on the summit side, and keep driving until you see the sign for the Haleakala Visitor Center near the summit!

 

 

 

Cost to hike the Sliding Sands Trail

 

Since the Sliding Sands Trail is a part of Haleakala National Park, an entry fee is required. 

In 2021, an individual pass costs $30 per vehicle. This will get you a 3 day Haleakala pass, and you can use it to visit both the summit side and the coastal Kipahulu side of the national park. On the Kipahulu side is where you will find the famous bamboo forest hike and some famous waterfall pools.

So it costs $30 to hike the Sliding Sands Trail, but with the fee comes the possibility of exploring more of Haleakala National Park!

Confirm current fees.

You can also consider buying a Hawaii national park annual pass which will cover you for one year for national park sites on Maui and the Big Island. The U.S. national park annual pass is also valid at Haleakala National Park.

 

 

More below on getting to the Sliding Sands trailhead on your own!

 

 

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Navigating to Sliding Sands Trail

On google maps, you can basically type in any destination that is on the Haleakala summit side, because once you have entered the park, you just simply keep driving on the one road you are on and there’s no real need for google maps to find the Haleakala Visitor Center. (There is a sign!)

For the exact destination, you are going to Haleakalā Visitor Center and Keonehe’ehe’e Trailhead.

Driving directly from Kaanapali to Sliding Sands Trail might be a little less than 2 hours with minimal traffic.

Driving directly from Wailea to Sliding Sands Trail might be around 1.5 hours with minimal traffic.

 

So once you enter the Haleakala National Park summit district, you will shortly come to a building that says Haleakala Visitor Center. This is the “headquarters” visitor center, and NOT the visitor center near the summit. You can stop in if you want to get a map or talk to the park ranger!

 

 

Then just continue driving on the road (aka Haleakala Highway!) until you reach the sign for the Haleakala Visitor Center! This is a pretty big parking lot right off the Haleakala Highway, so it’s obvious and you can’t miss it.

 

 

Just before you drive into the parking lot, you can look up the road further. There are a few spots for parking. You can also park here if there’s parking available. This is also the direction to the Sliding Sands Trail. This is literally right next to the visitor center parking lot, so it’s not a big deal to park at the visitor center if there are no spots open here!

 

 

Once you have made it to the Haleakala Visitor Center parking lot, you can walk around the visitor center where you’ll find an overlook to see the Haleakala crater. (You will be looking down into the crater that you’ll be hiking!) You will also find the start of the short Pa kaoao trail where you can see the crater from a higher viewpoint.

 

 

Then, once you have finished taking in the views around the visitor center, you can follow the signs to the Sliding Sands Trail!

And then off you go on the trail! You will start off by walking directly alongside the road to the summit.

 

 

And then you will continue hiking into the Haleakala crater!

 

 

Note that hiking the Sliding Sands Trail won’t get you to the Haleakala summit. The summit is a half mile up the road from the Sliding Sands trailhead. You can go there before or after you hike! See more about driving to the Haleakala summit.

 

And that’s a bit about how to get to the Sliding Sands Trail!

 

Also see more of the best hikes on Maui, including a hike in the other area of Haleakala National Park! Also consider camping on that side too! You’ll get ocean views!

 

If you are interested in Sliding Sands Trail, then you may also be interested in these top activities on Maui:

• Driving to the Haleakala summit
• Pipiwai Trail
• Oheo Pools
• Waihee Ridge Trail
• Iao Valley lookout
• How to spend one day in the West Maui Mountains
• Kapalua Coastal Trail
• Nakalele Blowhole
• Hoapili Trail
• Best of Maui hiking

 

HAPPY GETTING TO THE SLIDING SANDS TRAILHEAD!