Where Is Haleakalā National Park Located? (+ How to Get There!)

HLooking for information on where Haleakalā National Park is, how to get there, and which side of Maui to base?

Short answer: Haleakalā National Park is on the island of Maui in Hawaiʻi, with two separate districts—the high-elevation Summit District in Upcountry Maui and the lush Kīpahulu District on the far East Maui coast past Hāna.

There is no road inside the park connecting the two, so you reach each area by different highways and usually visit them on separate days.

Popular Ways to Enjoy Haleakala National Park
— Haleakala summit sunrise experience above the clouds: magical, otherworldly
— Exciting downhill bike ride along the slopes of Haleakala
— Haleakala summit sunset tour with dinner: twilight experience
— Hiking the Pipiwai Trail in the Kipahulu District (self-drive or small group Road to Hana tour)

Haleakala National Park, Hawaii — The Haleakala crater

Where is Haleakalā National Park on Maui?

Haleakalā National Park covers more than 33,000 acres on the eastern and central part of Maui, built around the 10,023 ft (3,055 m) Haleakalā volcano.

The park has two completely separate areas:

Summit District (Upcountry Maui)
- High on the slopes of Haleakalā above the towns of Kula and Pukalani
- Home to the crater viewpoints, sunrise and sunset lookouts, and summit hikes like Sliding Sands
Kīpahulu District (East Maui coast)
- About 12 miles past Hāna on the famous Hāna Highway
- Home to Pīpīwai Trail, the bamboo forest, Waimoku Falls, and coastal viewpoints near ʻOheʻo Gulch

The two districts feel like different worlds—one like Mars, one like a rainforest—and our Haleakala itineraries treat them as separate days.

Summit vs Kīpahulu – two districts, two drive routes

Summit District – “House of the Sun”

Location: Upcountry Maui, inland from Kahului and the central valley
Access: via Route 37 → 377 → 378 (Haleakalā Highway / Crater Road)
GPS reference used by NPS: 30,000 Haleakalā Highway, Kula, HI 96790

This is where you’ll go for:

Summit sunrise and sunset
Stargazing
Crater viewpoints and trails like Sliding Sands and Halemauʻu
The main summit visitor areas and overlooks

Kīpahulu District – coastal rainforest near Hāna

Location: Southeast Maui, beyond Hāna town on the East Maui coast
Access: via Hāna Highway – Route 36 → 360 → 31, about 12 miles past Hāna

This is where you’ll go for:

Pīpīwai Trail and its bamboo forest
Waimoku Falls
Coastal trails like Kūloa Point and views over ʻOheʻo Gulch

Important
There is no road or hiking trail inside the park that connects the summit to Kīpahulu. To visit both, you need to drive around the mountain, using island highways on different days.

Our Haleakala map page makes this crystal clear visually.

How far is Haleakalā from Maui’s main resort areas?

Driving times vary with traffic, weather, and how often you stop, but typical estimates from NPS and major park guides look like this:

Departure area	To Summit entrance	To Kīpahulu entrance	What to know
Kahului / OGG Airport	~1–1.5 hours	~2.5–3+ hours	Summit is the easier, more direct drive; Kīpahulu is via the curvy Hāna Highway.
Kīhei / Wailea (South Maui)	~1.25–1.75 hours	~3 hours+	Summit is a straightforward Upcountry drive; allow extra time for sunrise.
Lāhainā / Kā‘anapali (West Maui)	~1.75–2.5 hours	~3.5–4 hours+	Both require crossing the island; Kīpahulu is a long full-day outing.
Hāna town	N/A	~20–25 minutes	Closest base to Kīpahulu District.

Use this table with our Haleakala best time to visit and Haleakala itineraries pages to plug realistic drive times into your plan.

How do you get to the Summit District?

From Kahului & the airport (OGG)

Most visitors start near Kahului, where Maui’s main airport (OGG) is located.

Typical route to the summit:

Drive toward Hāna Highway (Route 36) from Kahului.
Turn onto Haleakalā Highway (Route 37) and follow signs “Upcountry / Haleakalā.”
Continue uphill; near Pukalani, stay on the road toward Route 377 and then Route 378 (Crater Road).
Follow the winding paved road past the park entrance station all the way up to the summit area.

The summit road is fully paved, but it gets steep, narrow in places, and very curvy near the top.

From Kīhei / Wailea (South Maui)

Drive via Piʻilani Highway toward Kahului / Haleakalā Highway, then connect to Route 37 → 377 → 378 as above.
Expect roughly 1.25–1.75 hours to reach the entrance, longer for sunrise due to dark conditions and traffic.

From Lāhainā / Kā‘anapali (West Maui)

Cross to the central valley via Honoapiʻilani Highway / Lahaina Bypass toward Kahului, then head Upcountry via Route 37.
Plan on 1.75–2.5 hours each way, plus extra time at the gate and for viewpoints.

Pro Tip
There is no fuel or food at the summit. Fill your tank and stock up on snacks and water before leaving the lower towns.

For sunrise-specific timing and routes, send visitors to the Haleakala sunrise guide.

How do you get to the Kīpahulu District?

The Kīpahulu District is along the famous Road to Hāna on East Maui:

From Kahului, take Hāna Highway (Route 36 → 360) along the lush north shore.
Pass through Pāʻia and continue on the winding coastal road with many one-lane bridges.
After Hāna town, stay on Route 31 (Hāna Belt Road) and drive about 12 miles to the Kīpahulu entrance and visitor center area.

It’s a long, slow, scenic drive—most sources suggest:

Around 2.5–3+ hours from Kahului in one direction, not counting stops.

Kīpahulu is where you’ll park to hike the Pīpīwai Trail and walk the coastal loop at Kūloa Point. Our Pipiwai Trail guide and Haleakala best hikes pages offer details.

Safety note
Many rental car contracts and local experts discourage or forbid continuing past Kīpahulu on the rougher “back side” road toward Upcountry. Always check your rental agreement and current road conditions; some sections are narrow, partially unpaved, and remote.

If you don’t love long, twisty drives, consider a Road to Hāna + Kīpahulu tour, which includes the transport and parking logistics.

Is there a road between the summit and Kīpahulu?

No. This is one of the most common points of confusion.

You cannot drive from Kīpahulu up to the summit inside the park; there is no interior road.
Hiking directly from sea level at Kīpahulu to 10,000 ft at the summit would be an extreme, multi-day wilderness undertaking—not something visitors do for sunrise or sunset.

To see both districts:

Use one day for the Summit District via Upcountry roads.
Use a separate day for Kīpahulu via the Hāna Highway.

Our Haleakala itineraries page spells this out clearly, so you don’t try to cram both areas into a single day.

Which airport should you fly into for Haleakalā?

Almost everyone visiting Haleakalā flies into Kahului Airport (OGG):

OGG is Maui’s main commercial airport with flights from Honolulu and the U.S. mainland.
From there, it’s roughly 1–1.5 hours to the summit entrance and about 2.5–3 hours to Kīpahulu, depending on traffic and stops.

There is no airport at the park itself, and no public bus that runs up to the summit or to Kīpahulu.

Most visitors either:

Rent a car and drive themselves; or
Book guided tours that include transport, such as sunrise, sunset, or Road to Hāna + Kīpahulu experiences (see Haleakala best tours).

Do you need a car, or can you rely on tours?

There is currently no regular public transportation directly into Haleakalā National Park, so your choices are:

Rent a car

Good if you:

Like to set your own schedule
Plan to visit both districts over multiple days
Want to combine Haleakalā with Upcountry stops (farms, small towns, wineries, etc.)

Pair car-based planning with:

Book guided tours

Best if you:

Don’t enjoy mountain or Hāna Highway driving
Are nervous about dark roads for sunrise or sunset
Prefer “show up and enjoy” over map-reading and timing

Types of tours we highlight on our /best-tours page:

Summit sunrise tours (with permits and transport included)
Sunset & stargazing tours
Downhill bike tours on Haleakalā’s slopes
Road to Hāna + Kīpahulu tours that include time for Pīpīwai Trail or coastal viewpoints

Location tips for sunrise, hikes, and family trips

For sunrise and sunset, you’ll go to the Summit District—plan around the Haleakala sunrise guide and Haleakala sunset & stargazing.
For Pīpīwai Trail, bamboo forest, and waterfalls, you’ll go to Kīpahulu via the Hāna Highway—read more on our Pipiwai Trail guide.
For families, think about where your lodging is:
- South or West Maui makes the summit sunrise drive long but doable with planning.
- Kīpahulu is a very long day with kids; our Haleakala with kids page outlines realistic expectations.

Visit our Haleakala best time to visit and Haleakala weather guide pages for help choosing which district to tackle on which day based on conditions and energy levels.