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Palikū Wilderness Campground in Haleakalā National Park

Campground · Haleakalā National Park

Palikū Wilderness Campground

A lush crater camp where clouds spill over the cliffs.

Photo: National Park Service
Type
Campground
Nearest trail
Right here
  • Restrooms
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour25 stories across Haleakalā’s roads

Overview

About Palikū Wilderness Campground

Why stop

  • The cool, lush east-end setting contrasts with the drier crater floor.

Heads up

  • The long sandy hike out can take twice as long as the hike in.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
CampgroundPalikū Wilderness Campground20.71798, -156.14255
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Getting there and back

The one-way hike is 9.3 miles from Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) Trailhead or 10.4 miles from Halemauʻu Trailhead. Soft sand can make the hike out take twice as long as the hike in, so plan your return around a slower hike. Groups are limited to 12, and there’s no cell service in the crater.

2 active Haleakalā alerts

  • ClosureSwimming prohibited at ʻOheʻo PoolsDo not enter or swim in the Pools of ʻOheʻo in the Kīpahulu District. - Entry is prohibited because of a number of safety concerns; view the pools safely from the Kūloa Point Trail instead.Official details
  • CautionCrater Road lane closures near Haleakalā National ParkExpect single-lane closures on Crater Road (Route 378) from Monday, October 12, through Friday, October 16.Official details
Haleakalā alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Haleakalā Tour Guide

Your drive to Palikū Wilderness Campground, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Haleakalā National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

More stories near here in the app

  • Leleiwi Overlook
  • 25 audio storiesacross Haleakalā’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Hawaiian Goose, Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, Green Sea Turtle, and 12 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 32 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
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Guide

More about Palikū Wilderness Campground

What you’re signing up forPalikū is one of Haleakalā’s two primitive wilderness tent areas.

Palikū is one of Haleakalā’s two primitive wilderness tent areas. It sits at 6,380 feet on the crater valley’s eastern end, beneath a rainforest cliff. This is a remote overnight, not a casual stop: every approach is a long, strenuous hike. Reserve in advance; there are no first-come sites. The trip leader must carry the printed permit. A tent-area reservation does not include the nearby Palikū Cabin or ranger shelter.

A cooler, wetter cornerClouds and fog often roll over the cliff behind camp.

Clouds and fog often roll over the cliff behind camp. Rain is common year-round, and the extra moisture makes this end of the valley cool and lush beside the crater’s drier floor. Hōlua and Palikū’s wilderness campgrounds were developed in the 1970s.

Water and facilitiesPit toilets serve the tent areas. Nearby water is seasonal and non-potable: filter or treat it.

Pit toilets serve the tent areas. Nearby water is seasonal and non-potable: filter or treat it. Drought can leave the supply dry, and current flow isn’t confirmed, so check before setting out and be ready to carry all the water you need. Pack in your food and essentials, and pack everything back out.

wildernessbackpackingcamping

Wildlife

Wildlife in Haleakalā

All Haleakalā wildlife maps
Hawaiian Goose442 sightingsHawaiian GooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapHawaiian Short-eared Owl28 sightingsHawaiian Short-eared OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapGreen Sea Turtle22 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapʻIʻiwi645 sightingsʻIʻiwiMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapʻApapane360 sightingsʻApapaneMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapHawaiʻi ʻAmakihi207 sightingsHawaiʻi ʻAmakihiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Haleakalā. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Palikū Wilderness Campground

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingKaupō Trail6.8 mi · 6.5 hr · At the trailheadA steep descent from Palikū Cabin into Kaupō Gap.

More stops nearby

Lodging · At the trailheadPalikū CabinA trail-only cabin deep in the crater’s cool, rainy east end.Lodging · 2.8 mi awayKapalaoa CabinA 1937 shelter tucked into a vast volcanic crater.Sight · 3.5 mi awayKawilinauAn 11-mile crater crossing with a 65-foot pit halfway through.Sight · 3.7 mi awayPele’s Paint PotA bright patch of cinders halfway through a full-day crater crossing.

Parkwolf’s Haleakalā ranking

Top sights in Haleakalā

All 32 places
  1. 1Puʻuʻulaʻula SummitSight
  2. 2Waimoku FallsSight
  3. 3Pools of ʻOheʻoSight
  4. 4Kalahaku OverlookSight
  5. 5Leleiwi OverlookSight
  6. 6Pīpīwai Bamboo ForestSight

Take Parkwolf to Haleakalā.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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