Parking
Start at the southwestern terminus at the top of Olinda Road. This is point to point; current parking and return transport from the park boundary were not verified, so plan transportation before starting.
Overview
About Old Haleakalā Trail
Why go
- A documented route from before the modern summit road.
Heads up
- The public corridor is overgrown, often invisible, and difficult to follow safely.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Haleakalā map
Full mapElevation4,003–6,749 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Haleakalā alerts
- CautionCrater Road lane closures near Haleakalā National ParkMentions Crater Road, referenced in this guideExpect single-lane closures on Crater Road (Route 378) from Monday, October 12, through Friday, October 16.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Haleakalā Tour Guide
Your drive to Old Haleakalā Trail, 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
- A Tree That Starts on Lava
- Hosmer Grove
- Why Forest Birds Need Cool Air
- Headquarters Visitor Center and Lava Pull-Off
- 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
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Old Haleakalā Trail
What this trail isThe Old Haleakalā Trail follows the court-surveyed public corridor from the top of Olinda Road…
The Old Haleakalā Trail follows the court-surveyed public corridor from the top of Olinda Road to the west boundary of Haleakalā National Park: 4.4 miles one way. It climbs about 2,750 feet, from roughly 4,000 to 6,750 feet, through ranchland and steep gulches. It stops at the park boundary, not the crater summit. This is a narrow legal right-of-way, not a built hiking path. There is no dependable published completion time; six hours is only a rough planning estimate for the difficult one-way traverse.
The major catchThe state says the route has not been maintained for decades, is invisible in many places, and…
The state says the route has not been maintained for decades, is invisible in many places, and is heavily overgrown. It warns that steep gulches have footing it does not recommend for safe pedestrian use. The six-foot legal strip is hard to follow, and straying from it can mean trespassing on nearby ranch land. Difficulty: 9/10. Confirm current access and route marking with the state before going, and don't treat a line on a map as a visible trail. No current parking, return shuttle, or trailhead facilities could be verified, so sort out transport before setting out.
A route from before the summit roadBuilt in 1905 for horseback and mule travel to Haleakalā, the Bridle Trail succeeded an older…
Built in 1905 for horseback and mule travel to Haleakalā, the Bridle Trail succeeded an older route. The measured line in this record follows the Olinda Road-to-park-boundary corridor, not a trip to the crater. Hiking-group outings list longer versions that start higher on Crater Road or Haleakalā Highway and descend to Olinda Road; those add a different start and shuttle logistics, so their mileage doesn't describe this route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Haleakalā
442 sightingsHawaiian GooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsHawaiian Short-eared OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
22 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
645 sightingsʻIʻiwiMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
360 sightingsʻApapaneMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
207 sightingsHawaiʻi ʻAmakihiMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Haleakalā. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
