An open air house, or hale, is built upon a dark lava rock foundation. The main postings are made from tree logs with a tawny color from the surrounding area and long, slim tree stumps make up the rafters and purlins. A thatch of dried leaves and grass makeup the roof covering and all is lashed together with cordage made from coconut fiber. Cut grass surrounds the structure and the backdrop is made up of lush, green native and non-native plant species. The hale sits at the junction of the Pīpīwai and Kūloa Point trails. To the left of the hale is the 4-mile (roundtrip) Pīpīwai hike up to Waimoku Falls. To the right of the hale is the (0.5 mile loop) Kūloa Point trail with views of the Pools of ʻOheʻo.

Hale – House, building Hālāwai – Meeting, to meet Hale Hālāwai – A meeting house, a building for public meetings. This hale was built by National Park Service staff from two sites and two islands. Staff members from the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā worked with staff from Puʻukoholā Heiau Historic Site located on the island of Hawaiʻi. Working together with guidance from Kumu (teacher) Sinenci, the hale was erected in 2010. Due to damage and weathering the park decided to re-erect the hale and in 2019 started to rebuild the structure. Originally this hale was intended to serve as a hale kuʻai (store), but will now be used as hale hālāwai where the public can participate in cultural demonstrations and interpretive programs. The hale sits at the junction of the Pīpīwai and Kūloa Point trails. To the left of the hale is the 4-mile (roundtrip) Pīpīwai hike up to Waimoku Falls. To the right of the hale is the (0.5 mile loop) Kūloa Point trail with views of the Pools of ʻOheʻo.

A traditional open air Hawaiian building stands upon a lava rock foundation.

Hale Hālāwai

Learn about Hawaiian culture, both past and present, when you visit this traditional hale. The Hale Hālāwai is a great place to view cultural practices, when available.

Location

A small paved parking lot is adjacent to this picnic structure with a vault toilet restroom on the opposite side. A tall forest canopy rises above this small wooden picnic shelter partially enclosed on three sides. On the right side there is a water bottle filling station. On the left side there are informational waysides about the campground and picnic area, with recycling and trash receptacles. There are two picnic tables inside with windows allowing in natural light. Across from the shelter there is a grass lawn for campers to pitch tents or open space for kids to run around. At the far end of the parking lot there is trailhead sign that says, Nature Trail. The trail is uneven over roots and rocks, traveling through the tall non-native pine and eucalyptus forest as it winds back to a boardwalk style overlook and then through an open native shrubland forest, returning to the parking lot.

Hosmer Grove lies in the cloud belt of Haleakalā, at nearly 7,000-feet (2134m) in elevation in the summit area. This picnic pavilion is located 0.5 mile (0.8 km) past the Haleakalā entrance station, next to the campground and Hosmer Gove Trail. It is an ideal place to have a picnic or let the kids run around, with a grassy lawn, numerous trees to provide shade, and a covered picnic area to rest under or take a seat. It is one of the few places in the park where you can get out of the sun, or rain, with a tall canopy of trees overhead for protection. The picnic shelter was built during Mission 66 (1956-1966), as part of the program to modernize and improve park infrastructure across the country. The grove behind is one of three experimental forestry plots planted by Ralph S. Hosmer, who was elected Superintendent of Forestry of the Territory of Hawai‘i in 1904. He saw the need for a timber resource in Hawaiʻi and also wanted to test out tree species to help control erosion. Hosmer planted 13 different species of trees in this forest plot, from pines to eucalyptus, to see which were best suited for the higher elevations and climate in Hawaiʻi. Some species did not fare well and died, while others flourished, and have created a tall canopy in this forest today. The smell of eucalyptus and pine trees will engulf your senses while walking the short trail located behind the picnic shelter. The native alpine shrubland plants along this trail are a good example of the predominant species that grow at this elevation. The sounds of native forest bird calls like iʻiwi, amakihi, and ʻapapane will remind you that you are in the Wao Akua, or realm of the gods. Read more about the history of <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hale/hosmer-grove.htm">Hosmer Grove</a> or take a look at the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hale/learn/nature/birds-of-the-summit-district.htm">Birds of the Summit District </a>guide.

A three-walled shelter houses one picnic table among tall pine trees.

Hosmer Grove Picnic Shelter

A covered shelter perfect for taking a break from the sun or rain or enjoying a picnic next to the quiet forest grove. A short 0.5 mile (0.8 km) loop trail through the surrounding forest and shrubland departs from this parking lot.

A roughly ten foot tall sign stands at the start of the trail displaying a map outlining the .6 mile loop trail through Hosmer Grove. Behind the sign is a grassy field including Hosmer Campground. The trail winds down right of the sign, curving into a forest

Welcome to Hosmer Grove Trailhead! Begin here at the trail sign to explore Hosmer Grove along this .6 mile loop trail through an "alien" forest and native shrubland.  Before you begin, take a minute to observe your surroundings. Through human curiosity and time, this landscape has been shaped and altered to what you see around you today. Around the mid-1800s, tree harvesting, ranching and the introduction of feral animals such as goats and pigs had wrecked havoc on native Hawaiian forests everywhere. In an attempt to salvage the water storing capacity of native forests (which were viewed at the time as in unavoidable decline) people began planting fast growing introduced or “alien” species. One of these researchers was Ralph Hosmer, who planted several of the species you'll be walking alongside today, in Hosmer Grove. The interconnection of plants and animals, native and non-native, give insight into how best to manage this forest into the future.   Our views and attitudes towards ecosystem management have changed over time, and this forest is a great example of the early days of trial and error in a research forest. Hosmer Grove has given park scientists a chance to view the interactions of introduced tree species such as conifers and eucalyptus, with a native habitat of trees, shrubs, forest birds, and native insects. In early experiments by land managers in Hawai’i, plants and animals were introduced, but without proper research some species took a strong foothold and became invasive, spreading rapidly. While his intentions were good, Hosmer didn't fully realize the effect these actions might have on the surrounding ecosystem. As you journey on to the next stop, can you think of a time something didn't go as you had planned?

Trail sign with a brief description of the trail and a trail map

Hosmer Grove Trailhead

Stop 1 along the Hosmer Grove Nature Walk

he Keoneheʻehe’e Wayside Overlook is 0.25 mile (0.4 km) from the trailhead, located near the Haleakalā Visitor Center parking lot. On a clear day, the Wayside offers broad views of the expansive Haleakalā crater. Here, you can learn about the formation of this shield volcano as well as factors contributing to its erosion. The current dimentsions of the crater are roughly 7.5 miles(12 km) by 2.5 miles (4 km), and if you continue on the trail, you can expect to descend about 3,000 ft (914 m) in elevation to the crater floor. Once twice as deep, subsequent eruptions of Haleakalā have partially filled in the valley with flows and the 14 multicolored cinder cones (puʻu) you can see from this vantage point. The two breaks in ridgeline visible from this overlook are the Koʻolau Gap (left) and Kaupo Gap (right) where lava once flowed out. The last eruption in the crater area was roughly 1,000 years ago, while the most volcano's most recent erruption on Maui was actually on the island's southern coast, between 400 and 600 years ago. Geologists still consider Haleakalā an active volcano, with the potential for future erruptions.  Native Hawaiians have been traversing the crater for hundreds of years as a way to get from one side of the island to the other. Cattle ranchers have also driven cattle through the crater to get to greener pastures or summer watering holes. While this is no longer allowed, cattle can still be seen grazing outside of park boundaries on the drive up the mountain. The current Keoneheʻehe’e trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937. The CCC created 20 miles (32 km) of trail throughout the crater which are still very popular today.

The Keoneheʻehe’e Wayside Overlook is 0.25 mile (0.4 km) from the trailhead, located near the Haleakalā Visitor Center parking lot. On a clear day, the Wayside offers broad views of the expansive Haleakalā crater. Here, you can learn about the formation of this shield volcano as well as factors contributing to its erosion. The current dimentsions of the crater are roughly 7.5 miles(12 km) by 2.5 miles (4 km), and if you continue on the trail, you can expect to descend about 3,000 ft (914 m) in elevation to the crater floor. Once twice as deep, subsequent eruptions of Haleakalā have partially filled in the valley with flows and the 14 multicolored cinder cones (puʻu) you can see from this vantage point. The two breaks in ridgeline visible from this overlook are the Koʻolau Gap (left) and Kaupo Gap (right) where lava once flowed out. The last eruption in the crater area was roughly 1,000 years ago, while the most volcano's most recent eruption on Maui was actually on the island's southern coast, between 400 and 600 years ago. Geologists still consider Haleakalā an active volcano, with the potential for future eruptions.  Native Hawaiians have been traversing the crater for hundreds of years as a way to get from one side of the island to the other. Cattle ranchers have also driven cattle through the crater to get to greener pastures or summer watering holes. While this is no longer allowed, cattle can still be seen grazing outside of park boundaries on the drive up the mountain. The current Keoneheʻehe’e trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937. The CCC created 20 miles (32 km) of trail throughout the crater which are still very popular today.

A sign at an overlook viewing the volcanic valley.

Keoneheʻeheʻe wayside overlook

Take a short walk to new views of the crater along Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) Trail.

Keoneheʻeheʻe Overlook

Facing away from the Visitor Center, a large informational sign covered by a brown roof stands at the edge of the parking lot. Rough boulder-sized volcanic rocks surround the nearby buildings and parking lot, and large hills covered in these rocks tower above the area. The boulders are full of holes and look mostly grey, black, or red.

What is your favorite sparkling or carbonated beverage? Volcanic eruptions are just like your delightful bubbly beverage of choice. Check out the rocks at this stop to see the comparision in action. Keep in mind that these rocks are part of the park and should remain where you find them. It is culturally disrespectful and illegal to disturb or remove any rocks from Haleakalā. When molten rock is deep underground, it’s called magma. The weight of the overlying rock keeps magma under immense pressure, dissolving gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide into the molten mixture. If the hot, pressurized magma reaches a weak spot in the crust above, it shoots up toward the surface. Pressure on the magma decreases as it rises, and the dissolved gases will reach a point where they change from liquid to gas form, expanding into bubbles inside the magma and forcing it to rise even faster. If it reaches the surface, it becomes lava! Consider a glass bottle of champagne. An airtight container holds a fluid mixed with dissolved gas (carbon dioxide) under intense pressure without exploding. If you look through the glass, it only appears to be liquid. However, as you dramatically remove the cork, the contents that were under pressure now experience rapid decompression, and all of the dissolved gas suddenly explodes out of the top of the bottle as a spray of frothy bubbles. Compare the bottled liquid to magma underneath the volcano, and the explosion of foam and bubbles to the cooled lava on the ground at this stop. If you take a close look at the lava rocks around this parking area, the many holes you see are bubbles frozen in time–they show where the gas was at the time of the eruption. As this lava flowed and cooled, the bubbles changed shape by joining together or stretching out. By observing the gas content of lava through features like these bubbles, scientists can estimate a lava flow’s likely movement, patterns, and speeds.

cement trail through cinder to a trail sign

Keoneheʻeheʻe Trailhead

Significance

Notice a building closest to the ocean with a brown railing and deck. There is a sign that says “Visitor Center” and under it in light blue “Haleakalā National Park” with a painting of the demi-God Māui snaring the sun in it. To the left of this building there is a detailed trail map that says “E Komo Mai (welcome.)”

Welcome to the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park! We’re glad you’re joining us today for a self-guided walk of the Kūloa Point Trail. As you’ll learn along this trail, for generations Kīpahulu has been a place of community, labor, and rest. We’ll think about what makes a place a home, and how we carry our homes with us wherever we go.   Please remember, Kīpahulu is still a home! It is a home to the generations of Native Hawaiians who live in the area today. It is a home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. And it is a home to incredible forces that can shape this place in dramatic ways. For that reason, please be respectful and:  <ul> <li>Stay on trail at all times </li> <li>Do not disturb natural or archeological sites </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Do not stack or take rocks</li> </ul> The Kīpahulu Visitor Center welcomes hundreds of visitors a day to Haleakalā National Park. Located in East Maui overlooking the Alenuihāhā Channel that divides Maui from Hawaiʻi Island. The visitor center deck provides views of the ocean, and, on a clear day, of Hawaiʻi Island thirty miles in the distance.   Kīpahulu is one of the few preserved moku districts of Maui. A moku district is a system used by pre-Contact Hawaiians for dividing land and establishing the rule of law. The objects in the visitor center showcase that this is a homeland for people for over too many generations to count.   As you continue along this loop trail around the Kūloa point, you can begin to see the importance of Kīpahulu as a home. You can discover plants brought by Polynesian voyagers, observe hale built by early people, and feel the natural beauty of ʻOheʻo Gulch and the vast shoreline of east Maui.  This land has provided for generations of ʻohana (families), and here a sacred bond has formed between people and place. Enter with aloha (respect,) for this is a homeland and you are walking into their cherished house. In this area you will also feel the power of water, which makes up the geographic boundaries of the moku. Fresh water was key to survival, and every moku village had enough water for everyone. It was the ocean from which the early people came to Maui. Waʻa (canoes) were the vessels carrying people and all they needed to establish a home.    Making your way to the next stop think about your homes and what is it that ties you to your ‘āina (land)? What are some ways that one can show aloha (respect) to a place?

Ranger in flat hat stands in front of "aloha" sign

Ranger Walter Pu in Kīpahulu

Kūloa Point Trailhead

A marked crosswalk allows for foot traffic to cross the main park road from the parking lot to the trail. The trail itself is a 0.3 mile (0.48 km) roundtrip walk out to a rocky overlook. The trail is unpaved and a moderate climb up to the overlook. It is quite rocky, with uneven steps and trip hazards. Near the trailhead is a section of a stone wall. The text of the accompanying interpretive sign is as follows: “This ranch wall stacked stone by stone in the late 1800s, represents an investment in the land. Stretching for two miles, it guided cattle through the harsh landscape of Haleakalā to pasture lands on the east and west sides of Maui. The ranching era shaped the economy and communities of Maui, which value rugged independence, self reliance, and sustainability. The paniolo (cowboy) culture still lives today on the slopes of Haleakalā in neighboring ranches and communities. Cattle also had a devastating impact on native vegetation, completely destroying some native forests and dramatically reducing others. The National Park’s investment in the land includes over 30 miles of fences to protect and preserve unique species, such as ʻāhinahina (silversword), and subalpine scrublands. Fences exclude cattle, pigs, goats, deer, and other grazers from destroying protected land in the park, providing resource managers the opportunity to restore and revive the native landscape.” Native plants found along the trail include a variety of trees with yellow flowers, and several shrubs with a variety of berries. From the overlook on a clear day one can see down to Maui’s north shore through a large gap in the valley wall. On the left of the gap the switchbacks of the new Halemauʻu trail built by the CCC are visible on the cliffside. The original Halemauʻu trail used by Hawaiians to traverse the crater and later by ranchers to run cattle has since eroded away. To the right of the gap is a tall peak on the rim of the crater. Another large gap in the valley wall leads to the ocean on the southeast side of the island. The volcanic extends for miles in front of the overlook. The drop from the edge of the crater to the floor is several thousand feet. On the floor are smooth, sandy hills cinder cones from the most recent eruptions. Vegetation has begun to fill in some of the lava flows.

The Leleiwi Overlook provides views not only into the crater itself, but also out the Kaupō Gap, and down the Koʻolau Gap to the coastline along Maui’s north shore. Leleiwi translates to “bone altar,” and although the name of this area was recorded on early maps of the crater, the history of the name itself has been lost. The overlook was developed in 1966 to offer visiors a new perspective from which to view the crater. It was part of many projects undertaken during Mission 66, a National Park Service program designed to improve park visitor experiences by improving or creating new visitor centers, campgrounds, and trails. It’s a 0.30 mile (0.48 km) roundtrip to Leleiwi Overlook from the parking lot, the trail rising in steps 100 ft (30 m) to the edge of the crater. Near the trailhead are the remains of a stone wall built by ranchers in the late 1800s to guide cattle through the rough landscape. Native plants found along the trail include mamane, pukiawe, ʻohelo, and naʻenaʻe (also called kūpaoa). From the overlook on a clear day one can see down to Maui’s north shore through the Koʻolau Gap to the left. To the left of the Ko'olau Gap, the switchbacks of the new Halemauʻu trail built by the CCC are visible winding along the cliffside. The original Halemauʻu trail used by Hawaiians to traverse the crater and later by ranchers to run cattle has since eroded away. To the right of the gap is Hanakauhi peak, with the Kaupō Gap visible in the distance farther to the right. The Koʻolau and Kaupō Gaps were formed by erosion over many thousands of years. Subsequent eruptions have filled the original valleys, creating their distinctive flat bottoms. Two of the most recent eruptions are still visible, one from Puʻu o Māui and one from Ka Luʻu o ka ʻŌʻō, both occuring within the last thousand years. The tradewind inversion sometimes fills the crater with clouds, but Leleiwi may still be worth a visit on cloudy days during sunrise or sunset. The Specter of Brocken, or Brocken Specter, occurs when someone is directly between the sun and the clouds at high elevation. Their shadow on the clouds appears ringed by a faint rainbow.

A small shelter looks over a green volcanic valley.

Leleiwi Overlook

Take a short, 0.3 mile (0.5 km) roundtrip walk to experience the native shrubland and catch a glimpse of the Haleakalā crater through the clouds. This rocky trail has a moderate elevation gain and leads to a partially enclosed shelter on the edge of the crater.

This special place vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Come visit this special place - renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable hike through the backcountry.