Best Time to Visit Haleakalā National Park

Pick a month. Best months are in bold.

The best months to visit Haleakalā National Park are April, August and September — computed from official NPS visitation (2021–2025 average), NOAA weather normals and daylight. July is the crowd peak (81,811 monthly visits); February is quietest at 74% of peak.

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Best months for fewer crowds

The quietest months at Haleakalā, leaving out harsh weather and months when main access is typically closed.

Monthly crowd curve

Average monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). Amber bar = current month.

Haleakalā month by month

Crowds: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, mean of 2021–2025 (2020 excluded as a COVID-19 anomaly). Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals, station HALEAKALA RS 338, HI US (7 mi from park coordinates). Daylight: computed for the 15th of each month at the park's location. Methodology.

How many people visit Haleakalā each year

Haleakalā National Park had 853,711 recreation visits in 2025, 17% more than 2024 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). The busiest year since 2015 was 2016, with 1,263,558. Over 2021–2025 it averaged 863,655 visits a year, which makes it the 28th most-visited of the 63 national parks.

Calendar-year recreation visits as published by NPS Visitor Use Statistics. 2020 is shown here but left out of the monthly averages above, because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unrepresentative. See how every park compares: all 63 parks ranked by visits.

What to pack for Haleakalā in April

Computed from April's weather normals — Haleakalā's best month above. Visiting another month? Each month page has its own weather-computed list.

• Warm mid-layer (fleece or light puffy) — mornings average 44°F
• Packable rain jacket — 2.8″ of precipitation is normal this month
• Sturdy broken-in footwear, navigation and a basic first-aid kit — every park, every month

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Common questions

Haleakalā month by month: notes from the park service

• January: January sits in the middle of the summit's wet months: the park dates its rainy season from November through March, with rain and wind common up top. Mornings at 10,023 feet can reach freezing or below and warm to about 50-60°F by afternoon, and the park's live webcam shows the crater before you commit to the drive.
• February: February is still rainy season on the mountain. If sunrise is the goal, note that one person may hold only one sunrise reservation in any three-day period, so pick your best morning instead of booking several as a hedge.
• March: March closes out the November-to-March wet spell at the summit, and the coast is rainy in every month anyway. Kīpahulu, on the windward shore 12 miles past Hāna, gets about 187 inches a year, with days of 70-80°F.
• April: April is the first month after the summit's named rainy season ends, though the cabin guidance still says to plan for rain in every season. It is also when autumn crater stays come within reach: Hōlua, Kapalaoa and Palikū, the three historic cabins, can be booked on Recreation.gov as much as half a year before the stay, so an April booking session reaches October.
• May: May falls outside the stretch the park calls its summit rainy season, yet Hosmer Grove, the drive-up campground just past the entrance at nearly 7,000 feet, sits in the cloud belt, and campers there are told to come ready for rain and cold. Its six sites are $20 a night, sleeping six people and two tents at most, with potable water, grills and pit toilets.
• June: June begins the summer months, which the park's cabin page ties to drought, when backcountry water has to be packed in rather than found. The primitive tent sites at Hōlua and Palikū have pit toilets and, outside dry spells, untreated water nearby that must be filtered first.
• July: July is deep in the dry summer, when water at the three crater cabins cannot be counted on and should be carried in; even when it is there, it is untreated. Palikū, at 6,380 feet on the east end of the valley, feels different from the rest: clouds and fog spill over the cliffs behind it, keeping it cool and lush, but reaching it takes a strenuous 9.3-mile hike down Sliding Sands.
• August: August is the last of the summer months the park links to drought in the crater, when hikers staying overnight carry their own water. After dark, the summit is a fine place to watch the sky: the high elevation often gives clearer air, and there is minimal light pollution.
• September: September comes between the dry summer and the start of the summit's wet season in November. On the coast, Kīpahulu Campground books on a rolling 30-day window, so September nights only appear from August onward.
• October: October is the final month before the summit's rainy season begins, by the park's own reckoning. If you will be back in Hawaiʻi within a year, compare passes: the $55 park annual pass and the $55 Hawaiʻi Tri-Park Annual Pass each run 12 months from purchase, against $30 for a three-day vehicle entry.
• November: November opens the summit's rainy season, which lasts through March, so plan for wet, windy mornings and look at the crater webcam before setting out. Holiday travelers should know that early-January sunrise slots start going on sale this month, because Recreation.gov releases them 60 days ahead at 7:00 AM Hawaiʻi time.
• December: December is a rainy-season month at the summit, where mornings can sit at or below freezing before warming toward 50-60°F. On the Kīpahulu coast, nights stay mild at 65-75°F, so one day on Maui can call for very different clothing.

Each month page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Dive into a month

Comparing parks for the same trip? See how Haleakalā ranks against all 63 parks in April, August and September.

Last verified 2026-09-24 · all parks