Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits)
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:44 UTC
- Sites
- 3All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located on the island of Maui, Haleakalā National Park maintains three wilderness cabins for visitor use-- Hōlua, Palikū, and Kapalaoa. All cabins are accessible only by trail from the summit area and require you to hike a minimum of 3.7 mi (5.9 km). Backcountry users must plan to enter the park entrance for their stay no earlier than 7 am unless they have also obtained a sunrise reservation granting access to the park between 3 and 7 am. Sunrise reservations can be made on recreation.gov. Horses, mules, and donkeys are permitted as pack animals on the Keoneheʻeheʻe Trail, Halemauʻu Trail, and Supply Trail. Keep reading
If planning to travel by pack animal--please notify park staff upon making reservation. All waste produced by pack animals must be removed from parking areas and trailheads. No group may have more than 12 pack animals. Riders, commercial operators, and owners are responsible for the removal of dead or injured stock within 72 hours. Pets of any other kind are prohibited on all trails. Hōlua Cabin, located at 6,940 ft (2,115 m) is nestled at the base of the crater wall in the shrubland near Koʻolau Gap. This is the cabin reached by the shortest hike. Hōlua is 3.7 mi (6 km) one way down the Halemauʻu trail or 7.4 mi one way (12 km) from the Keoneheʻeheʻe (sliding sands) trailhead. Visitors staying at Hōlua can enjoy day hikes further into the crater. The landscape around Hōlua supports a native shrubland which colonizes the lava flows. A wilderness tent camp area is located nearby. Palikū Cabin located at 6,380 ft (1,945 m) is on the east end of the wilderness valley at the base of a rain forest cliff. This cabin is reached via a strenuous 9.3 mi (15 km) one way hike on the Keoneheʻeheʻe (sliding sands) Trail or 10.4 mi (17 km) one way hike on the Halemauʻu Trail. Clouds and fog often roll over the top of the cliffs behind Palikū, and rain is common. The extra moisture makes this spot exceptionally cool and lush. A wilderness tent camp area is located nearby. Kapalaoa Cabin located at 7,250 ft (2,210 m) is perched near the Kaupō Gap on the southern end of the wilderness valley. This cabin is reached via a 5.6 mi (2.7 km) hike via Keoneheʻeheʻe (sliding sands) Trail or 7.2 mi (11.6 km) hike on the Halemauʻu Trail. Kapalaoa is located in a grass field and is not accompanied by a wilderness tent area. Message of Cultural Sensitivity: Upon entering Haleakalā National Park, you are a guest of the Hawaiian culture, which considers the entire area sacred. Each person should behave as if entering a temple or reverent place in his or her own culture or belief system. The rocks, the plants and even the silence are part of the sacredness and should not be disturbed. For Native Hawaiians, Haleakalā represents an important place within their culture.
Recreation
All cabins are wonderful opportunities for night sky viewing in what's considered one of the quietest natural places on earth! Visitors to the crater may even come across native species such as the Nēnē (Hawaiian goose). Please remember to keep your distance from any wildlife and refrain from feeding them. While staying in the crater, cabin users have the option to day hike on trail through the crater. Locations to enjoy from Hōlua may be the Silversword loop or the loop around Halaliʻi cinder cone. Locations to enjoy from Palikū may be a loop hike toward Kapalaoa or toward Kaupo Gap and back. Visit https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/maps.htm to plan your day hikes from any cabin. Please stay on designated trails throughout your crater journey and pack out everything with you!
Facilities
There are no food establishments, stores, showers, or laundry facilities in the park. One pit toilet is located nearby each visitor cabin. A non-potable water spigot is located outside of the wilderness visitor cabins which is adjacent to the wilderness tent areas (Palikū and Hōlua). Each of the park’s three wilderness cabins are equipped with 18 lockers; each locker contains three logs and is assigned to each reservation night. Your locker number(s) and combination(s) will be issued by park staff via email from the hale_interpretation@nps.gov account prior to reservation date. Bring a lighter or matches to start the wood and propane stoves. The park cannot guarantee that propane or wood will be available. Extra wood logs are available for purchase at the park store.
Natural Features
Cabins are located inside Haleakalā crater and involve a strenuous hike around distinctive cinder cones. Campers should prepare for hot, sunny, cold, wet, and windy conditions as weather can change rapidly. There is no shade or water on the crater floor, and temperatures can vary from 40-70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit at night, so pack plenty of water, sunscreen, and layers. If it is stormy, winds can exceed 80 miles per hour with temperatures dropping well below freezing. Hiking trails may be steep. Terrain may include loose cinders and/or rocks. Change in altitude can be from a high of 9,780ft to a low of 6,380ft. Due to the soft sandy nature of the trails, plan on spending twice as much time to hike out as to hike in. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (808) 572-4400.
Nearby Attractions
Visitor cabins are located near the wilderness tent areas. A wilderness tent permit does not grant access to any wilderness cabin within the crater and vice versa. Wilderness tent sites can be reserved through rec.gov.
Charges & Cancellations
Reservations are non-transferable. 1) Cancellations prior to 14 days---$10.00 charge + partial refund 2) Cancellations within 14 days of arrival---No refund 3) $10.00 change fee per reservation night prior to 7 days. No changes within 7 days (not counting arrival day)
What the agency tells you
Entry and Wood Locker Codes: Each of the cabins and wood lockers are secured with a combination lock. Codes for the locks will be sent from hale_interpretation@nps.gov to the email address listed on the reservation 1-2 weeks in advance of the first night on the reservation. If you are making a reservation within two weeks of your first night due to a cancellation, contact hale_interpretation@nps.gov or call 808-572-4400 to obtain entry and wood locker codes. Please contact the park as soon as booking is complete since park staff may not be available for last minute code requests. Park staff are not available in the backcountry to assist groups who do not have the codes or are locked out. Permit holders assume all responsibility for ensuring they have the codes before heading into the backcountry.
Cabin Guidelines: All garbage, food, and personal gear must be packed out. Check-in/check-out time is NOON. Respect other visitors' right to quiet and solitude--quiet hours are 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Visitors to the cabins are advised to sanitize before and after use utilizing their own cleaning supplies that should be packed out. Cabins should be left clean and fire completely out. LOCK DOORS and windows when you leave. You may be fined for dirty or damaged cabins or denied future access. Graffiti on the natural and constructed environment is considered vandalism and will be prosecuted. Cabin is for the EXCLUSIVE USE of permittee and registered guests. Campers are told to respect cabin user privacy and should not be let in.
Reservation Permit. A printed copy of the reservation MUST be held by the reservation holder at all times. Reservations are non-transferable. The reservation holder is legally responsible for the actions and safety of the group. Leave an itinerary and guest list with a friend. If you are renting a vehicle- please enter “Rental” in the license plate form field. When you arrive on island, you MUST log back into recreation.gov to enter your rental car plate. Once your permit is printed you cannot edit your license plates. Email hale_interpretation@nps.gov with updated license plate information if unable to update online.
Everything else this campground posts · 11
Facilities. All three cabins offer pit toilets and non-potable water. You must filter or treat water before drinking. Each cabin has a wood-burning stove, a two-burner propane stove, and 12 padded bunks. Bring a lighter or matches. During drought, you must pack in all your water. No electricity in the cabins. There is no cell service in the wilderness.
Wood and Propane Supply. Locker number(s) and combination(s) will be issued by park staff via email to the email account listed on the reservation from the hale_interpretation@nps.gov account. The park cannot guarantee that propane or wood will be available. A fire starter is recommended if intending to utilize the wood stove. Extra logs and fire starters are available for purchase at the Haleakalā Visitor Center (9,740ft).
Essentials. First aid kit, trail map, compass, extra food, extra water (3 - 4 liters per person/day), flashlight, headlight with extra batteries, tent/shelter with rain fly, sun protection (sunglasses, sunscreen, hat), sleeping bag, emergency blanket, extra layers (rain jacket/pants), pocket knife, and gear repair kit.
Fires. Open fires or gathering firewood is NOT allowed. Fires are permitted in the wood stove only. Don't move firewood from outside the park. The park provides three logs per night. Extra logs are available for purchase at the Haleakalā Visitor Center (9,740ft). Do not give out logs to campers.
Entrance Fee. A separate park entrance fee, valid for three days, is required. The park honors interagency passes.
Stay on Trails. Hiking off trail and short-cutting switchbacks is prohibited and subject to citation. Off-trail hiking causes erosion and damages fragile and/or endangered life forms that are not readily apparent to the casual observer.
Restrictions. NO pets, firearms or wheeled vehicles. NO feeding or harassment of wildlife. NO picking plants, disturbing rocks, building cairns.
Visited Hawaii Island or Kauai recently? All gear, especially shoes must be cleaned thoroughly to prevent rapid ʻōhia death (ROD) Wiping down gear with a 70% alcohol solution is recommeneded to satisfy this requirement.
Kaupō Gap Trail: The Kaupō Gap Trail leaves the boundary of Haleakalā National Park and is not maintained by the NPS. Hikers assume all risk on this rugged, unmaintained, and brushy trail. At times, the trail can be difficult to follow or find. Several hikers have become disoriented, lost, or injured while navigating this trail. NPS officials highly recommend travel on either the Halemauʻu or Keoneheʻeheʻe Trails to access Haleakalā Crater.
No Camping: Camping outside the cabin in non-designated camping space is prohibited
Pack Animals: If planning to travel by pack animal--please notify park staff upon making your reservation to ensure sufficient paddock space is available. All waste produced by pack animals must be removed from parking areas and trailheads. No group may have more than 12 pack animals. Riders, commercial operators, and owners are responsible for the removal of dead or injured stock within 72 hours. Pets of any other kind are prohibited on all trails.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 3 · 3 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Pit Toilets
- “…or laundry facilities in the park. One pit toilet is located nearby each visitor cabin. A non-potable…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “There is no shade or water on the crater floor, and temperatures can vary from 40-70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit at night, so pack plenty of water, sunscreen, and layers.”
- Stay limit
- 3 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- Backpacking
- Birding
- Hiking
- Stargazing
- Wilderness access
- Wildlife viewing
Full this Saturdayread 16:44 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
3 campgrounds have sites open within 30 miles, read 15:36 UTC. See them
OpenBooked
Every one of the 3 sites on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday, and on four midweek nights after it as well. read 16:44 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 14
What you actually pay
“Reservations are non-transferable. 1) Cancellations prior to 14 days---$10.00 charge + partial refund 2) Cancellations within 14 days of arrival---No refund 3) $10.00 change fee per reservation night prior to 7 days.” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
Open within 30 miles this weekend · 3
Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 15:36 UTC
- Kipahulu CampgroundHaleakala National Park · 0.4 mi · 20 of 42 site-nights open
- Hosmer Grove CampgroundHaleakala National Park · 0.4 mi · 1 of 12 site-nights open
- Haleakalā National Park (Wilderness Tent Permit)Haleakala National Park · 4.1 mi · 12 of 20 site-nights open
recreation.gov availability, read 16:44 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
3 sites · the site map
All 3 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 3 of the 3 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| Holua Cabin | Holua Cabin | cabin nonelectric | 2.6 miPiʻinaʻau Stream | $75 |
| Kapalaoa Cabin | Kapalaoa Cabin | cabin nonelectric | 3.1 miEast Wailua Iki Stream | $75 |
| Paliku Cabin | Paliku Cabin | cabin nonelectric | 1.4 miHanawī Stream | $75 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Hosmer Grove CampgroundHaleakala National Park · 0.4 mi
Kipahulu CampgroundHaleakala National Park · 0.4 mi
Wilderness CabinsHaleakala National Park · 1.6 mi
Wilderness Tent SitesHaleakala National Park · 4.1 mi
Haleakalā National Park (Wilderness Tent Permit)Haleakala National Park · 4.1 miGetting There (GPS Info): GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude( (NAD83)
N-20.7689599
W-156.2430039
Directions to the Summit Area (mountain and crater): There are brown information signs along the way. From Kahului, take Hana Highway (SR36) and travel 2.0 miles (toward Hana). Turn right onto Haleakala Highway (SR37) and travel for 7.8 miles. Turn left onto State Highway 377 and travel for 6 miles. Turn left onto Crater Road (large brown wooden Haleakala NP sign mounted in median) and travel for 1.2 miles. Continue on Crater Road for 9.9 miles to arrive at the park boundary/Entrance Station. The Summit (elevation 10,023ft 3055m) is 11 miles, about an additional 30-minute drive, beyond the Entrance Station.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Kula, HI
Typical weather
Typical October night 48°F, day 64°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical February night 43°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) is in Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Jill Tokuda (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyJill N. TokudaU.S. Representative · Hawaii’s 2nd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationBrian SchatzU.S. Senator · Hawaii
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMazie K. HironoU.S. Senator · Hawaii
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Dear Jill N. Tokuda, I’m a constituent in Hawaii’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, and couldn’t. All 3 sites at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) (Haleakala National Park, Hawaii) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Dear Brian Schatz, I’m a constituent in Hawaii. I tried to camp at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, and couldn’t. All 3 sites at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) (Haleakala National Park, Hawaii) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Dear Mazie K. Hirono, I’m a constituent in Hawaii. I tried to camp at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits), Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, and couldn’t. All 3 sites at Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 3 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Haleakalā National Park (Cabin Permits) (Haleakala National Park, Hawaii) via campanac.com