Solo Hiking Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands Trail) on Haleakalā, Maui, Hawaiʻi

Ilse
Jan 22, 2024
8 min read

Updated: Jan 31

I had first heard about Keoneheʻeheʻe or the Sliding Sands trail from three backpackers when I was in Seaside Hawaiian Hostel in Waikīkī, Honolulu, on Oʻahu right before starting my abroad semester at Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU). From all the hikes they had done on the Hawaiian islands, the Sliding Sands trail had been their favourite.

Keoneheʻeheʻe or Sliding Sands is known for its extraordinary Mars landscape, making it feel as if you are literally hiking on another planet. The backpackers showed me photos and it was right then and there that I decided that if I were to go to Maui, I would make sure to do that hike. So you can imagine my disappointment when I was in Maui and my friends told me they did not want to do the hike. No hard feelings to them, but I was bummed!

I had never hiked by myself and would usually assume it is too dangerous... What if something happens and you have no cell service and cannot get help? But looking at reviews of the difficulty of the hike online and on Alltrails, I considered the risk that something would low enough to go. This post contains my story of solo hiking Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands trail), including photos, and my tips and advice on doing this hike - whether with a group or by yourself, like me!

The Story of Keoneheʻeheʻe

Keoneheʻeheʻe, or the "Sliding Sands" trail, is a culturally significant hiking trail in Haleakalā National Park, Maui. The hike descends 730 meters (2,400 feet) into the crater of a dormant volcano called Haleakalā, which means ‘House of the Sun’ in Hawaiian. Although the trail was officially set up in the 1930s, the trail was actually set up much earlier by native Hawaiians. As with other volcanic sites around the world, such as with Santa Maria and active volcano Santiaguito in Guatemala, the land here holds cultural and spiritual significance. When you are walking in the crater, you can sense the energy that makes this site so significant.

When you enter sacred places like this that hold significance for Native populations of the land you are visiting, please treat the place and its people with respect. To my knowledge, it is allowed to hike Keoneheʻeheʻe even as a non-Native Hawaiian. However, some places are considered 'kapu' which means both sacred and taboo and these places do not allowed visitors - this might not be in written Western (colonial) law, but it is cultural law, so please respect it.

Why I hiked Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) alone

During my exchange semester on Oʻahu I met wonderful people in various places: through university, through an event called Soulday and through the app Bumble. Via these people I met even more people and that is how I ended up gathering six friends to come on a girls trip to Maui. Except for myself, none of these friends knew everyone else but it worked out remarkably well! Coming from three different continents and four different countries, we exchanged stories and cultures while sleeping in the backyard of a stranger - which is another story to tell sometime.

The group dynamic was amazing and the communication between us smooth, so when I asked whom wanted to join me on the Sliding Sands trail on the last day, I was at least glad that everyone responded honestly. They wanted to go snorkeling. However, after some careful deliberation, I decided to do the hike solo.

and so when I asked This is the story of when on one of our last days I did a hike by myself, while the others went snorkeling. My friends being super supportive dropped me off with our rental car at the base of Haleakalā.

How to get to the trailhead of Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands)?

My friends dropped me off at the base of mountain Haleakalā from where I hitchhiked my way up to the beginning of the trail. It was a day of firsts because besides this being my first solo hike, it was also the first time solo hitch hiking. After a few cars had passed, most kindly signalling that their car was full, Miguel and Leslie from Honduras stopped and took me halfway up the mountain. They were not getting up further because they would stop at the lookout point. It then took me only two cars passing before a very sweet older couple named Tom and Jerry (yes, seriously!) from San Diego took me all the way up.

The trailhead is located in the parking lot of the Haleakalā Visitor Center near the 3,000 meter (10,000 feet) summit in Haleakalā National Park, Maui. The trailhead is clearly marked by a sign at the southwest end of the parking area.

Note that the benefit of hitchhiking is that you do not need any permission with your car. Haleakalā is a popular place for sunrise but parking slots book out quickly, so if you go with your own (rental) car, take that into account!

Practical information on the hike - Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands)

The trail is 18 kilometers (11 miles) and takes about 6 hours to complete, depending on the amount of breaks you take and your fitness level. I would say that it is not very difficult, it just gets demanding towards the end when you have hike up some steep rocky slopes.

There is almost no cover from the sun, so make sure you bring a hat and use sunscreen. There is also no place to fill your water bottle, so even if you have a filter water bottle like me, make sure you bring enough to get you through the day.

What the hike was like - including photos

The first few kilometers of the 18 kilometer (11 miles) trail, I met quite a few other hikers from another trail. But in the 16 kilometers (10 miles) after that, I only encountered two others.

A mountain in the background and some green plants out of focus in the foreground, depicting the Mars landscape on Sliding Sands Haleakalā, Maui — Photo taken by author

Rocky volcanic landscape with winding trail and sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky. Earthy brown and gray tones dominate the scene. — Photo taken by author

Volcanic landscape with reddish-brown hills and rocky terrain under a clear blue sky, partially obscured by white clouds. Remote and serene. — Photo taken by author

This meant that my decision to do the hike solo meant that I was really, completely by myself. So, for hours, I hiked in silence and solitude. And when I say silence, I mean silence. You are walking inside a crater and so there is no wind, no animal sounds, and I chose not to walk with music. For the most part, it indeed seemed as if I was walking on Mars. For hours the only thing I saw were small craters, sandhills and pulverized lavarock which looked like an ocean of ash from afar.

Barren volcanic landscape with rugged brown and red hills under a bright blue sky. A winding dirt path leads through the terrain, evoking solitude. — Photo taken by author

Rugged brown and red volcanic landscape with sparse green vegetation under a clear blue sky. — Photo taken by author

Desolate landscape with dark rocky hills under a clear blue sky, conveying a serene, barren mood. No people or text present. — Photo taken by author

After several hours of hiking, the rocky and volcanic landscape slowly merged with bits of vegetation again. The ashy grey, black and brown landscape turned more colorful with every few hundred meters.

Distant mountain under blue sky with a trail sign reading "Palikū 5.1 Miles" in the foreground. Rugged terrain and sparse greenery. — Photo taken by author

Green ferns and shrubs in foreground, with a rocky mountain under a clear blue sky in the background. Sparse clouds on left. Serene scene. — Photo taken by author

Trail sign shows distances to Palikū, Kapalaoa, Kawilinau, and Park Road. Dirt path and greenery lead to rugged hills under clear blue sky. — Photo taken by author

Then, as if opening a door to another universe, I entered a misty field of grass that looked like a fairy tale. Here it was is if the music of the earth was slowly starting to play again. I heard insects, saw flowers and occasionally had a little heart attack when a giant bird appeared on the trail and quickly flew away again, as surprised by my presence as I was by his.

A fairytale like photo of a misty grass landscape in soft colors — Photo taken by author

Rocky landscape with green shrubs under a clear sky. Mist in the background adds a serene and mysterious mood to the scene. — Photo taken by author

Trail with green grass and rocky hills in fog. Brown sign reads "Please Stand Quietly On Trailside When Horses Are Passing." — Photo taken by author

I had started going up again and was now looking out over the Mars landscape and the grassy fairy tale fields where I had been earlier. It was still misty so I figured I must be hiking in a cloud. Then, I unsuspectedly turned a corner and walked out of that cloud. Within a split second there were tears streaming down my face. "What the actual frick," were my first words. It felt like I had just entered heaven.

Clouds float above lush green hills under a clear sky. A sign reads: "Please Stand Quietly On Trails…" conveying tranquility. — Photo taken by author

Mountain peaks partially covered by fluffy clouds under a clear blue sky, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere. — Photo taken by author

I was up above the clouds and there were rainbows everywhere. In the photo above, if you look carefully you see one of them in the clouds. In reality there were MULTIPLE of these. If a unicorn would have jumped out of the clouds in that moment, I would have probably said "yes, sure, makes sense," because that is genuinely how magical it was.

The last few kilometers took me the longest simply because I did not want to leave. I was by myself, crying in awe of the world, in heaven where the sun was setting, eating my favourite chocolate (Honey Mama's).

Crescent moon over a dark, shadowy mountain silhouette under a deep blue night sky. Peaceful and serene atmosphere. — Photo taken by author

But that was not the end. As icing on the cake there was a lunar eclipse that night that I got to watch from the best spot possible - I had vaguely remember there being a lunar eclipse in those days, but had completely missed that it was that night! Together with a group of strangers that had come specifically to watch the eclipse, I saw the moon come up. I was shivering from the cold at this point because being on a high mountain after a sweaty hike when the sun has gone down is… well quite chilly and I did not bring a jacket. But it was okay.

When I walked up to the road, I luckily saw a dad with two children get into his car. So I sprinted towards him and asked "hey can I have a ride?" Pro tip when hitch hiking: ask a person with children. Not because it is safer (maybe also) but because the children will likely say "of course you can! Right dad?" And so that is how I found my hitch hike back.

I was dropped off in a town where I walked into a fancy Italian restaurant to order a coke and a pizza for takeaway. When my friends picked me up, they were all cheering for me. In that moment I cried again, from joy and gratitude for what a beautiful world with beautiful people we live in!

Tips for Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) specifically

Here are some tips that go for every hike you do, but specifically for this one:

Make sure you bring a hat and sunscreen as there is no cover for most of the hike
Bring enough water as there are no water filling stations or streams with water
Make sure you know the trail's route (it is indicated quite well) or download a map of the trail, for example via Alltrails. There is no cell service inside the crater.
Start early to have enough time to hitch hike back with someone or get to your car
Bring a jacket if you decide to stay longer or if there is a special occasion worth staying longer for, such a lunar eclipse
Enjoy!

Tips and advice when hiking alone

Doing a hike by yourself can be fun, challenging and insightful and I can highly recommend it. However, when hiking alone it is important to think about safety. So, here are some basic 'rules' I followed and considerations that I take into account when hiking alone:

Always make sure someone knows where you are and agree on a time and place to meet, or on a time you will contact them at the latest to let them know you are okay.

Know your way by looking up the trail beforehand, and consider buying, downloading or printing a map.

Have a phone number written down in case you somehow lose access to your phone.

Always bring a basic first aid kit in case something happens along the way.

Depending on the specific natural environment, you might need something like bear spray or a little flute.

A general rule for doing anything alone (or with other people actually): always trust your intuition and listen to your gut feeling. You know more than you think and if something does not feel right, you do not always have to be able to rationalize it to listen to it.

Last but not least, whether it is a good idea to do a hike alone will depend on the context. How dangerous is the hike; is it near cliffs, are there slippery rocks, is there snow? Is it generally safe to be alone in the region you are in; are there high chances of violence or armed robbery?

Having taken all of these aspects into account, the biggest advice is to not let fear stop you, to make it work in a responsible way, and to just do it!

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