Haleakalā

Lore & Background

Early Hawaiians applied the name Haleakalā ('house of the sun') to the general mountain. In Hawaiian folklore, the depression at the summit was home to the grandmother of the demigod Māui, who helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky to lengthen the day. Haleakalā started forming 2 million years ago and built a massive shield volcano along three rift zones, though the crater itself is not volcanic in origin—it formed when the headwalls of two large erosional valleys merged at the summit.

Reader's Guide

Haleakalā is a key geological and cultural landmark. The volcano's two active rift zones—southwest and east—form one of the longest combined rift zones in the Hawaiian Islands chain. The U.S. Geological Survey rates the summit and southwest rift zone as Hazard Zone 3, based on eruption frequency and lava flow coverage. Haleakalā National Park, encompassing the summit depression and surrounding areas, is a popular destination for sunrise viewing and hiking, though trails can be challenging due to altitude and descent. The park also hosts endangered species such as the nēnē bird and the endemic Haleakalā silversword plant, which faces threats from climate change and herbivores. Conservation efforts include mosquito control using the incompatible insect technique to protect native forest birds like the kiwikiu and 'ākohekohe.

Did You Know?

• Haleakalā's crater is not volcanic in origin but formed when two large erosional valleys merged at the summit.
• The Haleakalā silversword plant grows nowhere else on Earth.