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We call this hike the “Crater Sampler” because you experience both ends of Haleakala. You hike a mile down both the switchback trail at 8,000 feet and the summit trail at 10,000 feet. You don't reach the crater floor, but you do experience the volcano's power and its silence, plus, you have magnificent views from our vantage point up high.
The environment at each of the Crater’s trailheads is quite different. At the 8,000-foot level you zigzag down the Switchback Trail built along the Crater rim and look down on numerous flows of craggy gray lava. Endemic plants, unique to Hawai'i thrive all along this trail. Next, you hike a mile at the 10,000-foot summit along Sliding Sands Trail, famous for its panorama of giant cinder cones, each one colored in the pinkish hues of the desert. This is a good workout, giving a true feeling of the crater without being strenuous.
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