The Sliding Sands trail begins at the
visitor center near the summit of Haleakala. It's the main
trail into the crater descending 2400 feet over a distance of
approximately 5 miles. The trail offers a closer view of the
cinder cones and the lava flows and you don't need to go its
entire distance to find some of the most amazing views. We
didn't go the entire distance, because of lack of time, but
we still enjoyed it. The colours are out of this world. The
trail is in good condition, sandy, but good to walk. Remember
that a good rule is that it will take you twice the time to
hike back than it took you to descend and that hiking at this
high altitude might slow you down even more. The return ascent
is steep and hard going. The trail joins the Halemau'u Trail
a mile west of Paliku Cabin. You can exit via Halemau'u Trail
or loop around by way of other connecting trails and exit
the way you came.
