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Sliding Sands Trail

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.
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