Haleakala Sunrise Starts at 3 AM

3 AM alarm. Two hours driving from the coast up to 10,023 feet. The summit is around thirty degrees at dawn, which is a genuine shock after sea-level shorts weather. Bring a real jacket. Bring a blanket. You will be cold and tired and questioning your life choices.

Then the horizon goes from black to purple to orange, so gradually you can't pinpoint the moment it changes. The cinder cones inside the crater light up one by one. The clouds below you — yes, below — turn pink and gold. For about eight minutes the whole world is brand new and you're standing above it watching it happen. Nobody talks. Strangers huddled in the dark and then suddenly everything is on fire with light and the crater that looked like Mars is now the most alive thing you've ever seen.

Reservations required — $1 per car at recreation.gov, book weeks ahead. Road is steep, winding, and dark. This is the best sunrise most people will ever see and it costs one morning of sleep.