Sliding Sands Trail

Name: Sliding Sands  Trail

Location- Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii

Roundtrip- 11 miles till camp (backpacking)

Rating- Strenuous as it starts at 10,000ft and goes downhill first. Need to be aware of the uphill climb!

This is my most favorite hike till date. As you walk amidst these dormant volcanoes, you are suddenly transported to another planet.

This is the view of Western Maui mountains (Iao Valley) as you are climbing up the Haleakala Peak.

First sight of the observatory and the peak at the Trailhead.

Are you on Mars?!

A land of wonder!

Such beautiful vistas, streaks and these are pictures from my super simple camera!

I could not get enough of the scene at hand (or leg? :P)

It is a straight 2000ft descent in about 2 miles. It is very easy to go down being lost in the beauty and serenity of the place.

When you stop to look behind, you are caught in a fix to determine which spot is the best.

The sparse vegetation.

The endangered species of the land- Silversword! They really are silver.

They look like these fuzzy balls scattered around the place. They are present at around 1.8 mile marker and nowhere else.

Proof of lava flow and solidification. When you walk on it, you have a feeling that you are part of history :)

This is very deceptive and you can go on without stopping. CAUTION: Stop! Assess the amount of distance and depth at a point and note that you have to climb back that steep ascent. At 10,000ft, the equations are totally different.

Once you are back, you cant stop looking back :)

This is a very challenging trail. It is best to backpack and walk the entire 11 miles to the camp to avoid the ascent back on the steep slope. Carry lots of water! Best part is, if you dont want to walk all the way, you can stop wherever you want and just turn back.

HAPPY TRAILS!