Haleakala means "House of the Sun" in Hawaiian.
Maui's Haleakala National Park is 10,023 feet high and is one of the most popular attractions on Maui.
Over 2 million people a year make the 37 mile drive up the Haleakala's summit from Central Maui.
There is a park admission fee and at the time this article was written the fee was $10 per car.
Before making the drive up to this National Park you should check the following off your list: * Fill up your gas tank.
Keep in mind there are no gas stations within 27 miles of the summit.
No matter what time of day you plan on visiting you should make sure you have a full gas tank just to be safe.
* Bring drinking water even if you don't plan on doing any hiking.
The high elevation can make it hard to breath and you will probably get thirsty and you don't want to get dehydrated.
* Bring warm clothes or dress in layers.
Remember you will be at a high elevation and the temperatures can dip below freezing at any time of the year.
Factor in the wind chill and it can get very cold up on the summit.
One of the most popular things to do at Haleakala besides hiking is to bike down the mountain.
There are guided bicycle tours and the ride down the mountain is more like a coast down the mountain, since it's all down hill.
Many people consider coasting down Haleakala to be the highlight of their Maui vacation.
If biking down the mountain sounds like fun to you then plan ahead and book your bike tour online before going to Maui.
You could potentially save more than half the cost.