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| Love is in the air: Couple watches sun rise in front of summit of Haleakala volcano, Maui, Hawaii,1/22/17, one of the main park attractions despite morning temps in the 30s (AP). |
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Sunrise visitors overload Maui peak, leading to restrictions
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| High in the beautiful Hawaiian wilderness |
HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK,
Hawaii - Well before dawn each morning, throngs of tourists from
around the world make their way to Maui's tallest peak, a dormant
volcano, to see what Mark Twain called the "sublimest spectacle" he ever
witnessed.
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| Selfie time on top of the world! (AP) |
They drive up a long, winding road through the
clouds to an otherworldly, lava-rock landscape at 10,000 feet. Then they
bundle up and take their place for a dazzling daybreak show.
"Just the
sunrise from the top of the world -- it's pretty remarkable and
incomparable," Julia Grant of Mission British Columbia, Canada, said on a
recent visit after watching the sun peek out from the horizon and
saturate the sky in endless shades of yellow, orange, and red.
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| Webcam/Multimedia: View Haleakalā crater conditions via summit webcam, videos. |
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| Crowds gather to wait for Surya/Sol (AP). |
Over the past year the sunrise view from atop
Haleakala -- Hawaiian for "House of the Sun" -- has been attracting over 1,000 people a day. The result, officials say, was a logjam of cars
spilling out of the parking lots and onto the road, creating a safety
hazard, and footsteps trampling sensitive habitat.
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| The view above the clouds (AP) |
To address the problem the National Park Service
this week started requiring reservations and limiting the number of
vehicles to the available parking spots, potentially cutting in half the
number of early-morning visitors.
Sunrise viewing has long been popular at Haleakala, one of the main attractions at Haleakala National Park, despite morning temperatures that often dip into the 30s.
Red soil and lava rocks dominate the summit and only a few hearty plants have adapted to the harsh, high-altitude conditions. The peak also is home to the nene, the Hawaiian goose, and colonies of spiders that feast on bugs blown in from the surrounding wilderness. More
(NPS.gov) This special place vibrates with stories of ancient [indigenous] and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Come visit this special place: renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable hike through the island backcountry. More
Sunrise viewing has long been popular at Haleakala, one of the main attractions at Haleakala National Park, despite morning temperatures that often dip into the 30s.
Red soil and lava rocks dominate the summit and only a few hearty plants have adapted to the harsh, high-altitude conditions. The peak also is home to the nene, the Hawaiian goose, and colonies of spiders that feast on bugs blown in from the surrounding wilderness. More
A rare and sacred landscape
(NPS.gov) This special place vibrates with stories of ancient [indigenous] and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Come visit this special place: renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable hike through the island backcountry. More
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| Andrew Basiago & the Hawaiian Dolphins: Joan Ocean, Dr. Salla, Corey Goode, Jean-Luc |
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