Crater Road (Rt. 378) and Haleakalā National Park’s summit road will close to visitor traffic while a slow moving convoy transports extremely wide loads to the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope near the volcano’s summit.
The park summit road will be closed to visitors from 6pm on Wednesday, Aug. 19, through 2pm on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. The summit will not be accessible for sunrise viewing on Thursday, August 20. Although the park road to the summit will re-open at 2pm on Thursday, the Haleakalā Visitor Center (at 9740 feet of elevation) will remain closed all day.
In addition, the Headquarters Visitor Center (at 7000 feet of elevation) will remain closed all day for bookstore inventory. Back country permits will be available in the foyer of Headquarters Visitor Center from 2pm-4:30 pm on Thursday. Backpackers planning to hike into the crater on Thursday are strongly urged to obtain their permits a day in advance.
Visitors who paid an entrance fee on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (Aug. 18, 19, 20) will have a one-day extension on the usual three-day pass. The extension will apply to both the Kīpahulu and Summit Districts.
The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) Project is located outside of park boundaries. The convoy’s travel through the park is being allowed via Special Use Permit. The convoy will travel at 2 to 5 mph and transport equipment that is over twenty-three feet wide. The road precautions are in place due to the size of the convoy and narrowness of the roads. The convoy will include three semi-truck trailers and various support vehicles.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
