Our favorite trail in the Summit Area of Haleakala National Park was Hosmer Grove Trail. This one is a short trail below the summit that forms a double loop, so you can do variable distances. Though the main feature of this trail is a dark grove of trees, you have a very good chance of seeing a bright red scarlet tanager, or I’iwi, which is a symbol of Hawaii.
Hosmer Grove has its own parking area near the lower Visitor Center on the summit side of Haleakala. There are picnic tables and restrooms at the trailhead. Keep your eyes out as you drive through this area, because we saw a Pueo, or Hawaiian owl, as we got near the grove. As birders, we were thrilled!
Alien Forest
The Hosmer Grove trail runs in a 0.6 mile loop. If you take the shortcut and skip the native shrubs, then it is a little less than half a mile. As you go through the dark trees, you’ll find interesting signs that show the vegetation in Hawaii. As with the animals, most of the plants found in Hawaii are not native, but were brought to the islands. The signs let you know which trees are native, and which were imported and from where. The first loop is through the Alien Forest since these trees were brought to Hawaii. This is where it is very shady and you can see lots of birds!
Native Shrublands
Once you come out of the trees, you arrive at a sort of overlook. Shortly after this, there is a split in the trail. If you’d like to walk the native scrublands section, head left and up around through the more open area. We came across a bench to enjoy the views, but there wasn’t much to see in this area. Follow around to join back with the original loop and head to your car. If you want to skip this part, then head right after the overlook and the shortcut will take you back into the trees.
I’iwi and other Hawaiian birds
During the hike you have a very good chance to spot a scarlet honeycreeper called an I’iwi. This amazing bird is bright red with perfectly black wings. It is about the size of a robin, but it has a massive hooked beak, which is really beautiful if you are lucky enough to see the I’iwi perched on a tree branch. Seeing these little birds is quite a thrill, so keep your eyes open. We spotted lots of other birds on the Hosmer Grove trail, too, including a nene that greeted us at the start of the trail.
We enjoyed the Hosmer Grove Trail because of the interesting signs and the amazing birds. It is an easy trail that takes only about a half hour. For other hikes in Haleakala, visit our Haleakala Family Friendly Hikes list.
