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. Over the past year, the sunrise view from atop Haleakala — Hawaiian for “House of the Sun” — has been attracting over a thousand people a day. 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. Though only 16 per cent of park visitors come at sunrise, they account for 40 per cent of the park’s emergency medical calls. The system closes to sunrise viewers after the allotted 150 vehicles per morning have made their reservations.

Source: National Post February 16, 2017 12:56 UTC