Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) Trail
Keoneheʻeheʻe drops from near 10,000 feet into a basin of cinder cones, lava, desert color, and rare alpine life.
Artwork inspired by Reuben Tam
Keoneheʻeheʻe drops from near 10,000 feet into a basin of cinder cones, lava, desert color, and rare alpine life. Distances look deceptively short in the clear air, while loose cinder and altitude slow travel. Silverswords, shifting cloud, and the huge enclosing walls turn the route into more than a scenic descent.
Set a turnaround time based on the climb out, not the easy descent. Carry sun, cold, wind, rain, water, and food protection; never shortcut switchbacks or approach nēnē, and stop if altitude symptoms develop. A 3 hours–full day visit to Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) Trail works best when high-altitude return remains part of the plan instead of an afterthought.
- Geography
- Maui
- Best comparison
- high-altitude return
- Visit window
- 3 hours–full day
Quick guide
- Start with
- Begin with summit basin so the larger story has a clear physical anchor.
- Look closely at
- Compare cinder cones with high-altitude return; their relationship is what makes this stop distinctive.
Know before you go
- Start with
- Use summit basin to establish the place before widening the visit.
- Look closely at
- Compare cinder cones with high-altitude return rather than treating either as background.
- Connect the story
- Distances look deceptively short in the clear air, while loose cinder and altitude slow travel.
- Plan around
- Set a turnaround time based on the climb out, not the easy descent.
Good to know
At Keoneheʻeheʻe (Sliding Sands) Trail, do not separate summit basin from high-altitude return. Set a turnaround time based on the climb out, not the easy descent.
Notice these
- summit basin
- cinder cones
- high-altitude return