People used to hike freely in Hawaii's Haleakala National Park in Maui and watch the sun rises, but everything changed when authorities have set new policies which include advanced bookings and park entrance fees. That's right, watching sun rises are no longer for free.
Haleakala, a Hawaiian word for 'House of the Sun,' is the island's most famous area to view day breaks as it rises over a nearby volcano. Due to overpopulation and the avoidance of accidents, authorities of the park have introduced sunrise reservations. Haleakala's fame has caused traffic jams, destruction of foliage and vegetation and led to the increase of human injuries.
Foreign and domestics visitors will have to pay $1.50 for parking while park entrance fees have people paying them for $20. The payment is available for the peak hours of 3AM to 7AM.
Park officers have reported to The Telegraph, that most people held out their phones to take snaps and videos of the sunrise rather than enjoying it. In the same report, Park Superintendent Natalie Gates said, "If you ever went up there, you would see that fully half to three-quarters of our visitors who are watching the sunrise are either taking photos that they immediately broadcast to their friends, or filming it."
Only 16 percent of the total visitors watch the sunrise, yet it has accounted for most of the park's emergency medical calls. Gates explained, "It's a dark place. It's rocky. And when people are moving away from crowds and trying to go off trail, often frequently stumbling around on cliff sides in the dark, we see trauma cases, altitude cases."
The park's fees to control the crowd are seen to be used for the maintenance of the rather popular site. And in case people are interested in reserving a spot or two, they can contact the park at recreation.gov.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
