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Watching the sun rise at Haleakala on Maui has become so popular, visitors will need to make a reservation to get there before dawn.
Reservations to access the summit in Haleakala National Park between 3 and 7 a.m. for Feb. 1 and beyond can be placed starting today at recreation.gov Opens in a new tab.
Park officials say reservations can be made up to two months ahead. Cost per vehicle is $1.50. The fee is separate from the park entrance fee.
A few more reservations will be made available the day before a visit.
A printout of the reservation will have to be displayed on the vehicle dashboard, and the person who made the reservation will be required to show a photo identification card at the entrance.
Officials say the reservation can be used for only the date scheduled, and there are no refunds because of weather. Commercial tour vehicles are exempt from the new system.
The pilot program was initiated for visitor and employee safety and to protect natural and cultural resources, according to the National Park Service website. Beginning next year, park officials will start developing a long-term plan to manage visitor traffic at the summit during sunrise hours.
That plan is slated to be implemented in late 2018 or early 2019, according to Polly Angelakis, chief of interpretation and education at Haleakala National Park.
For more information on the new sunrise reservation system, visit bit.ly/ haleakalasunrisereservation Opens in a new tab.
