A different kind of paradise: Overnighting in Maui's Haleakala crater

Cabin stay is a comfy way to rough it on Maui By LESLIE KELLY SPECIAL TO THE P-I When I told friends I was spending one night of my Maui vacation in a volcano, they thought I was nuts. "Does it get light in the crater?" one asked. Oh yeah. In fact, there's no place to seek a sliver of shade during daylight hours. Haleakala National Park is a world away from the powdery sand beaches most people come to the islands to experience. Its beautifully barren landscape looks a lot like the surface of the moon. It's hard to describe its epic proportions, but imagine Mount Rainier without the trees and snow. This ancient volcano, which last had an eruption around 1790, is actually the tallest mountain in the world -- if you measure it from the floor of the ocean to the chilly 10,000-foot peak. Each year thousands of visitors make the... [read full story]