Hosmer Grove and Kīpahulu, both at Haleakalā, both reserved ahead; our build of the federal recreation database
Clubs and Hawaii access
Access here is decided in rooms, not on trails. Nā Ala Hele runs seven advisory councils, one statewide and one for each of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi, and their membership deliberately seats off-highway vehicle representatives beside hunters, hikers, riders and landowners.
A club that shows up to those councils has more say over what stays open than one that does not. The same goes for the county rules on Waipiʻo, which have been continued by the mayor more than twenty times.
A club turns a vehicle into a calendar. Day runs, weekend trips, training days, garage nights, and a list of people who will come and get you.
Most clubs offer
01Organized runs and trips at different levels
02Training days for new members
03Trail maintenance and clean-ups
04A voice in local land-use planning
05Help, tools and advice
How to find the right one
Go on a run as a guest before you pay dues.
01Decide between a club built around one make and one open to anything.
02Ask about the pace and style: family camping, technical trails, long-distance travel.
03Ask what the dues pay for.
04Watch how they treat the newest driver on a run.
Why clubs matter
Routes stay open because someone shows up. Clubs that adopt trails, clear them after winter and take part in land-use planning are a large part of why there is still somewhere to drive.
Questions people ask
Do I need a certain vehicle?
Some clubs are built around one make. Many are open to anything with four-wheel drive and a willingness to learn.
How do I list my club?
Use the List your business form and choose Clubs. Tell us where you meet and how people can join a run.
How high is Hawaii?
From Kaunakakai at 12 feet to Puʻu Wēkiu, Mauna Kea at 13,796.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
VolcanoAt the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes entrance, where the park sells no fuel3,743 ft
WaimeaUpcountry Hawaiʻi Island, between the Kohala coast and Saddle Road2,666 ft
Lānaʻi CityLānaʻi’s only town, at 1,635 feet in the middle of the island1,635 ft
PukalaniLast fuel on the way up to the Haleakalā summit1,427 ft
HonokaʻaTop of Route 240 and the last town before the Waipiʻo lookout1,084 ft
NāʻālehuKaʻū district services on the belt road near the Kahuku Unit659 ft
PāhoaLower Puna, where the 2018 flows rewrote the road map649 ft
PāʻiaLast fuel before Hāna on the north shore road254 ft
LīhuʻeKauaʻi’s harbour and airport, and the island’s service centre207 ft
KapaʻaEast Kauaʻi services on the way to the end of the north shore road130 ft
HānaEast Maui services, 12 miles short of the Kīpahulu district129 ft
Kailua-KonaDry-side services and the long way round to the volcano54 ft
KahuluiMaui’s harbour and airport, where a shipped vehicle lands34 ft
WaimeaThe turn for the canyon road and the west-side approach to Polihale30 ft
HiloThe wet-side port and the fullest services on Hawaiʻi Island19 ft
KaunakakaiMolokaʻi’s one town, and the county campgrounds west of it12 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Puʻu Wēkiu, Mauna KeaThe state high point, published by USGS. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 13,79713,796 ft
Mauna LoaThe largest active volcano on the planet, covering half of Hawaiʻi Island. Our own reading at its map point gives 13,67413,679 ft
Haleakalā summitThe Park Service figure for the summit of the Maui volcano, reached by 11 miles of paved road above the entrance station10,023 ft
Haleakalā summitHaleakalā Crater Road to the summit10,023 ft
Maunakea Visitor Information StationMaunakea Access Road and the summit road9,200 ft
HualālaiOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Kailua-Kona8,269 ft
Puʻu LāʻauPuʻu Lāʻau Road7,000 ft
Mauna Loa LookoutThe end of the narrow one-lane Mauna Loa Road inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, and the highest point a road reaches in the park6,662 ft
Mauna Loa LookoutMauna Loa Road6,662 ft
Polipoli SpringPolipoli Spring State Recreation Area road6,200 ft
Puʻu KukuiOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the West Maui high point5,788 ft
KawaikiniOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the Kauaʻi high point5,212 ft
WaiʻaleʻaleOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the Kauaʻi summit plateau5,123 ft
KamakouOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the Molokaʻi high point4,984 ft
KaʻalaOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the Oʻahu high point4,038 ft
Kalalau LookoutKōkeʻe Road and the canyon rim, Kauaʻi4,000 ft
LānaʻihaleOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the Lānaʻi high point3,379 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
