Hosmer Grove lies in the cloud belt of Haleakalā, at nearly 7,000-feet (2134m) in elevation in the summit area. This picnic pavilion is located 0.5 mile (0.8 km) past the Haleakalā entrance station, next to the campground and Hosmer Grove Trail. It is an ideal place to have a picnic or let the kids run around, with a grassy lawn, numerous trees to provide shade, and a covered picnic area to rest under or take a seat. It is one of the few places in the park where you can get out of the sun, or rain, with a tall canopy of trees overhead for protection.

The picnic shelter was built during Mission 66 (1956-1966), as part of the program to modernize and improve park infrastructure across the country. The grove behind is one of three experimental forestry plots planted by Ralph S. Hosmer, who was elected Superintendent of Forestry of the Territory of Hawai‘i in 1904. He saw the need for a timber resource in Hawaiʻi and also wanted to test out tree species to help control erosion. Hosmer planted 13 different species of trees in this forest plot, from pines to eucalyptus, to see which were best suited for the higher elevations and climate in Hawaiʻi. Some species did not fare well and died, while others flourished, and have created a tall canopy in this forest today. The smell of eucalyptus and pine trees will engulf your senses while walking the short trail located behind the picnic shelter. The native alpine shrubland plants along this trail are a good example of the predominant species that grow at this elevation. The sounds of native forest bird calls like iʻiwi, amakihi, and ʻapapane will remind you that you are in the Wao Akua, or realm of the gods.

Read more about the history of Hosmer Grove or take a look at the Birds of the Summit District guide.