What to Wear in Maui in February

Pack for the mountain first. NOAA NCEI's normals give Kahului Airport 82.2°F by day and 63.8°F at night in February, almost exactly January's figures, with 51mm of rain over about 9 days. Upcountry is another story. Kula Branch Station averages 52.8°F on February nights and Haleakalā's park headquarters, at 6,962 feet, 42.7°F, the lowest normals of the year at both. The whales are still at their peak, which NOAA's sanctuary puts at January through March, and Pacific Whale Foundation's Great Whale Count runs from 8am to noon on Saturday 27 February. So bring down and wool for the dawn, a tee for the afternoon, and a backpack to carry one while you wear the other.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Cream down jacket, stand collar, hip length

   Haleakalā's park headquarters station, at 6,962 feet, averages 42.7°F on February nights, its coldest month, and the summit is 3,000 feet higher: NWS Honolulu puts winter nights above 10,000 feet in the 20s Fahrenheit. Down gives the most warmth for its weight, the stand collar closes against the wind at the rim, and it squashes into the backpack by ten.

2. 
   02

   Cream heavy-gauge wool crew

   Kula's normal February low is 52.8°F, the coldest of its year, and dinner in Kula or Makawao happens after dark. A heavy wool crew over the tee handles that on its own, then goes under the down jacket at the summit. Cream sits cleanly against navy chinos and reads as one colour with the jacket.

3. 
   03

   Teal crew-neck cotton tee

   At sea level the afternoon still reaches 82°F, January's figure to the decimal, and by lunch the down and the wool are in the backpack. Plain cotton breathes on a south-shore walk, teal picks up the colour of the ʻAuʻau Channel, and it is the base layer under everything else on this list.

4. 
   04

   Navy cotton chinos, straight leg

   One pair of trousers does the whole day. The Park Service's summit list names long pants, cotton twill blocks the wind at the knee before dawn, and a straight navy leg looks right at a Kīhei lunch at 82°F. Navy also hides the dust from an Upcountry car park.

5. 
   05

   Navy lace-up low-top sneakers

   For the summit the Park Service asks for hiking boots or athletic shoes, and before dawn the paths around the overlooks are uneven and cold. A laced sneaker with a thick rubber sole qualifies, grips a wet shore path at the whale count, and goes to dinner. Navy runs the chinos into the shoe in one line.

6. 
   06

   Navy fine-rib merino beanie

   Your ears go first in wind below freezing, and the park says the summit's hours before dawn regularly reach it. Fine merino stays warm without itching, the deep cuff doubles the knit over your ears, and it folds into a jacket pocket for the drive down.

7. 
   07

   Ocean-teal cotton-twill cap, no logo

   Pacific Whale Foundation's Great Whale Count puts volunteers at 11 shoreline sites, McGregor Point and Polo Beach among them, from 8am to noon on Saturday 27 February: four hours of sun coming off the water. A brimmed cap shades your eyes for the counting, and Maui County's cover-up advice starts with a hat, because it allows only mineral sunscreen. Teal matches the tee.

8. 
   08

   Small brown leather backpack

   Every layer you take off has to go somewhere. A February day that starts at the summit before dawn and ends on a beach at 82°F sheds a down jacket, a wool crew and a beanie along the way, and a small backpack carries all three with both hands free for the overlook rail or a pair of binoculars.

A suggested look — cream down jacket, cream wool crew-neck sweater, navy chinos, navy lace-up sneakers, navy merino beanie.

What to avoid

• Beachwear at the summit — nothing is for sale inside the park
• Approaching whales — 100 yards by boat, board, swimmer or drone
• The Kīhei visitor center on 15 February — closed for Presidents' Day
• Non-mineral sunscreen — its use is banned in Maui County
• A tee for dinner in Kula — its February nights run 11°F colder than the coast