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How quiet is Haleakalā crater?

10dBAambient level in the crater

The National Park Service says the crater of Haleakalā National Park on Maui is intensely quiet, with levels hovering around 10 dBA. That is among the quietest natural places the NPS has measured, roughly the level of normal breathing and 40 to 50 dB below a typical suburb.

Level
10 dBAA-weighted sound level
Daily limit
No daily limitNIOSH, at the loud end
Versus conversation
1/177,828 energyabout 38.1× quieter

What the numbers mean

How it was measured. Natural ambient sound level in the volcanic crater of Haleakalā National Park, Maui, as reported by the US National Park Service.

The NPS lists the Haleakalā volcano crater at 10 dBA in its table of sound levels measured in national parks, the quietest entry above the threshold of hearing.

For comparison, the NPS gives 20 dBA for remote trails in Grand Canyon National Park ('softer than a whisper') and says the din of a typical suburban area fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBA. The NPS also notes that 20 dBA is perceived as twice as loud as 10 dBA, because each 10 dB step roughly doubles perceived loudness.

The same NPS page notes that sound levels in national parks vary greatly, from among the quietest ever monitored to extremely loud, so a passing aircraft or vehicle easily dominates a place this quiet.

Is it safe?

Below 85 dBA, the level NIOSH allows for a full 8-hour day. At this level, sound is not a hearing risk however long it lasts, though it can still disturb sleep or concentration.

Protecting your hearing

No protection needed. To experience the quiet, visit away from road and aircraft noise and keep voices low; a single conversation easily dominates a 10 dBA soundscape.

Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.

Compared with sounds nearby

Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).

  • Orfield Labs anechoic chamber (−24.9 dBA): this has about 3,090× its sound energy and sounds about 11.2× as loud.
  • Microsoft anechoic chamber (−20.6 to −20.4 dBA): this has about 1,116× its sound energy and sounds about 8.3× as loud.
  • Rustling leaves (10–20 dBA): it has about 3.2× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.4× as loud.
  • Private office (32–34.8 dBA): it has about 219× the sound energy of this and sounds about 5.1× as loud.
  • Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): conversation has about 177,828× the energy of this.

Questions

How quiet is Haleakalā crater?

The National Park Service says levels in the crater hover around 10 dBA, about the level of normal breathing.

Is Haleakalā the quietest place on Earth?

It is one of the quietest natural places the NPS has monitored, but sealed anechoic chambers are far quieter: Guinness World Records lists Orfield Laboratories at -24.9 dBA.

Sources

  1. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: dB_low/dB_high: about 10 dBA.the crater of Haleakala National Park is intensely quiet, with levels hovering around 10 dBAChecked 2026-11-02.
  2. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: dB: table entry 10 dBA.10 Volcano crater (Haleakala National Park)Checked 2026-11-02.
  3. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: Grand Canyon comparison.Along some remote trails in Grand Canyon National Park, sound levels, at 20 dBA, are softer than a whisper.Checked 2026-11-02.
  4. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: suburban comparison.While the din of a typical suburban area fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBAChecked 2026-11-02.
  5. Quietest place, Guinness World Records. Supports: faq: anechoic chamber comparison.In tests conducted on 19 November 2021, the ambient sound level inside the room was measured at -24.9 decibels.Checked 2026-11-02.
  6. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: doubling of loudness.Thus 20 dBA is perceived as twice as loud as 10 dBAChecked 2026-11-02.
  7. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: range of park sound levels.Sound levels in national parks can vary greatly, ranging from among the quietest ever monitored to extremely loud.Checked 2026-11-02.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.