Halāliʻi and Puʻunaue Trail

The first 3.9 miles descend from the visitor-center area toward the valley floor. The loose cinder can feel like walking on a beach, and the trail is exposed to sun and wind. At the valley floor, follow the marked branch around Halāliʻi and Puʻunaue, then rejoin Keoneheʻeheʻe near Kapalaoa before climbing back to the start. The long descent can make the return feel deceptively far away: you gain back nearly 2,500 feet, and high altitude slows the work. Turnaround distance alone does not tell the whole story on this circuit.

What visitors call Haleakalā’s crater is an S-shaped valley carved by water and landslides; the original summit crater has eroded away. Later eruptions partly filled the valley with lava and cinder cones. The loop passes through a landscape of red, black and ochre slopes, with Halāliʻi and Puʻunaue among the many cones built as sticky cinders fell around eruptive fountains. Stay on the marked tread rather than climbing a cone.

Near Halāliʻi, the route reaches Pele’s Paint Pot and Kawilinau, a volcanic pit about 65 feet deep that was once called the “bottomless pit.” They are compact landmarks in a huge, open valley, so give yourself time to notice the contrast between the small red cones and the broad slopes around them.

Start at Keoneheʻeheʻe Trailhead in the Haleakalā Visitor Center parking lot. The visitor center is the last reliable place for drinking water and restrooms; there is no food or gas for sale in the park, so bring all the water and food you need. The National Park Service requires hikers to remain on marked trails, limits groups to 12, and prohibits pets on park trails. If you want a short taste of the terrain instead, the first Sliding Sands overlook is about a half-mile round trip.