Kalahaku Overlook Trail

Kalahaku Overlook Trail is a brief out-and-back from the Summit Road parking area to a shelter on the edge of Haleakalā's crater. The mapped path is about 0.05 mile each way, so allow around 20 to 30 minutes for the walk back and a good look around. The park calls it a 0.1-mile walk but doesn't say whether that's one way or round-trip; this entry uses 0.1 mile for the direct walk out and back. A longer 0.2-mile circuit is listed elsewhere, but its extra route isn't confirmed by the park and isn't part of this record. If you are going before dawn, entry to the Summit District from 3 to 7 a.m. requires a sunrise reservation.

From the shelter, look across the crater floor toward its cinder cones and the Koʻolau and Kaupō gaps. The park identifies 14 puʻu, or hills, in this broad view. For a photo, include one of the smaller cones with the rim so the foreground gives the crater some scale.

The overlook has served visitors for more than a century. Architect Charles W. Dickey designed the original Craigielea rest house in 1894. It was replaced in 1914 and rebuilt again in 1957; the current shelter is in the Mission 66 style used for many mid-century National Park Service buildings.

The overlook is above 9,000 feet, and the short path still climbs about 23 feet. If elevation is already affecting you, this is an easy one to skip. ʻUaʻu (Hawaiian dark-rumped petrels) nest in the area, so keep to designated walking paths. Dogs aren't allowed on trails in the park. An older description reports several mortared lava-rock stair sets; today's route surface and step-free access aren't confirmed.