Red Hill Overlook Summit Trail

Red Hill Overlook Summit Trail is the short public walk from the Puʻuʻulaʻula summit lot to the summit shelter. The mapped path-and-stairs corridor is about 0.12 mile one way, so the out-and-back is about 0.24 mile. Allow 15 to 20 minutes if you want time at the viewpoint. Route descriptions disagree: one gives a 0.2-mile out-and-back and another a 0.3-mile loop. This record follows the visible public access route to the shelter and back, not a crater hike.

From the parking loop, an asphalt path curves around the summit area to concrete stairs with handrails up to the shelter. A steep ramp also reaches the building and may require assistance. The mapped line follows the paved approach and stairs; the ramp is an alternate access. Keep to the public summit paths.

Puʻuʻulaʻula is Haleakalā and Maui’s high point at 10,023 feet. From the shelter, look across the crater’s red cinder cones; on clear days Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea can rise above the clouds to the southeast. For a photo, include some of the cinder ridge in the foreground so the crater has scale. Clouds can hide the distant peaks.

The route is short, but at more than 10,000 feet the thin air can still make people feel unwell. Wind, rain and cold can arrive quickly at the summit, and the steps are steep. Dogs are allowed on paved paths and in parking areas, but not on trails or inside park buildings; this route stays on paved access surfaces. A vehicle reservation is required for park entry from 3 to 7 a.m. for sunrise. There is no food for sale in the park; drinking water is available at visitor centers below the summit.