Sight · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
A forested cone gives a close view of Maunaulu’s lava shield.
Overview
Puʻuhuluhulu Overlook is a summit deck on a forested cinder cone above Maunaulu’s broad lava shield. It’s a rewarding half-day if you want a close look at Kīlauea’s 1969–74 eruption landscape, but reaching the view takes a 2.5-mile walk over rough lava.
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes audio tourRecorded for this place
Maunaulu: Walk to Puʻuhuluhulu“You're approaching the Maunaulu trailhead, where a walk to Puʻuhuluhulu gives you a view across the lava landscape from a wooded cone.”
Plays as you drive up to Puʻuhuluhulu Overlook in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The route starts about 100 yards from the Maunaulu parking area, follows ahu across lava flows, then climbs 210 feet. The hike is moderate overall, with a steep final quarter-mile; the lava is uneven, unstable and cut by deep cracks. Allow 2–3 hours and bring food and water. There’s a restroom at the parking area. Stay on the marked route, don’t touch fragile lava tree molds, and don’t make new ahu.
From the summit deck, Maunaulu’s wide lava shield fills the foreground. On clear days the view reaches Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and the Pacific. For a photo, frame the open shield beyond the forested cone.
Puʻuhuluhulu means “shaggy hill.” The volcanic cone predates Maunaulu by more than 500 years and once stood nearly 300 feet above its surroundings. Maunaulu formed in the 1969–74 eruption, dwarfing and nearly surrounding the older cone. Puʻuhuluhulu served as an observation point and fountain-measuring station; eruption fountains reached 1,770 feet.
Cinder, spatter and ash from gas-rich fountains built the cone. Its old crater shelters rare native plants, including ʻōhā, from feral pigs, and has helped seed plants colonizing fresh lava.
Wildlife
600 sightingsHawaiian Goose (Nēnē)Most seen around 5 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
36 sightingsHawaiian Hawk ('Io)Most seen around 11 AMSighting map
41 sightingsBlack NoddyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
96 sightingsWhite-tailed TropicbirdMost seen around noonSighting map
24 sightingsHawai'i 'ElepaioMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingMakaopuhi Crater Trail8.2 mi · 5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA long lava crossing opens at a steep, forested crater rim.
ModerateMaunaulu / Puʻuhuluhulu Trail2.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayCross 1969 lava flows to a forested cone and its viewing platform.
ChallengingNāpau Trail12.4 mi · 7.2 hr · 0.9 mi awayCross old lava rivers into a fern forest and a crater overlook.
ChallengingKeauhou Trail15.2 mi · 8.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayLava ridges lead to a freshwater seep on the remote coast.
EasyNāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 3.7 mi awayA short ferny walk leads into a 500-year-old lava tube.
EasyEscape Road Trail3.8 mi · 2 hr · 3.7 mi awayA gentle forest descent from Nāhuku toward Mauna Ulu.
EasyDevastation Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 4 mi awayA short paved walk through cinder from Kīlauea Iki’s 1959 eruption.
EasyKeanakākoʻi Crater Trail2 mi · 1.3 hr · 4 mi awayAn easy walk on a former road reaches a 115-foot crater.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayPauahi CraterA roadside look into a crater shaped by three eruptions.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayMakaopuhi Crater OverlookKīlauea’s largest pit crater, with a blue lava lens on its wall.
Scenic pullout · 2.4 mi awayMau Loa o MaunauluSee Maunaulu's glassy 1969–74 lava field from the road.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayKoʻokoʻolau Crater LookoutA pit crater with a 1958 survey marker on its rim.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayMuliwai a PeleA three-day lava river left its own channels and levees.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayPuhimau CraterA quick roadside look into one of Kīlauea's steep-walled pit craters.
Sight · 3.7 mi awayNāhuku Lava TubeA rainforest walk opens into a lava tunnel.
Sight · 3.7 mi awayLuamanu and July 1974 FlowA crater holds the mark of lava that later drained away.Parkwolf’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
