Pit Crater Trail

Pit Crater Trail is a 4.8-mile out-and-back, round trip, from Pit Crater Trailhead to the rim of Forested Pit Crater. The trail gains 1,165 feet and is strenuous; allow 3 to 6 hours. This is the direct, steep route. Starting from Pali o Kaʻeo adds 2.4 miles round trip, while The Glover Trail is a different approach to the same crater.

Kahuku Unit has limited opening days and hours, so check its schedule before you drive out. No reservation or activity fee is listed, though the park entrance fee may apply. Bring water and snacks, and be ready for sun, rain, heat or cold. Dogs aren't allowed. Spray your shoe soles with the provided rubbing alcohol at the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death station. At the crater, keep well back from the edge.

The climb starts very steeply on an old pasture road, crossing uneven grass before passing koa and ʻōhiʻa lehua. The open slopes make weather part of the effort, and grass can be slick when wet. Take your time on the way back down, when tired legs meet that same steep start.

The destination is a collapsed crater with 250-foot walls and a dense native rainforest below. The canopy hides much of the interior, so expect a close look at trees and steep walls rather than an open view to the bottom. The walls helped protect this forest from cattle, pigs and people; many Hawaiian species remain inside, including some that are rare or endangered. Look and listen for native ʻamakihi and ʻapapane. From the established overlook, frame the rim wall with the treetops to show the bowl's depth, and stay behind the railing.

The walk crosses Kahuku, once one of Hawaiʻi's largest ranches, where cattle ranching and volcanic activity shaped the land together. The ranch produced beef and hides for more than 150 years. In 1868, an eruption and earthquakes destroyed ranch owner Capt. Robert Brown's home, just two years after he bought the property.