Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PA KA'OAO
If you don't feel like sharing the visitor center lookout with 400 other people at sunrise,
take this five-minute trail to the top of White Hill for a little more breathing room (al-
though you'll be huffing on the walk up there). This 0.4-mile trail departs from the parking
lot at the summit visitor center and offers views down into the crater floor below.
LELEIWI OVERLOOK
This is the “secret” sunrise spot favored by locals and return visitors. Many assume that the
best views will be from the top, but in some cases this just isn't true. From
Leleiwi Over-
look,
the view down into the crater is the same as from the summit—but it isn't as far, and
it isn't as cold. Halfway between the park headquarters and the summit, pull off into the
parking lot at mile marker 17.5 (about 8,800 feet in elevation) and follow a 0.5-mile trail
through the subalpine brush. At first it won't look like you're going anywhere exciting,
but after a few minutes you reach the rim of the crater and are awarded with colors which
spring from the earth. This is a nice option if you are running late for the sunrise, and as
an added bonus there are rarely more than a handful of people watching the spectacle with
you. Since this lookout faces east, however, sunset isn't as nice.
HOSMER'S GROVE NATURE TRAIL
Unlike other trails in the park, the
Hosmer's Grove Nature Trail
is at the lower park
boundary just after you enter the park. This easy, 0.5-mile trail leads you through a stand
of trees introduced in 1910 to see if any would be good for commercial lumber. There are
more than 20 different species here. Here you'll see Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, incense
cedar, eucalyptus, Norway spruce, Douglas fir, and Japanese sugi. Several signs are pos-
ted along the trail to explain about the trees, and this is also a good spot to look for nat-
ive birds. To reach the trailhead, make a left on the road pointing toward the campground
immediately after entering the park. The walk should take a half hour over mostly level
ground.
KA LU'U O KA O'O
If you don't have a full day (or couple of days) to devote to a hike across the crater floor,
a nice option is the 5.5-mile descent to the
Ka Lu'u O Ka O'o
cinder cone. This hike de-
parts from the Sliding Sands trailhead and drops two miles down into the crater, or about
halfway down Sliding Sands trail.
