Don鈥檛 miss this one. Kalahaku Overlook (9324ft), 0.8 miles beyond Leleiwi Overlook, offers a bird鈥檚-eye view of the crater floor and the ant-size hikers on the trails snaking around the cinder cones below. At the observation deck, plaques provide information on each of the volcanic formations that punctuate the crater floor. From the deck you鈥檒l also get a perfect angle for viewing both the Ko驶olau Gap and the Kaupo Gap on the rim of Haleakal膩.
Between May and October the 驶耻补驶耻 (Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel) nests in burrows in the cliff face at the left side of the observation deck. Even if you don鈥檛 spot the birds, you can often hear the parents and chicks making their unique clucking sounds. Of about 20,000 驶耻补驶耻 remaining today, most nest right here at Haleakal膩, where they lay just one egg a year. These seabirds were thought to be extinct until sighted in the crater during the 1970s.
A short trail below the parking lot leads to a field of native 驶补丑颈苍补丑颈苍补 (silversword), ranging from seedlings to mature plants.
This overlook is only accessible on the way down the mountain.