Leleiwi Overlook Trail

The Leleiwi Overlook Trail is a short walk to one of Haleakala's most remarkable atmospheric phenomena — the Brocken spectre, a meteorological optical illusion in which a visitor's own shadow is projected onto the clouds below the overlook, surrounded by a circular rainbow called a glory. This effect occurs when the sun is behind the observer and a bank of clouds fills the valley below, conditions that occur most frequently in mid-afternoon when trade-wind clouds build against the volcano's slopes. The overlook sits at approximately 8,800 feet and surveys the Ko'olau Gap — a massive erosional notch carved through the crater's northeast wall by ancient stream erosion — and the cloud-filled Ke'anae Valley plunging toward Maui's north shore. The alien landscape of the crater floor with its polychromatic cinder cones is visible on clear mornings before clouds build. Hawaiian petrels (ua'u) nest in burrows on the upper slopes and can be seen flying at dusk from May through October — their distinctive calls echo across the crater at night. Haleakala silverswords grow along the overlook's margins; federal law prohibits stepping off the paved trail, which protects fragile high-alpine crusts from irreversible compaction. The overlook is a mandatory stop on any Haleakala summit visit regardless of ability level.