Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park · Hawaii

Observatory Trail

3.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 500 ft of climbing · 1,500 ft of descent · 11,024 ft–13,008 ft · native surface · trail class Highly Developed, Moderately Developed · hiking

12,509 ft 12,994 ft · 1.1 mi high 12,994 ft

On the parks map

All 50 trails in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.