From the ground, Olympus Mons would probably look less like a classic pointy mountain and more like an enormous, gradual ramp that dominates the sky. Because it is a shield volcano with very shallow average slopes, people near its base might first notice a huge cliff-like edge and then a long, rising plain rather than a single peak.

What it would feel like

If you were standing nearby, the mountain would seem almost unreal in scale. The summit could be hidden by distance or horizon curvature, while the upper slopes would stretch so far that they might blend into the landscape instead of towering neatly above it.

Visible features

The most dramatic part from ground level would likely be the escarpment around the edge, where Olympus Mons drops sharply from the surrounding terrain. Far above that, the summit caldera would not look like a tiny crater; it is vast, but from below it would still read as a distant depression near the top of an immense volcanic plateau.

Simple mental picture

Think of a mountain the size of a region, not a single peak. One way to imagine it is as a massive sloping wall or a giant, flattened mound that keeps rising until it disappears into the sky.

Bottom line

So the best shorthand is: Olympus Mons from the ground would look like a gigantic, shallow-sided volcanic wall-and-ramp system, not a sharp mountain like Everest.