A witch’s bubbling cauldron, a path surrounded by devastation, and new earth in creation. Welcome to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
Driving down the Chain of Craters Road takes you on a strange philosophical journey. Making your way from the visitor center down towards the ocean, you cross endless lava fields with no life in sight. You pull your car over on the side as you notice a sign. The wind here is unbelievably strong, throwing you off balance. After reading the sign that explains the history behind the lava flow and the hiking trail that starts there, you look up and imagine the lone backpacker. You think about him walking through miles of nothingness, exposed to the elements, contemplating the bigger meaning of life, losing and finding himself in the tranquility left behind by the devastating birth of this world.
The rain, the sun and the double rainbow arching over an unusually green patch of a lava field are a surreal sight to behold. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) is a strangely exotic place. The road winds down through several bends and suddenly exposes the vast ocean. The brown lava cliffs dotted with green signs of life and marked with areas of black lava flows are an interesting contrast to the blue ocean in the background. You can differentiate the newer lava flows that are so much darker in color. They appear like smooth cake batter layers folded on top of each other. So perfect; almost as if the lava froze mid flow. You stand there and say to yourself, “Do you realize that you are standing on one of the youngest pieces of land in the entire world?”. It gives you goosebumps. Then you feel speechless and are unable to form additional coherent thoughts.
The Town of Volcano
Not to be confused with HVNP, or an actual volcano, Volcano is a little town a mile outside of the park. We spent 2 nights at the Bamboo Orchid Cottage. Our pleasant host, Gary, accommodated us in the Wild Ginger room and served delicious papaya boats at a community breakfast, in the true B&B tradition. I highly recommend staying at this place. It is very relaxing and is a very good base to see HVNP.
For dinner on our first night, we went to Kilauea Lodge. The environment was really nice but neither my husband nor I were crazy about our food. I had their Eggplant Parmesan served on a bed of rice pilaf but it was really oily. They did seem to have a lot of gluten free options for you fellow travelers with dietary restrictions. Make reservations if you decide to go. Our second night, we did take out from Thai Thai and their food was delicious. Our last culinary escapade was Volcano’s Lava Rock Cafe. This is a good place for lunch. The only place inside HVPN that offers food is Volcano House. People had good things to say but I have no first hand experience with the place.
About the Park
The soul of HVNP is Hawaii’s youngest active volcano, Kilauea. It has been erupting almost constantly since 1983. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world with an estimated volume of 18,000 cubic miles, is also part of HVNP but Mauna Kea (now dormant) is not. Unlike the mainland volcanoes that erupt in an explosive fashion, Kilauea’s style is concentrated on fountain-like eruptions which generates less toxic fumes. The volcano has a large summit caldera called Kilauea Caldera and within it is a crater at Halema’uma’u that contains a lava lake.
A ‘must do’ at night is to drive up to the Jagger Museum for viewing the lava lake here which looks like a witch’s bubbling cauldron and glows red under a star lit sky. Pretty magical, if you ask me.
You can visit the museum during business hours to learn more about the history of the volcano. The Crater Rim Drive circles the entire caldera but, the increased amount of sulphur emitted from the lava lake forced the park to close down a huge section of the drive in recent years. Crater Rim Trail goes around the Kilauea Caldera and is also closed beyond the Jagger Museum, just like the road. The park classifies it as a challenging hike but you have the option to hike sections of the trail where you get to explore many craters, steam vents and areas of desert-like terrain.
The more recent eruptions have been at the Pu’u O’o vent on the eastern side of the volcano. At the time of authoring this post, seeing active lava flows by foot is not possible. You can try a helicopter tour but there is no guarantee that you will see lava flows as the nature of the flows changes on a regular basis. Your best bet is to visit the website for U.S.G.S. Hawaii Volcano Observatory and get updates on any active lava flows. If you get lucky and are on the island when viewing lava flows is an option, book a night time helicopter tour for a dramatic view of the glowing lava.
Drive to the visitor center so you can buy passes and collect hiking maps to plan your next day to get an early start. The visitor center is well maintained and it carries a great variety of useful information. If you can’t figure out which hike is the best one for you, talk to a ranger at the visitor center. They are all very helpful and also lead some tours, I believe. If you are into astronomy, pick up a stargazing map here; on clear nights Hawaiian skies offer some of the best stargazing in the world.
Make sure you carry a rain jacket wherever you go in the park. Weather is unpredictable and rain showers are frequent. The summit of Kilauea is at 4000 feet, so it can be chilly at night time. Bring lots of water with you on hikes even if it does not feel warm; it can be very dry and you’ll be thirsty. Sunscreen is a must at any time of the year, as down in the craters you are completely exposed and there is little to no shade.
Interesting note: collecting lava rocks or any other geological and cultural artifacts from the park is illegal but locals believe that taking lava rocks or sand bring the person immense bad luck. Our host at the B&B told us of stories where people mailed the rocks and sand back to locals years after taking it because a series of remarkably bad things happened to them. Even if you are not superstitious, respect the locals’ desire to maintain this place that they hold sacred and also respect the rules of the park. Leave everything the way it is so that generations to follow can experience this place just like you did.
Kilauea Iki Trail
Kilauea Iki Trail is a 4 mile loop that takes you around and into the Kilauea Iki Crater. You begin the hike with a leisurely stroll through a peaceful rain forest. The descent into the crater is through a series of dramatic steps but I had fun running down them. The surface of the crater is obviously solid since you are able to walk on it but the rocks below the surface are still hot. You’ll witness the site of the 1959 volcanic activity when lava flowed out of the Pu’u Pua’i (cinder cone). There isn’t another experience that can quite match the feeling of walking on top of a solidified lava lake that once led to immense destruction. You can peer into the vent below the cinder cone.
I highly recommend picking up a trail guide at the visitor center because it will really enhance your experience by providing a lot of geographical, historical and ecological information about the crater. There are numbered signs along the trail which help you figure out which information block in the guidebook you should be reading. Once you cross over to the other side of the crater, the climb out can be challenging but it’s not bad if you are in good shape or hike regularly.
If you started the hike from the correct side then the Thurston Lava Tube is the last thing you will encounter. Once out of the crater, you will find yourself in a parking lot. Cross the road and you’ll see the entrance to the lava tube on the right. Take a short walk through the tube and emerge into a shady grove of trees before making your way back to the parking area.
End of Chain of Craters Road Trail
If you take the Chain of Craters Road, that I talked about in the beginning of this post, you can drive all the way down to sea level. This was one of my favorite experiences in the park. At the end of the road is a short paved path creatively named the End of Chain of Craters Road Trail.
At the start of the trail, there is a small ranger station where you’ll notice a path that leads you closer to the ocean. When standing there, you are able to see several sea arches which are quite magnificent. This is also a good spot for stargazing on a clear night.
The trail itself used to be a part of the road but a lava flow in 2003 destroyed it. This section was repaved and is now only accessible by foot. It makes for a two-way 1.25 mile scenic stroll. If you turn your back at the ocean you are rewarded with breathtaking views of the cliffs. A coconut grove planted here is a strange sight at the corner of destruction. The trail ends at a dirt and gravel emergency access road.
The Big Island is huge and you can easily spend 4-5 days exploring HVNP if you decide to go backpacking here. I often wonder what the experience would have been like, just walking in this huge unshaded open space. If I ever go back here, there are two backpacking hikes I would love to do: Waimano Valley and HVNP.
Have you been backpacking in HVNP? What was the experience like and would you recommend it to others? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
