On The Road: To Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Published Date

March 14, 2016

Volcano View, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park/Rebecca Latson

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park offers a steamy landscape that makes for great photos day or night/Rebecca Latson

If you find yourself in our 50th state this spring, take a break from the beach and crowds and tourist haunts to learn a bit about how these islands formed and who the original people were. You can get a good glimpse of this by hopping an inter-island flight from Oahu to the Big Island—Hawaii—and experiencing its fascinating geology and anthropology.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is a treasure of vents and caves, craters and lava tubes, and this year is celebrating its own centennial. It’s quick and easy to visit by car along the Crater Rim Road.

Just past the park’s entrance station, take a few minutes at the Kīlauea Visitor Center to get oriented on the park and briefed on trails. And, since these two volcanoes (Mauna Loa and Kīlauea) are still active, you’ll get a few safety precautions due to the dangerous fumes from these giant, primordial cauldrons. Mauna Loa is the most massive mountain on the planet, measured from the ocean floor, at 56,000 feet! And unlike explosive volcanoes, these two typically spew rivers of molten lava and fiery fountains.

Follow the Crater Rim to the Kīlauea Overlook, then on to Steaming Bluff and the Sulphur Banks. A stop at the Thurston Lava Tube will give you an idea of the force and capriciousness of molten lava.

Then, take the less-than-a-mile hike to the Keanakāko`i Crater to revel in this landscape. You can also drive the scenic 19-mile Chain of Craters Road, from the beach to peak, and see where lava flows have destroyed the pavement at times. The dynamic landscape makes some great photographs as well.

After a day on the mountain, take the time to visit two of the national historic sites on the Big Island— Pu’ukoholā Heiau and Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau. At Pu’ukoholā Heiau (on the northwest coast) you’ll walk in the footsteps of a king, and see a submerged temple guarded by sharks. Across the island, Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau was a place of refuge for defeated warriors and civilians, protected by ancient Gods and the towering volcanoes of Hawai’i.

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