Circle a volcano rim, and gaze in wonder at craters, cinder cones, cooled lava flows, rain forest, desert, gorgeous views, volcanic glass, and lava tubes.
At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you can view first hand the real force that is reshaping the Big Island of Hawaii even nowadays. Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, with steam rising from its massive caldera, and a landscape pocked with craters, cooled lava flows and cinder cones. This eleven-mile, 2-hour drive circles the rim and includes a desert and a beautiful rain forest.
The trek starts with a quick orientation at the Kilauea Visitor Center before crossing the road to visit the Volcano House, a historic hotel balanced right on the edge. The 0.3-mile Earthquake Trail, right off the hotel’s parking lot, provides a gorgeous view of the Kilauea Caldera, which measures 2 miles across and 500 feet deep, as well as famed Mauna Loa, the world’s most massive mountain at 32,000 feet from ocean floor to summit.
Driving clockwise around the border, the road enters a rain forest of lush vegetation, stopping off at the Kilauea Iki (“little”) crater, which, some thirty years ago, was a lake of boiling lava with 1,900-foot “fountains” that have since crusted over. Next up is the Thurston Lava Tube, a 0.3-mile loop trail, which takes you through a canal in which hot molten rock once flowed. Up ahead, visit the Puu Puai Overlook and a short foot trail heading along Devastation Trail, a rain forest that is slowly returning after being practically wiped out by Kilauea Iki’s 1959 eruption. After that, the steaming Halemaumau Crater is said to be the home of Pele, Hawaii’s volcano goddess.
Leaving the Crater, you cross old lava flows to the Kau Desert, produced by natural acid rain from the volcanoes, where you also can see the Southwest Rift Zone, fractures in the weakened side of the volcano. The Jaggar Museum offers a good look at different types of volcanic glass and lava known as “Pele’s Tears.” Pass the vents of Steaming Bluff to see the colorful rocks of the Sulfur Banks. The trip wraps up back at the visitor center.
Starting Point:
Kilauea, HI
Distance of Drive:
11 miles
Must Eat:
Cafe 100
969 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: 808-935-8683
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Best Time of Year for Drive:
Year round
Points of Interest on Drive:
Halemaumau Crater
Thurston Lava Tube
Volcano House
Tagged with: best time:yearround • forest • Hawaii • volcano
Filed under: Best Road Trips