Visiting Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park by Susan Miles

I am embarrassed to say that it has taken three visits to the state of Hawaii to actually make it out to the island of Hawaii. But, like so many things in this glorious state, it’s not far (less than an hour flight from Oahu), is easy to navigate and has many attractions to keep visitors enthralled. The highlight thou has to be the Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park.

The National Park is the home to two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kilauea. Kilauea, has been in a state of eruption for the past 20 years, spewing lava that adds a phenomenal 500,000 to 900,000 square meters per day.

How to enjoy the Park

While it is often the advise to get an “early start” to take in the glories of a National Park, the Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park is best enjoyed by scheduling your visit around an early afternoon arrival through to the early evening. Staying either at a B&B or cabin in nearby Volcano Village (one mile from the park’s entrance) or at Hilo, an easy 29 mile journey, both are ideal starting points for your day (or days) exploring the park. For what to pack for your visit refer to “How to prepare for your visit” below for recommended supplies.

First stop upon entering the park is the Visitors Center. With the changing conditions of the lava flows in the park, it is imperative that you check with the Rangers daily on the viewing points and the go and no go zones. The other must do is to view the introduction/safety film on the park. While we are presented with an amazing opportunity to view an active volcano up close, this opportunity comes with risks that you need to be aware of and fully informed on how to keep you and your family safe.

In addition, the Visitor’s center is a chance to stock up on maps, books and videos. It is also a chance to check out the schedule of Ranger lead walks, informative sessions that let you enjoy various aspects of the park in the company of knowledgeable experts.

Now its time to explore.

Afternoon doing the Crater Rim Drive

This 11 mile drive takes you on a surfaced road loop course starting and ending at the Visitors Center. Steam vents, lava flows, crater viewing points and trail heads can be easily accessed at various stops along this drive. Depending on the time you have and your energy levels, there is a range of hikes that you can enjoy along this route.

The Visitors Center provides a nifty little handout titled “hiking park trails” which provides a list of the hikes and walks available, there degree of difficulty, trail length, estimated time to complete, description of the terrain and points of interest to enjoy along the way. The easy to moderate trails provide hikes along the crater rims while the longer and more challenging hikes down and across the craters surface.

My favorites include:

1. The Devastation Trail, an “easy’ 1 mile, 45 minute round trip that takes you on paved path (wheelchair and pram accessible) over the cinder outfall and recovering forest from the Kilauea Iki’s 1959 eruption. 2. The Iliahi Trail, an “easy to moderate” 1.5 mile, 1-2 hour trail through rain forest, past steam vents with views of the Kilauea Caldera. 3. The Kilauea Iki crater hike is a “moderate to challenging” 4 mile, 2-3 hour loop course that descends 400 feet through the rain forest, across the crater floor and return via the crater’s rim.

The other recommend stops on the Crater Rim drive include the Jaggar Museum, a chance to learn more about the science of volcanoes and eruptions, the Halema’uma’u Overlook, providing a spectacular view into the 3,400 feet deep Halema’uma’u Crater and the Thurston Lava Tubes, a cool stroll through solidified tubes where molten lava once flowed.

Also along this drive you will be able to follow the history of the various eruptions and lava flows that the park has experienced over the decades. Each key occurrence is noted with detailed markers so visitors can get a clear picture of what happens when an eruption occurs.

Later afternoon/early evening lava flow viewing

After a quick return to the Visitors Center (to check the viewing conditions, refill your water bottles and a toilet break), its time to head down the 20 mile Chain of Crater road to the shoreline to see the current lava flows. This windy road descends 3,700 to the coast and abruptly ends where lava crosses the road from where flows occurred in late 2002. If time allows and your energy levels are still high, at the 16 mile mark you can enjoy a 1.5 mile, one hour roundtrip hike to view the Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs.

But don’t try and cram this if it’s getting close to sunset as you will want to be at the parking area at the end of the Chain of Crater road, preparing for your hike out across the cooled lava flows to view the molten lava spectacularly hitting the sea.

Depending on the lava flows, you may need to hike out at least an hour to the viewing point. Hiking on cooled lava is slow going and requires a very cautious approach. The surface is jagged, uneven and perfect “ankle twisting” terrain, so go slow and steady. Even at sunset, the heat from the nearby lava flow combined with the strenuous hike will quickly dehydrate you. Take at least a liter of water per person. As you hike out, be mindful of the roped off shelf edge. Don’t be tempted to cross over to get a closer view of the lava hitting the sea, the shelf can be extremely unstable and give way without warning. Where the lava and sea meet will be a spectacular steam plume. The plume takes on magnificent colors as the sun sets and can be as captivating to observe as the lava itself. While the lava journeys to the sea through lava tubes under the surface down the mountainside, occasionally a break in the surface of these tubes produces “sky-lights” that become more visible after the sun sets. So while looking at the sea entrance for lava flows don’t forget to turn around and look back up the mountainside as well.

As I stood watching this amazing display of nature, new land literally being created before my eyes and adding to the mass of the island as the lava spilt into the ocean, I felt as if I was being gently reminder that the earth was not quite finished creating itself. So like the foolishness of starting to demolish a building while we are still in the process of construction, perhaps we better remember to take care of our home while it is still “under construction”.

How to Prepare for your visit

The uniqueness of the Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park requires that you pack your car/daypack with a few extras to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable visit to the park. These include:-

• Flashlight (one per person) for late afternoon/evening viewing of the lava flows. • Plenty of water, even if you aren’t planning on doing a lot of hiking/walking, the heat from

The lava flows • Leave the flip-flops and sandals for the beach and make sure you have solid, sturdy shoes. • A full tank, you will be doing a lot of driving to explore the park and take in the best viewing sights. • To protect your eyes and skin, long pants and shirts, hats and sunglasses.

Those who should take extra care

If you suffer any types of respiratory problems (ie:asthma), a heart condition or are pregnant, take extra care near the steam plumes at the shoreline where the lava flows hitting the seawater. The plumes contain hydrochloric acid that can irritate your eyes and skin and can cause respiratory distress.