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Introduction to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is on the Big Island of Hawaii and it encompasses two of the most active cone-shaped volcanic structures globally – Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Organized in 1916, this park offers a look into the history of the Hawaiian Islands and displays and explores the plants and animals that can live in such a place. The park contains a very diverse terrain from volcanic craters and lava fields to tropical rainforests and waterfalls over its area of 335 square kilometers. There are several means of exploring volcanic terrains and customs of the native Hawaiian people when in the national park.
Crater Rim Drive
One of the biggest features of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is Crater Rim Drive. This 11-mile drive goes mostly clockwise around the Kilauea Caldera, taking the Danes to points of interest while allowing for views into the crater. When starting at the park entrance clockwise, the first special point of view is Kilauea Iki.
From here you can look down at a crater that was created during an explosion in 1959. The Devastation trail then follows along the rim bringing you through a forest killed by volcanic fumes. Moving forward the steam vents can be seen from the Sulphur Banks stop. Along the road a little farther is the parking area for Halema‘uma‘u Trailhead, a trail through native forest up to the present-day vent.
Adjacent to Hawaii is Jaggar Museum which displays information on volcanology and a lookout at Halema‘uma‘u Crater. A little down the line is Kilauea Overlook, the perfect vantage point to get an eyeful of the expansive crater and caldera. The last stop when you are around the loop is Thurston Lava Tube, which is home to native plant and animal life. Underground experience a walking tour through a lava tube where the lava flowed for hundreds of years.
Kilauea Visitor Center and Kilauea Volcano House
On the side of Crater Rim Drive are two more important functional areas – Kilauea and Visitors Centre and Volcano House. If you have to visit Hawaii Volcanoes, then the visitor center should be your first stop as it has information about geology, native cultures, present-day eruptions, and talks to rangers about the park and maps. Volcano House next door has been offering accommodations at dining since 1846 making it the oldest hotel in the state.
One big highlight or perhaps a cliché way of dining in Hawaii is having dinner, sipping drinks on a lanai as they stare at the Halema‘uma‘u Crater. These are local accommodation facilities that work as a starting point as several marvels are located near Crater Rim Drive.
Lava Tubes and Craters
Besides the spectacular views that are best observed from Crater Rim Drive overlooks, exploring hiking paths affords chances for optional discoveries. Persistent lava channels are developed when the external surface of a flow cools and thickens and the remainder of the flow carries on moving beneath the newly formed skin.
Parts of it can however fall and leave a hollow conduit with crust on the top. Two remarkable lava tubes are situated in the park including; Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) and Kazumura Cave. Nāhuku is also the most developed one and is relatively nearest to the visitor center.
Kazumura Cave will need to employ a guide, but it offers travelers the opportunity to go deeper and behold different kinds of lava formations. Eroded slopes of the smallest craters can be explored on foot as well since they have challenging terrains. Ola‘a Forest Crater sits embedded in the canopy of native rainforest while that of Makaopuhi Crater has a trail that descends 500 feet to the crater’s bed coated with sulfur deposits. Venturing off the pavement, you see Hawaii’s volcanic base.
Waterfalls and trail sections of the rainforest to hike to
While comprising two enormous shield volcanoes, the park is home to more than a simple lava desert. Sheets of water originating from the higher slopes of Mauna Loa pass across older lava flows on their way through to the sea, they occasionally form seasonal waterfalls. Akaka Falls which is situated on the outskirts of the boundary of the national park is very famous as it falls 442 ft into a steep gauge gorge. Nu‘u and ‘Ola‘a are two of the other small trails in the park to other compact but stunning waterfalls.
Other than the waterfalls, hiking through the rainforest around Kilauea allows tourists a chance to view native birds and plant species.
Ōla’a Forest is the towering ohia trees covered by fern and epiphytes combined with the endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers flying around. Iliau Nature Loop takes you through a wet forest where you learn to differentiate between many species of fern, flowers, and trees including māmaki, hāpu‘u, and ‘ōhi‘a lehua. Hiking on these damp paths reveals another image of the area entirely of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Mauna Loa
While Kilauea has become more active in recent decades, Mauna Loa is still the world’s biggest volcano if measured from sea level to its peak. It covers more than half of the Island of Hawaii and last erupted in 1984, this time issuing flows toward the city of Hilo. Mauna Loa Road is a 52-mile mostly gravel road through lava beds of different ages: The older one beside the sea in 1859 and the newer one in 1984. This long drive helps in giving the relative size of the Hawaiian Islands, especially these volcanoes.
Some are shorter, including nature trails through native koa forest to view native birds or to hike to Mauna Loa Lookout to stand on the edge of Moku‘āweoweo Caldera. Although hiking down the gas mask trail is not possible at the moment, seeing a bit of Mauna Loa should probably be considered while visiting the park, especially if you are into the view from the summit area.
Stargazing on Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea has been a mountain sacrosanct to native Hawaiians for centuries, if not for millennia. Today it is a popular destination throughout the world for several of the strongest telescopes exploiting optimal conditions for astronomy. While it stands apart from the national park, going to Mauna Kea for astronomy is often done in conjunction with visiting Kilauea by parkgoers. Once I noticed the sun move up and across the Hawaiian sky. It is a moment I will never forget when soaring aloft at 14,000 feet on a magnificent sky cam.
Several night observation programs help the general public use professional-sized telescopes during the night to view planets, stars, and interstellar nebulae; all of these in relatively clear and bright conditions. This view must be seen at night and for the best ESSENCE at Mauna Kea, you have to take a night camping at about 9,200 feet with no signs of artificial light pollution. Seeing the clarity after a day scoping out other volcanic formations around the Big Island at Hawaii Volcanoes combined with Mauna Kea is something quite special.
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Planning Your Visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
When planning your trip to the Hawaii volcanoes, ensure that you analyze issues to do with opening times, and costs of entrance amongst other important features that could be helpful. The park operates throughout the year hence it is always open in the day as it is at night. The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle ($25 per motorcycle, bicycle, or on foot).
Crater Rim Drive has ample pullouts combined with scenic overlooks accessible by standard two-wheel drive vehicles. Exploring lesser traveled areas generally usually involves using boots for walking on sharp lava stones. Pack your raincoats since you’re likely to experience light showers during your hike. Accessible routes should be expected to change quickly – potential eruptions can rapidly close them but can also create new attractions.
Any current closures, or general information about volcanic hazards, can be found by accessing the NPS website or by visiting the Kilauea Visitor Center upon arrival to the park. Rangers can then direct you where there are active lava flows or steaming vents to be seen that day. Ensure that you settle on spending several days minimum exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. These may take half a day to do justice – Crater Rim Drive, large lava tubes, waterfalls trails, and others. Extra time also means exposure to other park terrains ranging from the fern-covered tropical rainforests to barren black lava grounds.
Conclusion
I recently revisited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which offers little points of contact with geologic processes that have been inherently built in the Hawaiian Islands for thousands of years. Seeing the current eruptions makes the viewing even more fascinating because Akutan is the most active volcanic site in the United States.
While some people may sit in front of a television set to watch cooled lava captured from previous lava flows, there is nothing as exciting as watching the brand-new lava slowly creeping across the landscape. Whether crossing over 140-year-old pāhoehoe flows, gazing down at molten redware sluggishly churning inside Halema‘uma‘u Crater, or enjoying rainbows rising through volcanic fumaroles, the park presents constant volcanic eruptions.
Other than flame-wreathed vistas, native rainforests, and historical overviews give depth and complication to this valued landscape. Hiking and reaching some remote waterfall or climbing mountains to find something like an intrepid bird in the forest ties you into nature. Climbing through ancient lava tube caves shows how you are connected to the early Hawaiians who inhabited this land. Trapped within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are natural beauty, research, and history waiting to be discovered for your enjoyment.
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FAQs about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
What is presently being active in Hawaii Volcanoes?
The most active erupting volcano within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the Kilauea volcano, which contains a pit crater, Halema‘uma‘u crater. Nearly constant activity from multiple openings since 2008 has led to an accumulation of more than 560 acres of new growth on Hawaii’s Big Island. At present, lava is confined within Halema‘uma‘u which produces dazzling lights, most of which can be seen at night. The public can safely observe the lava lake active within the interior of the crater from the outlook on Crater Rim Drive.
Browse volcano updates because access may be closed at certain times due to toxic volcanic fumes.
How can you have the most effective view of the flowing lava at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Watching the bright orange lava glide slowly downwards as new land is formed is usually a marvel for many visitors to the park. The best ventures to witness flowing lava at one’s peril is by watching a lava boat tour. Lava boats operate twice daily from the town of Pohoiki, which is 30 30-minute’ drive from the entrance of Pohoiki National Park.
On board, you will be given safety gear as you observe lava entering the ocean within a few meters. If you are visiting the park and there is an active lava flow, rangers inform the public about the areas where they can observe the flow, normally from the Highway 130 pullouts. At times hiking is possible, however, the rugged and rough ground with sharp lava ground is best done in closed-toe shoes, long pants, and lots of time.
Is overnight camping allowed in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Indeed, the camping permits you to discover the volcanic environment of the national park at any time. The most used one is the Nāmakanipaio near the visitor center, the campground with a drive-up and nightly campfire. Those campgrounds located farther away from developed parks involve features related to volcanic activity – the Pepeiao Cabins and the tent-only Kulanaokuaiki campgrounds are established on the historical Mauna Loa lava fields. All campgrounds in a park will need cold clothing and bookings.
If you want some more comfort, nearby Volcano Village there are more private campgrounds and vacation rental cabins available. To get the best view of the stars, you need to trek up Mauna Kea and camp outside the park for the best view of the Hawaiian night sky.