Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Over 4000 ft. in elevation, is one of the top scenic attractions in the Aloha State. It has an array of unique volcanic formations, forests of giant tree ferns, steaming craters, and a volcanological museum. Entrance to the park is $10 per car, valid for 7 days.

THURSTON LAVA TUBE

The Thurston Lava Tube was created by a prehistoric lava flow near Crater Rim Drive at Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park. It is a 20-minute walk , about one-third of a mile, through a lush tree fern forest and a prehistoric cave-like lava tube. (<---Mouse over this photo to reveal another image)

It's almost like a perfectly formed tunnel leading into a mine. The paved trail starts as a steep incline which quickly enters a fern forest. Walking through the main tunnel takes 10 minutes. Behind an iron gate, the tunnel fades into darkness. You will need a flashlight and a hard hat if you want to explore this part. (Mouse over this photo to reveal another image--->)

DEVASTATION TRAIL

A 30-minute walk takes the visitor through the cinder outfall of the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption, about a half-mile each way. The hill to the left of the image was once a fountaining hill of lava.

The Lehua Ohi`a is a plant that represents the Big Island of Hawaii. It grows in this area abundantly. Legend says that picking these flowers upon entering the mountains brings rain because it upsets the goddess Pele.

Notice the lava rock up in this tree.

THE KILAUEA CALDERA

To give you an idea how big this crater is, there were people playing frisbee down below when I took these photos but they can't be seen in this shot. They're smaller than ants! There were also people walking on the trail (the line in the middle that runs the diameter of the crater). Notice from the photos how the crater has vents that emit steam (the white stuff) even after decades of inactivity.

CHAIN OF CRATERS ROAD

The Chain of Craters is a series of volcanoes which is about a 25-mile downslope drive into the coastline. The lava flows in this area are 500-750 years old and erupted from Kane Nui O Hamo. From the top of Kilauea caldera a road leads down the mountain to the sea. It used to continue to Puna, but it was cut off by lava flows. Today you can drive up to this point.

The Craters

The Coastline
(Mouse over the images to the left & below to reveal more photos.)

Looking at these photos, you'll notice that the view gets more scenic as you draw closer to the coast. There are vista points to take photos and enjoy the panoramic views.

The Lava Coast
(Click on each image to show another photo.)

Mauna Ulu is a vent on the side of Mt. Kilauea.

The plaque in this photo says:

"The lava field on Kilauea's east rift zone was the site of almost continuous eruption from 1969 to 1974. Repeated flow of mothen rock buried a huge portion of the Chain of Craters road, lush ohio forests, lowalnd grasslands, and several archaeological sites as the lava advanced toward and entered the sea. Two hundred new acres of land were added t the island. Although quiet, Mauna Ulu may, in the future, erupt again."

CRATER RIM DRIVE

Crater Rim Drive is a circular route that's 11 miles long. It doesn't matter which direction you take. It is an interesting route that passes through rain forest and desert, and provides access to well marked scenic stops and short walks.

Scenic attractions include the Sulphur Banks, Steam Vents, Jaggar Museum, Kilauea Iki Crater, Halema'uma'u Crater, Devastation Trail, and Thurston Lava Tubes. (Click on each image to show another photo.)