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The Kilauea-Iki Trail Through Volcanoes National Park

When we decided to book a house on the big island for a month one factor regarding location was proximity to good hiking. We are only around a half hour from the gates to Volcanoes National Park so many trips there are planned. Another factor was avoiding masses of tourists. Choosing a place to base our travels out in an underpopulated area became a very wise decision as the Covid-19 virus is causing havoc here on the big island like it is everywhere else in the world. Most hikes we are choosing to go on are fairly isolated on a good day for tourism but now it is hard to find anyone on the trails.

A picture of the volcanic crater from the rim above. A foggy but otherwise pleasant day for a stroll!
Did I mention that the fog turned to a drizzle? What is the difference between heavy fog and drizzle anyway?
The path down to the crater floor was in good shape but a bit misleading in appearance. It was a tad bit steeper further on.
For our fellow hikers and trail maintainers…..Never heard a cairn called Ahu before. Nice to learn a bit of the Hawaiian language.
What an eerie shot here as we begin to traverse across the crater floor.
This is not fog here. It is the steam coming from a geothermal heat vent. We lucked out in seeing it as by the time we left the area, there was no more steam.
The path, with its many “ahu” neatly placed, was fairly easy to follow.
It still amazes us that these pics are not taken with black and white film.
Back up the other side we returned to a tropical forest that seems to prevail on this side of the island. This is the entrance to the Thurston Lava Tube. Although it is the biggest tourist attraction at the park, the Caronavirus and the fact that it was a rainy day seemed to keep folks away.
The lighting in the football field length tube was sufficient for walking but not for photography. All the signs said that the lights go out at 8pm so make sure to have your flashlight.
Back in the car for a drive down to the coast. The road is still in the park and is also a 20 mile long dead end road. At least the rain appears to have stopped.
We love being able to see the road (or trail) ahead of us in the distance. With many hairpin turns on the way down we were afforded great views.
This picture describes the feeling of understanding when a long hike or drive is worth the effort!
Time for a 1.4 mile roundtrip hike over the lava to see some ancient petroglyphs.
There were many of these pictures but this one stood out to us.
It was if the rainbow knew what our moods were at the time. Back home for more exploring tomorrow.

2 Replies to “The Kilauea-Iki Trail Through Volcanoes National Park”

  1. Glad you are making the most of your isolation. It looks beautiful, have you had a lot of rain? The rainbow was gorgeous. Enjoy!

  2. Walking across the crater floor must have been kind of eerie!
    I’m fascinated with the lava tubes!

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