Home to the world’s two most active volcanoes, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offers unparalleled beauty alongside widespread destruction, all-the-while creating new land as lava flows meet sea, forming solid land mass upon which vegetation will likely one day grow as thick as anywhere else in this tropical paradise.
Guide to Hawaii Volcanoes
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Located on the Hawaii, the “Big Island”, the park encompasses both 13,677′ Mauna Loa, which last erupted in 1984, and 4,096′ Kilauea, a younger abutting volcano that began erupting in 1983 and continues with constant activity today. Mauna Kea, the tallest of the island volcanoes at 13,796, lies outside the park boundary.
Together, these volcanoes form the largest mountain on earth, rising from the sea floor some 18,000 feet. The earth’s tallest mountain, Everest, by comparison rises only 16,000 feet above its surrounding landscape.
While it may be true that all of our parks are undergoing constant geological change, nowhere is that more immediately evident than in Hawaii Volcanoes. Areas of this park can be closed to visitors without advance notice, or indeed, the entire park can be closed, depending on gas emissions and lava flows that take courses unknown prior to their formation.
The park holds not only steaming volcanoes and glowing red lava flows, but also heavily vegetated rainforests that provide homes for rare plants and animals. Numerous species of birds endemic to the islands find refuge here, such as the nene bird, the Hawaiin thrush, the Hawaiin honey-creeper and the park is home to the largest dragonfly in the United States.
Touring the park is usually easy by vehicle, the Kilauea Crater Rim Drive allows access to views of the young volcano’s caldera and the 36-mile roundtrip Chain of Craters Road takes drivers past numerous labeled past eruptions to cliffs overlooking the sea at Holei Sea Arch.
More than 150 miles of hiking trails invite both day-hikers and backcountry enthusiasts with an array of trails leading into varying terrains such as crater rims, rainforests and lava tubes, while more than 20 miles of trail lead along the shoreline or near the water. Many backcountry camping opportunities exist as well and some sites provide most rewarding scenes.
Of course, a few of you park junkies will be interested in climbing Mauna Loa. This is more of a mountaineering journey than a hike, and should be considered as such. Freezing temperatures, high winds and even blizzards can present themselves quickly on the mountain’s higher slopes any time of year. Be prepared, be ready for weather, read more in the activities page here at park junkie, and… Hey, be stoked, you’re climbing Mauna Loa!
See ya there…
Guide to Hawaii Volcanoes
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National Park Guides
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