Kilauea Iki

This review covers Volcano National Park in general. There are so many hikes in the park that it is impossible to have each one of them in Unilocal.So I’ll try and cover all that we did while here.
The Good:
— The visitors center right as you enter the park is great. Take a few minutes to look around and read some of the signs. Also, make sure you get a maps of all the trails and ask the ranger what sections of the park are closed that day.
— LOTS of hiking areas around. There are some short ones, some long ones. Some that go into the craters, some that ride the ridge. There is something for everyone.
— Very kid friendly. All my kids, including the 2 year-​old, were able to walk the trails.
— The vegetation changes! Some places are barren, others are a tropical rain forest.
— Steam vents, smoke from the caldera, sulfur deposits, all kinds of things to see at Volcano.
— Miles of road to travel and see other areas of the park.
— Plenty of other trails around the park, not just around the main Kiluaea crater.
— Food options just outside the park.
— Military can get a free park pass. Come and go as you please.
— Road leads you to the end of the road where a lava flow blocked everything. You can get out and walk around.
The Not So Good:
— Not very many lodging opportunities right there, though there are a few.
— Recent activity has closed some sections of the park. Check with the visitors center.
Bottom Line: come here if you go to the Big Island. We spend 2 days wandering around and I could have spent longer, though my kids were getting tired of it.
Lots of trails on
for this location. Check them out.

Great, relatively easy hike. I used my Garmin and it was 3.43 miles and took us an hour and 49 minutes. We are in shape but my husband has a broken foot so we were going slower than normal. We went counterclockwise but I think deciding which way to go will depend if you prefer shorter but steeper switchbacks on your way up or more of a gradual climb up. We went the direction on the $ 2 guide which is available at the Visitors Center or the trailhead.
You start on a dirt path in the forest alongside the crater. It’s a really easy hike suitable for anyone at this point. Eventually you make it down and get to the opening of the crater. It’s amazing! You really feel like you are on another planet. The first part is choppy and the path isn’t always super obvious. Just keep following the rock formations. There were enough people on the trail that we could always tell where to go next. Maybe halfway through it flattens out and is like the pictures you tend to see of the trail. Crazy to think you are sitting on 400’of old lava and ash. It is another 400′ back up switchbacks. This will take a bit more effort and the only part of the trail I started sweating. You pass through the Thurston Lava Tube parking lot and continue on the trail to the lookout.
I’d recommend sneakers and maybe a little water. It feels warmer than the temperature says it is. Unlike other reviewers I didn’t think the $ 2 guide was necessary but I didn’t mind supporting the park. Overall a great hike that is definitely a must do!

Take your time. Take a lot of water. And take a lot of photos. Don’t be afraid to wander off the main path to the steam vents to check them out. Awesome environment! My teenage kids even liked it!

This hike is definitely a must do for anyone visiting the the Volcano. The Hike took around 4 hours to complete the 4 miles. You start off at the parking lot and pretty much hike a giant look into the crater and out. It does not really matter which way you you decide to start the hike. Either direction you will start of easy, hiking down the mountain in a zig zag fashion. Along the way you will see lookouts to peak through the forest to take nice pictures of the crater itself. When you get to the bottom of the crater you will see the actual scale of the crater. It is definitely a jaw dropping sight to behold. If at this point you are already tired and winded I would suggest you turn back now. This is only ¼ of the journey. Inside the crater the landscape changes from lush forest to baron landscape. The craters surface is almost like a giant lava paved road. There are large stacks of lava rocks inside the crater that you can climb to the top of but be careful because everything is sharp and dangerous so if you get hurt you will probably need to be airlifted out of the crater. This hike will definitely be an adventure but expect to get a real workout. Make sure you bring plenty of water and snacks for the journey and bring a camera to capture the experience.

Very clear night. Lots of thunder action!

Excellent, excellent hike. I think the entire loop is about 4 miles. We thought we’d do only the first half that goes through the rainforest (starting counterclockwise from the parking lot where you can access the trail), but after we got down to the crater floor we were so intrigued by the change in the landscape that we decided to walk across it and finish the loop. It was a fun little adventure and we’re so glad we had and took the time to do the entire loop. The hike is not particularly strenuous – we saw kids as young as 6 or 7 doing it, but you have to be in shape somewhat to do the whole thing. We both have Merrell Manistee water shoes that we bought from REI after explaining that we’d be hiking/​walking in Hawaii, and the shoes were great, so I don’t think serious hiking boots are required to do this trail.

AWESOME
You start at the lookout where you can see into the crater and see the steam rising from the current active eruption. The hike itself is fairly low impact. You spend the first ½ hour on a slow descent through the awesome fern forest. You emerge on to the bed of the Kiluaea crater and follow a trail marked by stacks of rock across. From the lookout, the crater’s surface seems uniform and somewhat boring, but once you get down there it’s a different story. There are some active vents you can spot because the area around them is darker with the moistness of the steam. There are picturesque solitary plants growing out of the petrified magma. There are fissures from the surface ripping apart in past eruptions. When you get to the other side of the crater is when you hit the hard part. The last bit of the train is a steep incline zig-​zagging back up the crater wall, but at least the steeper parts have built in stairs to the trail for easier navigation. The whole thing takes 1.5−2 hours (if you meander) and is full of awesome sights. Unless you require a wheelchair or have a hard time doing anything for 2 hours, you can probably make this trail. It is fairly easy and has sure footing throughout.

Kiluaea Hike was amazing. It wasn’t super strenous; although I am still recovering from a badly sprained ankle, I was still able to complete this hike. Bring water and snacks to keep you going through the heat. The recommended direction was rainforest first, then the crater, so that would be counterclockwise. The rainforest is truly amazing: there are so many different types of birds that you can hear such a variety of bird calls. The variety of plants was also equally stunning. The dense, lush greens just left me in awe; it’s the type of tropical rainforest I’ve wanted to see my entire life. Plus, I really didn’t have too many issues with bugs, only when I was leaving the crate and re-​entering the rainforest. As you walk through the rainforest, you get glimpses of the crater and the volcano in the distance. Then, you finally get to the crater, and it is massive. It is like you are entering a totally different planet. The earth is too hot for plants to grow here, so the rainforest abruptly stops, and you just get a different vision of earth, rock, random sprouts of hearty plants, and steam vents. If you look carefully in cracks, there are some pretty amazing, tough looking spiders. After crossing the crater, you re-​enter the cool rainforest and head back up to Thurston Lava Tube. It’s definitely a great hike and I found it worthy of my limited time at this park.