Hiking Across Kilauea Crater

After we left the anticlimactic lava tube, we headed over to the Kilauea Iki Trail and Overlook. Hiking this trail was the major reason why we choose the Big Island over all the rest. The trail takes you around the top of the 3,000 foot Kilauea Crater, then down 300 feet to the crater floor, where you are allowed to walk across the entire crater. 

The view from the overlook is amazing. You not only can see across the entire crater (weather permitting), but you can also see Halema’uma’u Crater with its ever present gas eruption displays in the background. Both craters are part of Kilauea’s caldera. The trail is a loop and you can proceed in either direction from the overlook. We choose to go to the right, through the rain forest around the top of the crater before descending into the crater. I had never before considered the fact that a rain forest can grow on a caldera of an active volcano.

The trail is 4 miles and is rated moderate to challenging, because of the descent to the crater floor….and of course, whoever climbs down, must climb up. Walking along the top of the crater is easy, as you can see from the photo above. If you are not able to hike down into the crater, I would still come and walk along the top of it. You will be able to see amazing views at several overlooks along the trail.

You can see the worn path along the center of the crater. The little specks are people. I have to admit, when I planned this hike, it was not clear that we would actually be able to hike down to the crater floor. I thought we would be walking along the top of the crater the entire time. It took us a few seconds to realize those were all people.  At first, I questioned the intellect of the people we could see down there. After all, the crater floor was still steaming in places. Then I realized that the path down the center of the crater was very well worn, there were a significant number of people down there (which we could see from a different overlook), and the park rangers certainly knew this many people were walking around here and would have put a stop to it if they deemed it unsafe. My son, who was getting as close to living out his 4 year old dream of being a volcanologist as he ever would, was thrilled that we were going to figure out how to get down there. My daughter kept glancing at the Halea’uma’u Crater, in the not very far distance, and saying, “Are you sure this is a good idea?” When we reached the far end of the crater and the path started descending into the crater she was satisfied that we would be safe and we were not going rogue and randomly hiking off trail on an active volcano.

The trail at this point is rather haphazard. You can partly see a worn path but you will be maneuvering through rock. Again, no flip flops!!!! It would be easy to twist an ankle here, hiking boots are your best option. Take your time getting down, some of the rocks are loose and will move as you are walking. We did see senior citizens making the climb, so it is possible for many people, but you need to know your limits and your comfort level with uneven terrain. A walking stick would have been helpful with the climb down, I’d recommend bringing one. The hike down at this end is much harder than the other end of the crater. So a great option for anyone uncomfortable with climbing down through rock would be to go left at the beginning of the trail versus right.

When we reached the crater floor, I was immediately struck by the contrast of the extreme desolation of the vast expanse of volcanic rock and the beautiful Ohi’a trees sprouting up, right through the rock.

They were all over the place, ranging in size from one branch popping up through the rock to trees, taller than myself.

Such profound beauty among complete devastation. I feel like I should put a quote here about the unrelenting drive of the human spirit to overcome any adversity, but I am running late writing this post, so you will have to come up with one on your own.  If you have a great one, type it in the comments below. 🙂

One area that captivated my son’s and my attention looked like what I imagine a road would look like after a severe earthquake. It was a large area of the crater floor that had been uplifted and crashed back together. One of the neat things about the crater floor is you are allowed to explore the whole thing. The trail is clearly worn right down the center, and if you want to keep your hike to 4 miles, stay on it, but you are free to climb all over the rocks and investigate some of the steaming vents, if you choose. My son chose to climb all over this area….but at least he looked before he leaped.

Not one to miss out on the fun, my husband agreed to accompany our son to a steaming vent. About this time our daughter was pooping out from all the climbing with her brother and was growing a little wary of his repeated comments, “Mom, you know we are standing on an active volcano right now,” “Mom, you know there is lava flowing underneath us right now,” “Mom, how far below us do you think the lava is?” “Mom, are your feet getting hot, can you feel the heat in the ground…that’s from the lava.”

While my husband and son continued to explore (which I always encourage….I continually remind our kids that they may never have a chance to return and they need to see and experience all that they can) my daughter decided to ‘experience’ lying down on a volcanic crater. The ground actually is pretty warm and the day we were hiking was relatively cool so she decided to warm up. This is one of my all time favorite pictures of her. Several other hikers noticed her lying down and decided they too wanted to lie down on the crater floor. It was kind of amusing, I don’t think the idea would have ever occurred to them had they not seen her doing it. I actually joined her after I took her picture. The warmth felt fantastic.

Eventually, the wanderers rejoined us and we made our way to the end/beginning (depending on your hike) of the crater floor. This end had cairns built all over the place, so I needed to stop and take 100 more photos. I will spare you the other 99. We were pretty tired and hungry by this time and I wasn’t looking forward to the rocky ascent. Luckily for us, this end of the trail was all switchback trails, no navigating through rocks!

We still had a 300 foot climb ahead of us, but we only had to contend with roots and random rocks on the trail. It was still a bit tiring and we stopped for water a few times along the way, but our grumbling stomachs motivated us to keep moving. Again, if you do not feel comfortable with the rocky climb at the other end, you should enter from this side, walk as far as you want across the crater, turn around and hike out the same way you hiked in. You can then walk part way along the top of the crater to see it from a different perspective.

I wouldn’t have changed anything about this experience! It was amazing and we all loved it. We had lovely weather, but this area normally receives a lot of rain. Although it was in the 60’s when we were there, their website says to be ready for hot, dry, wet and windy weather. You will want to bring water, even if you don’t hike the full 4 miles. The hike up will leave you thirsty.

You can check out the National Park Service website for more information, including most important of all….will this area be open. They also have information about VOG, volcanic smog, which is one reason why some areas of the park may be closed.

We went somewhere close and unremarkable for lunch. I don’t even remember where we went, it did not leave an impression. I guess it doesn’t really matter that I can not remember its name because I wouldn’t be recommending it anyway. After lunch we headed off to our next accommodation, a tree house….seriously, we stayed in a treehouse for the next two nights.

As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as Fine Art Prints and Digital Downloads for purchase at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

More Big Island Adventures

Snorkeling at Kealakekua Baby

Tide Pools at Kaloko-Honokohau National Park

Kohala Zipline

 

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