Holei Sea Arch

We ended up heading to the Holei Sea Arch, near the end of Chain of Craters Road, later than I had planned. My family was worn out from our long day in the sun at the Green Sand Beach and were not very cooperative about getting back in the car for another drive. Of course, once we finally got there as the sun was setting and they saw what we were going to be hiking on, they realized why I was trying to get them off their butts and into the car.

Holei Sea Arch

You just take Chain of Craters Road for almost 20 miles and park right near the sea arch. It is less than a minute walk to see it. The ground is uneven, hardened lava. Watching the ocean waves pound into the sea arch and cliffs is mesmerizing. The arch is slowly, yet continually eroding and will eventually fall into the ocean.

Cliffs near Holei Sea Arch

You can see from the rather bad picture above (the pictures would have been better if everyone would have gotten into the car sooner!) the sheer drop offs into the ocean. The cliffs were continually being hammered by the relentless waves. If you want to hear and see the power of the ocean, this is a great spot to visit! Another reason we made the drive was to see ‘the end of the road’.

The End of the Road

In 2003 an eruption resulted in part of the road being covered in lava. In fact, it is a recurrent problem with sections being covered and later dug out and repaired. You are allowed to hike on this lava. It is very uneven and has a lot of jagged rocks. We were all wearing hiking boots or gym shoes to protect our feet. We also did this hike in the dark, which I don’t recommend. We did have a flashlight with us this time!

Road Closed!

We were determined to make it to the Road Closed sign! It was significantly farther than I realized. Or at least it seemed to be, possibly due to the fact that we were hiking in the dark, so it was a relatively slow moving walk.

Worst Picture Ever!

I only included the Worst Picture Ever (compliments of my husband) so you can see that we were climbing over 3-4 feet of lava. It was actually completely dark at the time of this photo, my husband blinded us all with the flash. Although I would absolutely do this again, I would make sure we left with plenty of day light to spare. 

We enjoyed everything we did (including the lame and disappointing lava tube) at Volcanoes National Park. In fact, I wish we would have had at least one more day to explore more of the park. Remember, if you plan on visiting the park utilize their website in your planning! It has a wealth of information and photos. Also, plan more than you will have time for because some areas of the park are likely to be closed for various reasons and you want to have a lot of preplanned options. Finally, the park rangers at the visitor centers have a lot of suggestions if you happen to run out of ideas or just want to hit the top spots in the park.

On our way back to the treehouse we stopped for dinner at the Kilauea Lodge. It was fabulous! One of our favorite places to eat! Everyone ordered something different and we all loved every single thing we were served. If staying in a treehouse is not your thing, the Lodge’s rooms look lovely and are worth checking out.

Tomorrow’s adventures include snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay and checking out the many art galleries and shops in Kailua-Kona. As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as Fine Art Prints or 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.)

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Visiting Chain of Craters Road ~ Holei Sea Arch