Hiking Kilauea Iki Trail via Crater Rim in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Hiking Kilauea Iki Trail via Crater Rim in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
My wife Abby @abbyvatterott and I were lucky enough to honeymoon in Hawai’i in December. While there we visited Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawai’i and hiked the Kilauea Iki Trail vai Crater Rim Trail. It was an amazing experience hiking through a Hawaiian rainforest and then atop a lava lake beneath the Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone formed by the 1959 eruption of Kilauea Iki.
“The hike where the floor is literally lava.”
Kilauea Iki Trail via Crater Rim Trail
Type: Loop | Rate: Moderate | Traffic: High | Length: 3.2mi | Elevation Gain: 741ft
We parked at the Kilauea Iki Overlook parking lot. We arrive around 12p a the parking lot was about half way full. It’s suggested to arrive early as the lot does fill up.
Crater Rim Trail to Kilauea Iki
Per the suggestion of multiple hikers on AllTrails we hit the Crater Rim Trail in a counter-clockwise direction from Kilauea Iki Overlook parking lot. The trail is a gradual decent through a beautiful Hawaiian rainforest running along the edge of the Kilauea Iki crater. After a mile you descend a staircase of switchbacks onto the lava lake. Then it’s a mile-and-a-half walk across a lava lake until you climb a more gradual trail of switchbacks up out of the crater. This also drops you off at Thurston Lava Tube which is a very cool, half-mile walk through a lava tube, before heading back to the Overlook parking lot.
How the Kilauea Iki Crater was Formed
Kilauea translates to “spewing” in Hawaiian, and in 1959 boy did it ever. Over five weeks and 17 separate eruption episode from November through December the lava spewed out of a half-mile fissure in the crater wall, at one point sending lava flying 1,900 feet above the vent - the highest fountain recorded in Hawai’i.
Prior to the 1959 eruption the crater was covered in rainforest, but now it is filled with over 80 tons of lave creating a lake over 400 feet deep. Lava actually drained back into the vent once it was done spewing out. Evidence of this can be seen in the “bathtub ring” that surrounds the crater. The crater continues to subside about 3/4 inch per year.
More information can be found on the Kilauea Iki Trail Guide provided by the National Park.
The first photo is of Pu’u Pua’i, which means “gushing hill.” Pu’u Pua’i was created in the eruption of 1959. The reddish-brown cavity at the base of this cone was the main vent from which lava erupted.
Abby standing on the lava lake. The “bathtube ring” left from the lava draining back into the vent is visible behind her.
Michael walking through one of the many cracks in the volcanic rock, which sounds and feel like glass.
Pele the Goddess of Volcanoes
The continually active volcano of Kilauea is home to the goddess Pele, or “She who shapes the sacred land.” Hawaiians observe Pele’s activity and create names that reflect her various moods. When she erupts within a crater, we know her as Kawahineokalua, the woman of the pit. Flowing through the forests, she is Kawahine‘aihonua, eater of the land. Yet we live upon the island that she provides, so she is also Pelehonuamea, creator of new land.
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Visiting Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is a must on and trip to the Big Island of Hawai’i. There are not many place where you can see an active volcano and walk across a cooled lava like. And you’re supporting our National Parks, America’s greatest treasure in my opinion. While there I highly recommend eating dinner at Volcano House which is actually a hotel and operates separately from the park itself, despite being within the boundaries. The food is good and the view is even better being able to see lava from the active portion of Kilauea Crater from your table. Aloha!
View of Kilauea Crater from the Volcano House patio.
Hiking Gear List
Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Camera Gear List
Camera - Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Lens
Ballhead - Joby BallHead 3K
Follow me on Instagram @mshepjordan9 for more photos from this hike!
More Hiking Adventures
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The Sophomore 5.9, My first Outdoor Rock Climb
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