The Big Island of Hawaii - Hawaii with Kids - page 224

and hard wind any time of year. Always wear sunscreen and bring plenty of
drinking water.
Warning: If you have heart or respiratory problems or if you're pregnant,
don't attempt any hike in the park; the fumes will bother you.
KILAUEA IKI TRAIL You'll experience the work of the volcano goddess,
Pele, firsthand on this hike. The 4-mile trail begins at the visitor center, descends
through a forest of ferns into still-fuming Kilauea Iki Crater, and then crosses
the crater floor past the vent where a 1959 lava blast shot a fountain of fire 1,900
feet into the air for 36 days. Allow 2 hours for this fair-to-moderate hike.
HALEMAUMAU TRAIL This moderate 3.5-mile hike starts at the visitor
center, goes down 500 feet to the floor of Kilauea Crater, crosses the crater, and
ends at Halemaumau Overlook.
DEVASTATION TRAIL Up on the rim of Kilauea Iki Crater, you can see
what an erupting volcano did to a once-flourishing ohia forest. The scorched
earth with its ghostly tree skeletons stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the
nearby lush forest that escaped the rain of hot molten lava, cinder, and debris.
Everyone can—and should—take this half-mile hike on a paved path across the
eerie bed of black cinders. The trail head is on Crater Rim Road at Puu Puai
Overlook.
KIPUKA PUAULU (BIRD PARK) TRAIL This easy, 1.5-mile, hour-long
hike lets you see native Hawaiian flora and fauna in a little oasis of living nature
in a field of lava. For some reason (gravity or rate of flow or protection from the
volcano goddess, Pele, perhaps), the once red-hot lava skirted this miniforest and
let it survive. At the trail head on Mauna Loa Road is a display of plants and
birds you'll see on the walk. Go early in the morning or in the evening (or even
better, just after a rain) to see native birds like the apapane (a small, bright-red
bird with black wings and tail that sips the nectar of the red-blossomed ohia
lehua trees) and the iiwi (larger and orange-vermillion, with a curved orange
bill). Native trees along the trail include giant ohia, koa, soapberry, kolea, and
mamani.
NAMAKANI PAIO CAMPGROUNDS & CABINS Just 5 miles west of the
park entrance is a tall eucalyptus forest where you can pitch a tent in an open
grassy field. The trail to Kilauea Crater is just a half-mile away. No permit is
needed, but stays are limited to 7 days. Facilities include pavilions with barbe-
cues and a fireplace, picnic tables, outdoor dish-washing areas, restrooms, and
drinking water. There are also 10 cabins that accommodate up to four people
each. Each cabin has a covered picnic table at the entrance and a fireplace with
a grill. Toilets, sinks, and hot showers are available in a separate building. You
can get groceries and gas in the town of Volcano, 4 miles away. Make cabin reser-
vations through Volcano House, P.O. Box 53, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
( & 808/967-7321 ). The cost is $40 per night for two adults and two children,
$48 for three adults, and $56 for four adults.
BICYCLING & MOUNTAIN BIKING
For mountain-bike and bike rentals in Kona, see Hawaiian Pedals , Kona Inn
Shopping Village, Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona ( & 808/329-2294 ); and Hawaiian
Pedals Bike Works, 75-5599 Lihua St., Kailua-Kona ( & 808/326-2453;
www.hawaiianpedals.com). Both have a huge selection of bikes, from mountain
bikes and hybrids ($20 a day, $70 a week) to racing bikes and front-suspension
mountain bikes ($35 a day, $105 a week) to full-suspension mountain bikes
($45 a day, $140 a week). Bike racks go for $5 a day, and you pay only for the