Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
crowded but scenic portion of Crater Rim Dr is to park at the
Kilauea Iki Overlook
and
walk the Crater Rim Trail to Thurston Lava Tube and back; it's about a mile all told and
easy as pie.
Thurston Lava Tube
LAVA TUBE
MAP
You'll feel like lava yourself as you move through this immense underground tube big
enough for a bus, the end point of an enjoyable short walk through lovely, bird-filled
ohia forest. Often crowded to the extreme, it's best to come before 10am or after 2pm.
The tube's unlit extension was closed at time of research.
1
Chain of Craters Road
Continuing on from lower Crater Rim Dr, you'll head down the great southern slope of
Kilauea Volcano all the way to the sea. While it has shrunk several times (most recently
in 2003), Chain of Craters Rd currently winds about 19 miles, ending abruptly at the
latest East Rift Zone lava flow on the Puna Coast. Allow 90 minutes round trip without
stops.
For visual drama, the road is every bit the equal of Crater Rim Dr. As you descend to-
ward the sea, panoramic coastal vistas open before you, revealing slopes covered in
frozen fingers of blackened lava. Then, at the coast, you get to stare at those same flows
from below, looking up to where they crested the cliffs and plunged across the land to
meet the sea.
The road takes its name from a series of small, drive-up craters that lie along the first
few miles. In addition, the road provides access to several trails, a campground, petro-
glyphs and sometimes to the active flow itself.
Chain of Craters Rd connected to Hwys 130 and 137 in Puna until a 10-mile stretch
was overrun by lava. The ʻRoad Closed' sign here, almost entirely buried in lava, is a
classic Big Island photo op; before 9am or after 3pm is best for photography.
Hilina Pali Road
SCENIC DRIVE
The first major intersection off Chain of Craters Rd takes you to one of the best drives -
and bicycle routes - on the Big Island. Amazingly devoid of tourists, this perfectly paved
one-lane road twists and turns amidst flat expanses of scrub and volcanic waste beneath a
big sky, offering terrific views of Mauna Loa and more - for 18 miles 'round trip'.
It climaxes at the
Hilina Pali Overlook
, a lookout of exceptional beauty. The grassy
coastal plain below will beckon hikers to descend the steep
Hilina Pali Trail
here, but the
