Volcanoes National Park

Kilauea Caldera and the Chain of Craters Road

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park features some of the most amazing volcanic landscape in the world. From lava tubes to cinder cones, ocean cliffs to steam vents, this park on Hawai'i's southern end has a lot to offer.

Kilauea Caldera

Kilauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and the current eruption from Pu'u O'o has been ongoing since 1983. The Kilauea caldera atop the volcano's summit stretches about 5km across and contains within it the smaller Halema'uma'u crater which began a new eruption in March of 2008 when a vent opened due to an explosion.

The smouldering caldera at Kilauea prior to the March 12, 2008 explosion.
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (January 6^th, '08)

Halema'uma'u vent in Kilauea caldera
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (May 17^th, '08)

Exploring Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

The park features some strange formations due to volcanic activity, including hot steaming vents and the Thurston lava tube, a cave through which molten lava once flowed. A collection of hiking trails around the park offers sights of previous lava flows, areas ruined by eruptions, and views of Hawai'i's two major volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Steam vents
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Inside the Thurston lava tube
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (January 6^th, '08)

Mum and Dad explore the Thurston lava tube
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (May 17^th, '08)

Devastation trail
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (May 17^th, '08)

Mauna Loa from the top of Pu'u Huluhulu
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Mauna Kea from the top of Pu'u Huluhulu
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Mauna Loa from near the steam vents
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Chain of Craters Road

Chain of Craters Road leads 32km downhill from the crater rim drive which circles around the caldera to the ocean below. Along the way are several craters (giving the road its name), hikes, and viewpoints. Along the coast, the road ends where lava from the 2003 eruption crosses the road, and a short trail across the lava leads to views of the current active flow meeting the ocean. Nearby, the Holei Sea arch rises out of the waves towards the lava shelf.

Multiple lava flows along Chain of Craters Road
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

View of lava flows from Chain of Craters Road
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Mum, Dad, and I on the 2003 lava flow
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (May 17^th, '08)

The end of the Chain of Craters 2003 lava flow trail
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Crack in the 2003 lava flow at the end of Chain of Craters Road
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Strange formations in the 2003 lava flow
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Cliffs at the end of Chain of Craters Road
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Holei Sea Arch
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (March 6^th, '08)

The distant Kalapana active lava flow from the end of Chain of Craters Road
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (May 17^th, '08)

Pu'uloa Petroglyphs

Near the end of Chain of Craters Road a 20 minute walk across the lava leads to the Pu'uloa Petroglyphs, over 20,000 ancient carvings of geometric shapes, human figures, animals, and boats on the flat lava surfaces. These petroglyphs date to between 1200-1450 AD and the area is of sacred significance to the people of Hawai'i.

One of the Pu'uloa petroglyphs
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

Pu'uloa petroglyphs
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)

One of the Pu'uloa petroglyphs
Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i (February 18^th, '08)