Please check with the National Park Service for any closures.
A number of trails may not be open, you can see a full list of closures on the
National Park website.
Note that Jaggar Museum is closed indefinitely.
Kilauea Iki Trail:
This trail starts in the rain forest on the crater’s rim. The trail descends 400 feet through the rain forest, with native birds in the canopy, to the crater floor. Hikers will cross the still-steaming crater floor, past the gaping throat of the vent that built Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone, and return to your starting point via the crater’s rim. This 4 mile loop takes about 2-3 hours to complete.
Devastation Trail:
Take a quick look at the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone from a different perspective. On a clear day, this is a great location to view the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. This trail is around 1 mile or you can continue on towards Byron Ledge Trail. See Bryon’s Ledge Trail for more information.
Byron Ledge Trail:
Descend from the Devastation Trail back into the rainforest along the edge of Kilauea Caldera. Byron Ledge Trail has great view points of Halema’uma’u crater and subsequently the eruption site. However, most of the trail is closed due to the sulfur emissions from the volcano. Continue on the trail towards Halema’uma’u Crater Trail. By taking the Halema’uma’u Trail, your hike will be extended to 1.8 miles one way. See more information about the Halema’uma’u Crater Trail.
Halema’uma’u Crater Trail:
The easiest way to access Halema’uma’u Trail is to start the Kilauea Visitor Center or the Volcano House Hotel. Descend down the Kilauea Crater through the lush rainforest. You will walk through beautiful tree ferns, Ohia trees, and along the edge of the walls of Kilauea Caldera while hearing the beautiful songs of the Hawaiian birds. Eventually, you will be out on the crater floor, eye level with Halema’uma’u. Please follow the signs marked on the crater floor and DO NOT continue towards Halema’uma’u Crater. Continue along the trail, up the steep stair-like switchbacks and connect with either Kilauea Iki Trail or Byron’s Ledge Trail. If you decide to add the Kilauea Iki hike, you will have traveled around 6 miles and it should take about 3 hours to complete. However, you can take the Kilauea 8 Iki trail to Crater Rim Trail and loop back around to the Visitor Center. This is around 4 miles total and should take between 2-3 hours to complete.
Crater Rim Trail:
- Crater Rim Trail beyond Kilauea Military Camp is now closed until further notice!
Mauna Iki Trail:
Experience a totally different adventure with the Ka’u Desert Trail. To get to the Mauna Iki Trailhead, drive south on Highway 11 towards South Point. Just before you leave the park boundary around mile marker 40, you will see a pull off on the side of the road on your left. Take a walk out into the Ka’u desert to see a piece of Hawaiian history. Hike to the ancient Footprints – an easy 2 mile round trip hike on the trail. This trail has beautiful views of Mauna Loa and some neat geological 9 structures; however, it is hiking on lava the whole way. It is advised to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water, as it is a desert with minimal shade. To this day, geologist and archeologist are still trying to figure out the real occurrence of footprints. However, it is said that soldiers were staying near this area when Kilauea erupted with a huge ash cloud. Most of the soldiers died, but some were able to run away, leaving their footprints in the lava.
Kipukapuauli (Bird Park):
Check out this kipuka (small area of old forest surrounded by a younger lava flow) and all it has to offer. Located just off Mauna Loa Strip Road, the Bird Park is a great place to a take a short walk with friends or family. If you enjoy learning about local plants or birds, it’s a must stop. There are interpretative signs describing the plants and their significance in the forest. Because there are a lot of native plants, you will also see a lot of native birds including: Apapane, Amakihi, Omao, and Elepaio. A small incline and loop trail that’s around 1 mile. You’ll be so distracted with the flora and fauna you won’t even notice that you’re going uphill.
Mauna Ulu/Pu’u huluhulu:
Mauna Ulu trailhead is located off of Chain of Craters Road. Start at the parking lot and follow the reflectors/ahu’s(rock pilings). Within the first ½ of the mile, observe the tree molds that were created by the 1969- 1974 eruption. A tree mold happens when the lava wraps around the tree, not completely engulfing the tree. Most of the tree burns slowly while the lava cools around it, leaving a mold in the lava. As you continue to hike across the lava field, Mauna Ulu well be on the right hand side. The last eruption from Mauna Ulu was in1974! Imagine lava fountains taller than the Empire State Building! Follow the trail up the small kipuka through the Ohia trees to the summit of Pu’u huluhulu and behold a beautiful view of the Halema’uma’u eruption and Pu’u O’o. Pu’u huluhulu is 1.7 miles from the Mauna Ulu parking lot, around a 3 mile hike that will take around 1.5-2 hours to complete.
Petroglyphs Trail:
Step back in time with this hike. Located off of Chain of Craters Road, the Petroglyph Trail is a 1.5 mile round trip hike over a lava field to a boardwalk area. In this area, there are numerous petroglyphs (carvings in the rocks) from ancient Hawaiian times. While on the boardwalk, take some time to read the interpretative signs to learn more about the making of and cultural significance of the petroglyphs. Wear sunscreen – it’s usually very hot, windy, and sunny down there!
Sulphur Banks/ Steam Vents:
This trail is family friendly and good for people who want a light walk. Start at the Kilauea Visitor Center and continue along the boardwalk, getting up close to bright yellow sulfur deposits. The trail will cross Crater Rim Drive and end at Steam Vents, a .7 mile distance. Steam Vents is an area of the park where large holes/cracks in the ground have steam coming out of them. This is also has a great view of Kilauea Caldera. If you want to by-pass sulfur banks, you can drive and park at steam vents. I recommend taking Crater Rim Trail back towards the visitor, through the forest and ending at the Volcano House. In total this hike is about 2 miles round trip. To make a longer hike, take the ‘Iliahi (sandalwood) Trail from steam vents. See ‘Ilaihi trail for more information.
‘Ilaihi (Sandalwood) Trail:
Starting at the steam vents parking lot, you descend along the trail. This trail has great vistas of Kilauea Caldera while being in the rainforest. This trail will come out on Halema’uma’u trail and you can either go further into Kilauea Caldera or go back towards the Volcano House. If going back to Crater Rim Trail and then back to steam vents it’s around 1 mile. If continuing into Kilauea Caldera and walking across the crater floor, it will eventually meet up with either Kilauea Iki Trail or Crater Rim Trail.
**While we are offering suggestions for hikes, please obey all signs/closures, check with the visitor center and obtain any permits required for hiking. Also, remember to leave no trace. Any trash, food, etc you bring with you on the hike, please make sure to hike it out to a trash can. Malama aina (respect the land)
