Chasing Volcanoes in Hawaii
You are standing on ancient rock created by a constant flow of lava. Close, almost too close, to you is the blazing crater of a live volcano. As you look around, the landscape is aglow from the incandescent magma that spits from the heart of this stirring giant. It is as enthralling as any firework display. Even the night sky is burnished orange – you are bearing witness to the power and majesty of nature.
Hawaii is one of the few places in the world where it’s possible, even easy, to watch an ongoing eruption. Once you’ve entered the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, there’s never a lull in the action – Kilauea for example has been in full-flow since 1983.
Getting up close to an active volcano in full flow has got to be on the bucket list of any adventurer worthy of the name. So hotfoot it to Hawaii and enjoy its most spectacular show.
Ha’akulamanu (Sulphur Banks) Trail
While it’s only a little over a mile long in total, the Ha’akulamanu Trail packs a lot in. The ferocious underground heat means that few trees grow in this volcanic space. Vents in the earth release a mixture of gases and groundwater steam, shrouding the area. The smell may be fairly unpleasant at times but these gases have deposited minerals over time, leaving behind some spectacular crystal formations.
Crater Rim Trail
How does the idea of trekking in the midst of an active volcano make you feel? Excited? Me too! This amazing trail takes you around the summit of Kilauea, one of Hawaii’s most active volcanoes and believed in local mythology to be the abode of the god Pelehonuamea. Over 11 miles you can expect to see plenty of earthcracks and vents, and travel through rainforest and barren landscapes that look as if they come from Mars.
Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs
A lava field would probably be the last place you’d expect to find indigenous artwork. Yet in Pu’u Loa (the ‘hill of long life’) there are over 23,000 petroglyphs – images carved into the hardened lava – depicting humans, geometric patterns and the travels of the native people of Hawaii. As well as being a sacred site, the petroglyphs are as delicate as they are beautiful: always keep to the boardwalk, for your safety as well as out of respect.
By their very nature volcanoes are intensely unpredictable and you should be prepared for abrupt closures of any of these trails. Once on a trail at Kilauea, use common sense; stay to marked paths and don’t go near any edges or areas where the earth looks fragile. The gases emitted from Kilauea crater and elsewhere can be dangerous – err on the side of caution, particularly if you have any breathing or heart problems.
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