Hawaii Volcano National Park
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Hawaii Volcano National Park -- Encompassing approximately a quarter million acres of land, 150 miles of hiking trails, the 13,677 foot summit of Mauna Loa, and huge tracts of wilderness preserve.
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The history of why this area was designated a park began pre 1912 when Thomas Jagger, a pioneer in the science of volcanology, founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Four years later congress was persuaded to preserve the area now known as Hawaii Volcano National Park.
Kilauea is one of the best understood volcanoes in the world.
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The sign below reads "Native Hawaiians practice their ancient traditions here. Please respect their sacred Hawaiian site. Do not build rock piles or leave any items that may desecrate this area or diminish the values it holds for native Hawaiians."
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The current Kīlauea eruption began on January 3, 1983, along the East rift zone from the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent and also the Kupaianaha vent, and continues to produce lava flows that travel 11 to 12 km from these vents to the sea. This eruption has covered over 117 km² of land on the southern flank of Kīlauea and has built out into the sea 2 km² (230 hectares) of new land.
Since 1983 more than 2.7 km³ of lava has been erupted, making the 1983-to-present eruption the largest historically known for Kīlauea. 189 structures have been destroyed. In the early to middle 1980s Kīlauea was known as "The Drive-By Volcano" because anyone could ride by and see the lava fountains — some as much as 1,000 feet (300 m) in the air — from their car.
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Devastation Trail is a short walk that passes through the ghostly remains of a rain forest completely wiped out by ash falling from Kilauea Iki's 1959 eruption.
Devastation Trail leads visitors one mile over the cinder out fall and through a forest recovering from Kilauea lki's 1959 eruption.
Along the path you'll find such volcanic formations as: cinder with olivine, Pele's hair and tears, tree molds and a cinder and spatter cone.
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The Thurston Lava Tube is a huge tunnel. It was left behind when a subterranean river of lava drained away. An easy trail runs through the tube and a grove of giant ferns.
Lava usually leaves the point of eruption in channels. These channels tend to stay very hot as their surroundings cool. This means they slowly develop walls around them as the surrounding lava cools and/or as the channel melts its way deeper. These channels can get deep enough to crust over, forming an insulating tube that keeps the lava molten and serves as a conduit for the flowing lava. These types of lava tubes tend to be closer to the lava eruption point.
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There are two roads to reach the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Highway 11 for approximately 30 miles SW of Hilo, and 96 miles SE of Kailua-Kona.
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