It’s not every day that you can walk across a cooled lava lake and explore the unique volcanic rock. However, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you can walk across a volcanic crater on the Kīlauea Iki Trail. Not only do you get to experience the martian landscape that the crater’s floor, but also the lush rainforest that makes up this area of the National Park. I particularly liked how you can make it a loop to enjoy flora and fauna of the rain forest in addition to the barren landscape of the crater.
Along the trail, there are markers with numbers. Only after the hike did I see the National Park Service provides a trail guide that describes something at each of the numbers. Reference the trail guide directly here.
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Kīlauea Iki Loop – Parking to the Volcano Crater
We started at the Kīlauea Iki Overlook parking area and walked over to the trailhead near the Thurston Lava Tube. This .5 or .6 mile walk was stunning. It follows the rim of the crater with breathtaking and somewhat nerve-wracking overlooks. At first, I thought it was a bummer that we had to park further from the trailhead (the Thurston Lava Tube and parking area were closed in March 2021), but if you make the Kīlauea Iki trail into a loop, then you’ll be happy you don’t have to do this segment at the end! Speaking of the loop, we went clockwise and opted to go down the switchbacks straight to the volcano crater and enjoyed the gradual incline out of the crater later.
From the trailhead at the Thurston Lava Tube, you head straight into a series of switchbacks that make their way down 400 ft to the crater floor. This segment meanders through the thick rainforest surrounded by dense ferns, vines, and trees. Keep an eye out for various birds – we saw a pheasant cross the trail. Heading downhill, it took less than a half-hour to get to the crater floor.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would go again
- Intensity: Hiking Clothes, Hiking Shoes
- Location: Trailhead is at the Kīlauea Iki Overlook or the Thurston Lava Tube (the Thurston Lava Tube was not open when I visited in March 2021)
- Cost: Free
- Restrooms: At the trailhead
- Timing: 3 – 4 hours
- Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Highlights:
- Walk across a lava lake!
- Explore the unique ferns and nature of this area of the Big Island.
- Use this Trail Guide provided by the National Parks Service that matches the numbers on the trail to learn more about the volcanoes and natural history.
- Make this trail into a loop.
Lowlights:
- This trail is probably the most popular in the Park.
Walking Across a Volcano Crater
When looking from one of the Kīlauea overlooks, the trail seems obvious – lightly colored and worn from all the hikers. However, being there is an entirely different experience. Looking across the relatively barren lava crater, it looks like the moon or mars. A few scattered small bushes have somehow managed to take root, but it feels empty compared to the lush rainforest surrounding the crater. While walking on the crater, I felt tiny in this immense landscape.
The dark color of the rock absorbs heat, and it reminded me of hot pavement in summer. I was grateful for the cool weather and breeze while making my way across the crater. The cooled lava grown is broken up with large cracks between large slabs of lava rock. You’ll want to watch your step while walking across the crater. The stone looks smooth at times but also is incredibly hard, pointed, and grippy. Such a unique substance to explore throughout the National Park.
Without the high vantage point, you can utilize large stacked stones to ensure you are heading in the correct direction. Since you are using the NPS-created stacked stones, it’s important not to create your own. Although it seems to go on forever, walking across the crater was so interesting that I felt like it flew by.
Make it a Loop
At the far side of the cater, the more-or-less even lava rock becomes broken up into a dangerous-looking lava rock field. Dangerous in that it is the kind of rocks that would be in Mordor – not somewhere you want to trip and fall. The trail leads to one side of the crater, which I believe was a vent. Then you begin to climb out of the crater and back into the lush rainforest. At this point, you can turn around and go back across the crater or make it a loop.
Mike and I decided to make it a loop! But first, we made a detour and headed toward the larger Kīlauea Caldera. The trail connects to Devastation Trail and Crater Rim Trail, and I wanted to see if we could easily see the Kīlauea Caldera. The park map does not explicitly show this connection, so please do additional research before taking my word about where they connect. Although it gets close, it is not an easy view. Without wanting to hike away from our car, we headed back toward the Kīlauea Iki Crater and took the path through the trees to make it a loop.
The path through the lush rainforest is a relatively gentle but consistent incline with a couple of sets of stairs. Along the way, signs highlight the various flora and numbers associated with the trail guide. Eventually, you gain enough elevation to be back at the Kīlauea Iki Crater rim with a couple of good rim views. Before I knew it, we were back at the Kīlauea Iki Overlook parking area. What a satisfying hike!
Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike Recommendations
Since this hike will likely take 3-4 hours, here is what I recommend you bring with you on the Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike:
- Download the National Park Service (NPS) Trail Guide and the All Trails Map
- Get an early start (although the parking area was half empty in the afternoon when we visited, I think this is a rarity due to Covid travel. The NPS website states that this parking area fills up, and I believe it!)
- Day Pack – I used a small 16L backpack from Amazon. Consider the Gregory May 16 or small Osprey pack.
- Sturdy shoes – I wore tennis shoes
- At least 1 liter of water – You cannot go wrong with a handy dandy Nalgene
- Snacks and food
- Sunscreen – Anything over SPF 30 🙂
- Small tripod for photos
Getting to the Trailhead
There are many different spots you can start this hike, especially if you make the loop! You can start from the switchback trailhead at the Thurston Lava Tube. The Thurston Lava Tube and parking area were closed when I visited in March 2021 but will likely be open when the pandemic is less of a threat. You can also start at the Kīlauea Iki Overlook parking area, where I began the hike.
For longer hikes, you can start at the Devastation Trailhead or Volcano House – please refer to a map when starting from these locations.
Overall Thoughts: Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike
If you’re only going to do one hike at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, I highly recommend the Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike! Walking across this other-worldly landscape of a lava lake is an adventure that is worth the hike. I love that you can check out the Kīlauea Iki Crater from above at one of the many overlooks to see the tiny hikers below before beginning the hike, so you can have a completely different perspective while hiking. And finally, it’s great that you can make this hike into a loop!
Are you looking for other things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Be sure to check out my other blog post that details all of my favorite sights in the national park, as well as other things to do on the Island of Hawai’i:
- Exploring Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
- Snorkeling with Manta Rays
- Pololu Valley Hike
- Coffee Tasting at Buddha’s Cup Coffee
- Vegan/Vegetarian Eats on the Big Island
Have you done the Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike? Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to about visiting the Big Island has done this hike – it almost feels like a rite of passage. If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
