Mini trip report - Lava Hike, Volcano NP
May 15th, 2007, 01:11 PM
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Mini trip report - Lava Hike, Volcano NP
I decided to follow in the footsteps of previous Fodorites and post this separately, because this was the part of our Big Island trip I found it toughest to find information about. And the on-the-ground experience we picked up from other hikers while on the BI turned out to be very useful. So I thought I'd share for those in the midst of planning...
In some ways, this hike was easier than I expected, because the first response from anyone I talked to was It’s a hard hike! I’m not into scrambly hikes, typically (weak ankles, poor balance), but I didn’t find this to be as technically difficult as I thought it was going to be. Definitely bring lots of water, sunscreen, flashlights, closed-toed, sturdy shoes, food and lots of film / memory cards!! I also found my hiking poles and headlamps to be very, very useful. We were fortunate in that it wasn’t a very hot or intensely sunny day. I can imagine the walk out could be pretty miserable if it was – we had nearly 3 L of water for each of us and we could have easily drunk more.
The hike itself took us about 7 hours round trip – we estimated it to be somewhere between 10 and 11 miles. (Which was considerably farther than the ranger had told us at the end of Chain of Craters Road!) There were some things I found sort of surprising. There’s no trail, just a huge lava field you pick your way along. There are beacons at half-mile intervals for the first three miles of so (there is reflective tape the first mile or so to the first beacon), but they are easier to see at night – because the lava field has so many rises and dips, you can’t easily see one beacon from another. It is also very difficult to navigate a straight line, because you run into piles of lava and crevices you need to navigate around. Sometimes the lava is smooth and easy to walk on, sometimes it’s crumbly, ridge-filled and difficult. Surprisingly, walking at night was not all that much harder than walking during the day. Most of the lava is silvery at night (and pinkish underneath, it reminded me a lot of salmon!) and actually easier to see in the light of our headlamps (parts were black and matte, but still not bad.) While you can’t see the lava glowing during the day, you can see steam and if you head towards that, you’re bound to come to the lava flows. While you start out with other people, it’s remarkably easy to become scattered so that you feel you’re hiking all alone. The lava field is HUGE! Easier to spot others at night, because of their flashlights. I think it would be pretty tough to get lost – there’s the ocean on one side and a mountain on the other, and the worse case scenario would be spending the night out on the lava (uncomfortable but doable) until you could see. But people apparently do get lost occasionally for days at a time, largely because they get dehydrated and disoriented I gather. Did I mention you should bring lots of water?
We actually encountered people as we were leaving (around 10 PM) just going out, often in sandals, with no water and maybe one flashlight for the group. My perception of those people remains the same as it did when we ran into them on the lava: they’re idiots. Although I should mention you’ll often see professional photographers heading out late, because they want people free pictures. You can tell them by their gear.
Was it hard and was it worth it: If you had asked me 5 hours in (minus the time spent watching the lava) into the hike, I would have said, this wasn’t so bad! It was the last couple of hours that were really tough. My personal opinion is that this is because no matter how good a shape you’re in, walking for 7+ hours on solid rock, especially rough rock, is just jarring. Everything ached by the end of this hike. That being said, the lava flowing into the sea (you could almost envision Pele warring with her sister, Namakaokahai, goddess of the sea!!) was an amazing site and the stars out on the lava at night are unbeatable. Plus the adventure of it all is worth the experience – getting up close and personal with a live volcano and earning the experience with a brutal hike!
Hope that helps!! Cheers, Carrie
In some ways, this hike was easier than I expected, because the first response from anyone I talked to was It’s a hard hike! I’m not into scrambly hikes, typically (weak ankles, poor balance), but I didn’t find this to be as technically difficult as I thought it was going to be. Definitely bring lots of water, sunscreen, flashlights, closed-toed, sturdy shoes, food and lots of film / memory cards!! I also found my hiking poles and headlamps to be very, very useful. We were fortunate in that it wasn’t a very hot or intensely sunny day. I can imagine the walk out could be pretty miserable if it was – we had nearly 3 L of water for each of us and we could have easily drunk more.
The hike itself took us about 7 hours round trip – we estimated it to be somewhere between 10 and 11 miles. (Which was considerably farther than the ranger had told us at the end of Chain of Craters Road!) There were some things I found sort of surprising. There’s no trail, just a huge lava field you pick your way along. There are beacons at half-mile intervals for the first three miles of so (there is reflective tape the first mile or so to the first beacon), but they are easier to see at night – because the lava field has so many rises and dips, you can’t easily see one beacon from another. It is also very difficult to navigate a straight line, because you run into piles of lava and crevices you need to navigate around. Sometimes the lava is smooth and easy to walk on, sometimes it’s crumbly, ridge-filled and difficult. Surprisingly, walking at night was not all that much harder than walking during the day. Most of the lava is silvery at night (and pinkish underneath, it reminded me a lot of salmon!) and actually easier to see in the light of our headlamps (parts were black and matte, but still not bad.) While you can’t see the lava glowing during the day, you can see steam and if you head towards that, you’re bound to come to the lava flows. While you start out with other people, it’s remarkably easy to become scattered so that you feel you’re hiking all alone. The lava field is HUGE! Easier to spot others at night, because of their flashlights. I think it would be pretty tough to get lost – there’s the ocean on one side and a mountain on the other, and the worse case scenario would be spending the night out on the lava (uncomfortable but doable) until you could see. But people apparently do get lost occasionally for days at a time, largely because they get dehydrated and disoriented I gather. Did I mention you should bring lots of water?
We actually encountered people as we were leaving (around 10 PM) just going out, often in sandals, with no water and maybe one flashlight for the group. My perception of those people remains the same as it did when we ran into them on the lava: they’re idiots. Although I should mention you’ll often see professional photographers heading out late, because they want people free pictures. You can tell them by their gear.
Was it hard and was it worth it: If you had asked me 5 hours in (minus the time spent watching the lava) into the hike, I would have said, this wasn’t so bad! It was the last couple of hours that were really tough. My personal opinion is that this is because no matter how good a shape you’re in, walking for 7+ hours on solid rock, especially rough rock, is just jarring. Everything ached by the end of this hike. That being said, the lava flowing into the sea (you could almost envision Pele warring with her sister, Namakaokahai, goddess of the sea!!) was an amazing site and the stars out on the lava at night are unbeatable. Plus the adventure of it all is worth the experience – getting up close and personal with a live volcano and earning the experience with a brutal hike!
Hope that helps!! Cheers, Carrie
May 15th, 2007, 05:56 PM
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DoctorCarrie,
Thank you so much for posting this trip report. I, like you, did not find a lot of information and first hand experience about this hike. We will attempt this hike early June and have prepared ourselves with headlamps, gloves and hiking poles already. It's very helpful to know that you have 3L of water per person. We will pack the same or more.
You said it took about 7 hours and you saw people with sandals around 10 PM as you were leaving ...did you arrive at the end of Chain of Craters road about 3 PM to hike out (so we can gauge time)? Did it get colder when the sun set? Some reports said they get soaked with rain and had used jackets.
On another note, how was the Waipio Valley hike? How far did you go? Did you encounter any stinkeye from the residents?
Thank you.
Thank you so much for posting this trip report. I, like you, did not find a lot of information and first hand experience about this hike. We will attempt this hike early June and have prepared ourselves with headlamps, gloves and hiking poles already. It's very helpful to know that you have 3L of water per person. We will pack the same or more.
You said it took about 7 hours and you saw people with sandals around 10 PM as you were leaving ...did you arrive at the end of Chain of Craters road about 3 PM to hike out (so we can gauge time)? Did it get colder when the sun set? Some reports said they get soaked with rain and had used jackets.
On another note, how was the Waipio Valley hike? How far did you go? Did you encounter any stinkeye from the residents?
Thank you.
May 15th, 2007, 07:12 PM
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Hi Hanalei,
We left at about 4:30 (from the parking spot at the end of Chain of Craters Road), and actually wished we had left closer to 4 PM, because there was lava in the distance we wished we had made it to, but didn't want to be wander any farther in the dark (at that time, we hadn't realized it was easier than expected). It gets dark at about 7 PM this time of year - I don't think it would hurt to leave earlier, provided it's not a hot day!
Speaking of which, it did not get colder as it got later. I had on light pants and short sleeves the entire time and was perfectly comfortable. It didn't rain while we were there, so I can't speak to rain gear. But if you ask at the Vistior's Center, they'll give you a weather report from the Chain of Craters ranger - although only 20 miles apart, the end of the C of C Road and the Vistior's center have completely different weather.
We didn't go that far into the Waipio Valley, largely because there were no waterfalls to hike to and the hiking involves lots of (not shallow) stream crossings, and we got sick of removing our shoes! I can only imagine what it's like when there is no drought! Then we went down to the beach and hung out for a while. We met some residents, as well as hikers, and we found them to be very nice and chatty - contrary to what the guidebook said. There were actually more settlers and roads down there than I had envisioned. I would love to go back some day and hike across the Valley and up the Z trail, but we didn't have the time on this trip. Cheers, Carrie
We left at about 4:30 (from the parking spot at the end of Chain of Craters Road), and actually wished we had left closer to 4 PM, because there was lava in the distance we wished we had made it to, but didn't want to be wander any farther in the dark (at that time, we hadn't realized it was easier than expected). It gets dark at about 7 PM this time of year - I don't think it would hurt to leave earlier, provided it's not a hot day!
Speaking of which, it did not get colder as it got later. I had on light pants and short sleeves the entire time and was perfectly comfortable. It didn't rain while we were there, so I can't speak to rain gear. But if you ask at the Vistior's Center, they'll give you a weather report from the Chain of Craters ranger - although only 20 miles apart, the end of the C of C Road and the Vistior's center have completely different weather.
We didn't go that far into the Waipio Valley, largely because there were no waterfalls to hike to and the hiking involves lots of (not shallow) stream crossings, and we got sick of removing our shoes! I can only imagine what it's like when there is no drought! Then we went down to the beach and hung out for a while. We met some residents, as well as hikers, and we found them to be very nice and chatty - contrary to what the guidebook said. There were actually more settlers and roads down there than I had envisioned. I would love to go back some day and hike across the Valley and up the Z trail, but we didn't have the time on this trip. Cheers, Carrie
May 19th, 2007, 07:20 AM
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May 19th, 2007, 07:31 AM
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In addition to all the other equipment mentioned, it can be useful to bring those heavy, suede gardening gloves to protect your hands on sharp lava. It doesn't get cold. The black lava is still radiating heat (either from the sun or just conductive from the heat of magma).
May 19th, 2007, 08:38 PM
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A couple of years ago I corresponded with the professional photographer whose site this is, David Jordan. But I don't know what he's been up to since. He doesn't seem to be out there just before dawn any more taking such dramatic photos.
