Hiking on a Volcano, Kaaha and Hilina Pali trails

Hilina Pali Overlook, Kaaha trail, Hilina Pali trail

The Big Island on Hawaii has some amazing hiking trails. We picked Kaaha trail because it's crossing an old lava field and you get to walk by the ocean, also the length and level of difficulty were all key factors for us. The hike was a little more demanding compared to what we expected even knowing it was categorized as intermediate / hard. We were tremendously happy we didn't pick a longer trail because by the end of the day we were absolutely exhausted. Happy but exhausted. 

We chose this trail at the Backcounty office near the Kilauea Visitor Center. We had a quick chat with one of the employees who registered us for the hike. I'm not sure if registering is necessary for a day hike but they do prefer to keep track of hikers in the region in case something happens. For overnight hiking and camping registering and permits are necessary. For more infomation see https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/hike_kaaha2.htm.

Ka'aha

Hilina Pali overlook on Hawai'i

Hilina Pali overlook

This 12km trail starts at the Hilina Pali overlook where you can see the entire lava field and the pacific ocean. There are some signs pointing out the trails at the beginning of the trail but you do need a good map to be able to follow the trails as there are no marks or signs elsewhere. There are two trails starting from the overlook, Hilina Pali and Kaaha trail and by combining these two trails you get a nice loop trail. This hike took us about 8 hours (started around 10.00 and were back at the parking lot around 18.00) as we stopped to take photos and had a longer lunch & swim break by the ocean. You could probably walk it faster with shorter breaks.

Trails on Google maps

The trail starts with a deep descent which takes much longer than you probably expect. The path is basically just small rocks, all downhill, switching back 24 times.


Be aware that even though it might not be very hot elsewhere on the island, it was extremely hot on the lava field. Not sure what caused it but we definitely underestimated the heat. The lava field is basically all rocks and you should pay attention to hollow lava tubes beneath the ground and try and follow the trail. Keep your eyes open and do peek inside the caves and tubes. Super interesting!

 

After descend

Lava tubes from past eruptions

Made it to Kaaha! Time for lunch and a dip in the ocean!

The hike gets slightly easier when you see the reward in front of you in the shape of a shed (finally some shade from the sun!), a toilet and tide pools! We had a long break here having lunch and swimming. It was such a refreshing experience! I've read about people having seen turtles here. We didn't have such luck but do bring your snorkels, if possible!

Swimming in a tide pool!

After returning to the trail, you walk along a trail with hay up to your knees. At this point we really missed long pants. Shorts were a bad idea. The heat, humidity and the hay were a bad combination. This was also the toughest part of the hike as it was afternoon and the sun was at it's hottest, we lost the trail and were running out of water. We had about four liters of water in total, which was way too little in that heat. Looking at several trails in the hay we obviously were not the only ones who had lost the way. I'm not even completely sure if we eventually found the Hilina Pali trail or if we just walked towards the hill in front of us, but we did make it back and started the ascend, the never-ending zigzag from hell. 

We were incredibly exhausted, taking breaks every five minutes. The sun was setting and we were in a hurry to make it back to the car before it set completely. There is literally no light anywhere and the Hawaiian nights are pitch black. We often record short video clips along our travels, and I must say that on the clip we shot somewhere along the ascend we sound like two exhausted three-years old's. Looking back, it's funny, at that moment it was far from it. 

When we finally got up the hill and saw our car (and remembered we had a big bottle of water in the trunk) we just started laughing, it was truly a moment of happiness. Don't get me wrong, looking back at the hike, I would do it again anytime but next time we'll bring more water, long pants and hiking sticks. 

Volcano Village

Hawaii, Big Island

Enjoying the Hawaiian sun by the pool of our great Waikiki hotel surrounded by skyscrapers and listening to the waves of the Pacific ocean was a great way to start off our trip to Hawaii but the best part began when we headed off to the Big Island, officially called Hawai'i. 

Hilo

The Big Island is the island for someone who enjoys hiking and the wonders of nature such as volcanoes, mountains, flora and fauna all on one island. There are beaches, shopping centers, bars and restaurants but it all really does come down to the nature of the island. There are 8 (out of 13) climate zones from tundra to desert on the island and they’re all accessible in one day! Our base was Hilo which is a small town on the east side of the island. We chose Hilo mainly because it’s very peaceful and located in between the jungle in the north/northeast, and rain forest and Volcano in south making it an easy driving distance to both.

Rainbow Falls near Hilo, Hawai'i

We arrived to Hilo on the 25th of December, the Christmas Day! It was a very quiet day. We hardly saw any people, most restaurants were closed and we only saw a handful of cars driving around. The tourist masses were at the bigger resorts, mainly situated on the west side of the island in Kona. To move around the island you’ll need to rent a car which is made easy and simple but be aware that it can get busy at the rental counters even if you’ve booked in advance as pretty much everyone needs to rent a car there.

On the road..

First thing to do as soon as you’re sitting in the car is to turn on the radio to start listening to volcano announcements which, to us, sounded very exotic! As the lava flow was somewhat near a busy road during the time we were there we heard frequent warnings about the areas that might be affected. Luckily the flow got slower day by day eventually stopping without harming people or business.

No shopping in Hilo on Christmas day

Hilo is a small town with approximately 40 000 inhabitants. The town has suffered some serious damage in three tsunami’s since 1940’s. If you’re in the area around Christmas you should book a table at the famous Christmas buffet at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. The food was extraordinary (except maybe the desserts) and the place was packed with locals! What a great experience! 

Kamehameha The Great

Unfortunately we didn’t get to try any of the other local restaurants as many places were closed during our visit. We only stayed three nights in Hilo and were constantly on the move.

Snack in Shoppe

Mr. Ed's Bakery & Akaka Falls State Park

Akaka Falls state park is definitely worth a visit. You'll see a series of smaller water falls as well as the Akaka itself. Walking through the park you'll see beautiful nature with some very unique plants and flowers.

Mr. Ed's Bakery near Akaka Falls

Mr. Ed’s Bakery is another great place to visit on your way to Akaka Falls. Mr. Ed is a retired geography teacher who is famous for his natural preserves. We bought Lilikoi (passion fruit) butter, Lime butter and jalapeno mustard which were all ridiculously delicious. I wish we had bought more! The baked produce were also absolutely tasty so make sure to stop by! 

Akaka Falls

Whale Watching

We have been trying to see whales all over the world yet have been awfully unsuccessful. Our luck turned on Hawaii and we finally got to see these amazing creatures in the Pacific ocean.

Successful whale spotting

Dream come true!

Lava fields & luxury hotels 

After a fantastic and very successful whale watching trip we were taken back to The Shops at Mauna Lani, an open air shopping center, we picked up a delicious sushi lunch from one of the shops and headed to one of the beaches at Kiholo Bay. This is where it gets pretty incredibly awesome: we followed a path leading to the beach while a group of wild goats were enjoying their lunch. We took a refreshing dip in the sea and ended up laying on the beautiful black sand, eating the fantastic lunch (wraps and sushi) while watching whales jumping in the ocean not far from the shore. It was one of the best moments ever!

Volcanoes and lava tubes

Collapsed lava tube

Driving south from Waikoloa, following the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway (19) you can also check out the enormous collapsed lava tubes.

Driving up Kauna Kea

In the evening, about an hour or a little more before the sunset we started our journey to the Mauna Kea summit, 4,207 m. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano with magnificent views! It took us little longer than expected as we had to stop every now and then to admire the view. Make sure you are on time, the sunset is definitely worth spending some extra time on the mountain. Right after the sunset, people start lining up for the telescopes. You also have a viewing of a short documentary explaining the history of Mauna Kea as well as some background on the telescopes and there’s a small café which is great because if you are not prepared you will probably want to buy a cup of hot tea to warm you up! Pretty soon after the telescopes are put away also the crowd disappear and you’re left there with a handful of photographers and star gazers.

Photo of people taking photos

On top!

Volcano village & Volcanoes National Park

There are many hiking trails for hikers of all levels (even accessible routes) on the Big Island. You can spend weeks exploring the waterfalls, valleys and beaches. We mainly concentrated on hiking around Volcano (the village) as well as Volcanoes National Park. The national park is very popular and you will see a lot of people on pretty much any trail you take. For longer trails on which you need to stay the night it is mandatory to register at the park’s ranger. Make sure you do this on time as they aren’t always at the office. Registration is very important as things can take a dangerous turn fast and you might need to be saved from whatever the situation is; you’re on an active volcano, after all.

Inside a lava tube

Hot and steamy lava field

...and it's active!

Even though Volcano looks small and remote, you have plenty of accommodation options from luxury B&B villas to treehouse cottages. We were lucky to find a fantastic B&B that made our stay perfect with heated bed and beautiful location right smack in the middle of the rainforest. Two days in Volcano was ok but I really wish we had a day or two more because of the fantastic hiking grounds. Also, make sure you visit the Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center for information, maps and advice. There are also a couple of restaurants in Volcano, the best of which are Kilauea Lodge & Restaurant (slightly fancier, reservation required) and Lava Rock Café.

Our fantastic B&B

In the future we are hoping to hike all the way up to Mauna Loa. On this trip we only drove up to an undefined elevation which was high enough to turn on the heating in the car and wear a jacket. For a proper hike you should have proper (thermo) gear as the temperature drops below 0 celcius in the evenings and sometimes you even have snow on top of the volcano.