3. Kilauea Iki Trail
For a surreal experience consider taking the Kilauea Iki Trail. This 3.3-mile moderately difficult round-trip hike takes you down the rim to the floor of pit crater. It’s hard not to feel a bit of trepidation and nervousness walking across a solidified lava lake that formed only 62 years ago. As you stroll along, steam hisses from vents as rainwater boils in the earth below. Take a moment to touch the ground, and you’ll likely find that it’s warm to the touch.
The trail is easy to follow and ends at a vent that allows you to peer deep into the earth. Count on two to three hours, and be sure to bring lots of water, as it’s hot on the crater floor.
4. Devastation Trail
Along the southeast stretch of Crater Rim Road, a one-mile long-road leads to a 10-foot-thick recent lava layer known as Devastation Trail. On either side of the trail, a weird lunar landscape reveals itself. Devastation Trail was formed in 1959 as a result of an eruption from the small Iki crater.
At the time, only bare ohia trees remained but it was not long before fresh flowers and saplings began to grow. It’s worth walking to the end of the trail to enjoy the fine view of the Iki crater.
