Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Last Wednesday we took a trip about half way across the island to Volcanoes National Park. It was awesome and certainly worth the trip! The only bad part was that about half the park was closed due to harmful gases being emitted in certain areas. It was okay with us as we had a great time anyway. After about a 2 hour drive...plus some scenic stops along the way we entered the park and found our first stop, Devastation Trail. Its only about a half mile each way, but it was beautiful! You can see the lava trail on one side and then the jungle like environment on the other. The devastion side was so pretty with some plants and flowers that have grown there since.


And then the other side...with regular trees in some parts, and then rainforest in others.


There were also really pretty dead trees...I know that sounds funny but they really were. Here is my favorite.

Then it was onto the lava tube. Its basically a tunnel, or a cave, that the lava made. One part has been lit and designed for all tourists and the other part requires a flashlight and is left in its original form. Some how these pictures were uploaded in reverse order, so the first one is us in the unlit original tube. I didn't go all the way in like TJ...instead I took family and group pictures for other tourists.

This photo is of the hollowed out tube and its lit so we could get a decent picture.

Its kind of interesting that the environment in and around the lava tube is basically that of a rainforest. Then you go in and its dark and wet with little or nothing inside...and then you come out and its completely lush. Here I am going in and you can see how lush it is.

The last thing we did was hike down to one of the craters (the only one open), walk across it, and then hike back up. It was something like 4 miles, but sure didn't seem like it. This is the view we had of it from the top of the trail...it is huge!

And then another view with the smoke from one of the active vents in the distance.

This crater is called the Kilauea Iki Crater and is the site of the 1959 lava. It weird because you hike down and up in a lush forest and then when you get down there you fell like you are on the moon! Some parts are smooth and others are very rocky. There are also some smoking vents in the crater and you can feel the heat when near them. Here is T by a mound of rock...and somewhere in that mound is a vent. You can kind of see the smoke.

There are also giant cracks. Some of them you can see down to where they end, and some you can't. Others have odd green plants growing inside them. Here are some cracks and their are others both larger and smaller than this.

Here I am hiking down to the smooth part...

We finally made it across!

It was awesome and we were starving! Our bellies were crying for sushi or rumored nearby Thai food. And then we realized we still had to hike up to the car! It was a very steep but beautiful trail up.

The only thing I didn't see that I really wanted to see was the NeNe. Nope, not one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, rather the Hawaiian goose that is endangered. Oh well maybe I will catch it next time! After we left we decided to drive the other way around the island and it was so pretty! More on that later, Aloha!