Agile Trekker

Friday, May 8, 2026

Devastation Trail, Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/13/2026	1 mile	35 minutes	76'	1.9 mph	88.8

Parking:

Devastation Trailhead, Intersection of Chain of Craters Road and Crater Rim Drive

Map:

Gaia GPS app
National Park map

Directions:

There are multiple trails starting from this trailhead. Take the paved Devastation Trail and hike to the Pu'u Pua'i Overlook. Return the same way.

Someone recommended hikes from the Devastation Trailhead to us. There were multiple ones, and we did this as our second one. From what I remember it is a paved hike, and not nearly as exciting as the Byron Ledge Trail. There's a view at the end, but there were many people there too, as there is a parking lot at the view.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Byron Ledge Trail, Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/13/2026	3.1 miles	2 hours 14 minutes	300'	1.9 mph	87.8

Parking:

Devastation Trailhead, Intersection of Chain of Craters Road and Crater Rim Drive

Map:

Gaia GPS app
National Park map

Directions:

There are multiple trails starting from this trailhead. Take the Byron Ledge Trail. Pass the Kilauea Iki Spur. Pass the Byron Ledge Spur. Descend down to the crater floor. Walk a short way across the crater floor. Turn around at the intersection with the Halemaumau Trail which leads away from the crater.

Someone recommended hikes from the Devastation Trailhead to us. There were multiple ones, and we started with this one. It was hot out. I did my best to cover myself in sunscreen, whereas my friends wore sun hoodies. The hike goes along the edge of the crater where the eruptions have been happening. And then it descends to go briefly across the crater floor. Say what? This was crazy and exhilarating. We could clearly see equipment on the crater floor - scientific equipment and maybe cameras (there are live webcams from the crater floor that are played inside the Volcano House). So cool! Loved, loved, loved this experience!

We saw these signs in a few places.
This is saying to go view eruptions from the trail behind us (Old Crater Rim Drive)

We took the Byron Ledge Trail next to the Halema-uma'u Crater

Pink Knotweed

Ohi'a Lehua

We are now on the crater floor! Mind blown!

Shiny reticulite from previous eruptions.

And we lived to take a group photo lol

Back off the crater floor, we came across this bird on the trail

This may have been from the next hike...not sure.

Bamboo Orchid

Pu'upua'i Cinder Cone

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Nahuku Lava Tube, Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/13/2026	0.5 miles	20 minutes	90'	1.9 mph	84.7

Parking:

Thurston Lava Tube, Crater Rim Drive. The parking lot is busy so its best to go early in the morning or late in the evening.

Map:

Gaia GPS app
National Park map

Directions:

Cross the street and follow the loop hike.

Our next stop of the day was the Thurston or Nahuku Lava Tube. I've always wanted to see a lava tube. It was nothing like I expected. I expected an above ground tube, made of shiny black rock (like obsidian) on a desert floor of lava. It was pretty much the opposite of this. It was a rainforest. Lava rock is not shiny. When you enter the tube, it's like going through an underground tunnel. The lava tube is lit up inside during the day. At 8pm, they turn out the lights inside, but you could certainly do it as a night hike, and we did once later on our trip.

These fern-like plants look pre-historic.

Hapu'u Pulu

The lava tube entrance

The walls of the tube

There are puddles inside, but not too deep.
The lights inside stay on until 8pm.
A headlamp is still useful due to uneven footing inside.

Steam Vents at Kukamahuakea to Steaming Bluff Overlook, Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/13/2026	0.4 miles	21 minutes	8'	1.9 mph	83.4

Parking:

Steam Vents, Crater Rim Drive

Map:

Gaia GPS app
National Park map

Directions:

Explore the steam vents in the parking area. Take the Steam Vent Trail to Steaming Bluffs where you can view the crater. Return the same way.

We stopped at the Volcano House in the morning. They provide free tea and coffee. We visited this lodge regularly. We stopped in their Gift Shop. The woman working there gave us lots of suggestions of things to do. She told us a lot of funny stories too and taught us a little bit about the Hawaiian alphabet - there are 5 vowels and 8 consonants. She said she knew it better as a child and was now studying it in DuoLingo.

After stopping by the Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center, we went to ranger talk at Uekahuna. Shortly after it started, it had to be canceled because his sulphur dioxide monitor started beeping loudly which meant the air quality was dangerous. The wind was blowing S02 from the volcano our way.

We went back to the visitor center and joined another ranger talk/mini hike where we learned about Pele. Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes, believed to reside in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea on the Big Island. Known as both creator and destroyer, she governs lava flows, shaping the islands through volcanic activity. We heard a lot about Pele during our stay.

We took a drive and did a short walk at the steam vents. We did this as a roadside stop. It's really part of a longer hike which we did later during our trip. The steam vents are fenced off, and warm steam comes out of them constantly. Today is when I discovered reticulite, the lightest rock on earth. It’s made of extremely frothy volcanic glass with up to about 98% air space. Some pieces are so light they can float on water. It's pretty and shiny. They say it can be a skin & lung irritant, but yes, at some point I did pick some up. It falls from the sky during eruptions - and the grounds of our cabin are covered in it. We saw it in the grass, in trees, just everywhere. And yes, it's crazy lightweight!