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.