walking on the crust of a lava lake that took 36 years to cool is something to brag about. steam coming up through vents, crust thats buckled and been pushed up to create a from outer space landscape. if you are short on time just go out and back from the lava tube parking lot, skip the round trip loop. more

My husband and I did this hike during a week long trip to Hawaii in April 2006. This hike was the highlight of our time at Volcanoes National Park. We picked up the trail at the Kilauea Iki Overlook parking lot and went counter clockwise (away from the Thurston Lava Tube). You start off hiking through the rain forest up... more

My wife and I hiked the Kilauea Iki Trail in early November 2005. We started early in the day and saw few other people on the trail. We parked at the Thurston Lava Tube lot and started the loop trail by descending into the Kilauea Iki crater on the east side. After a series of switchbacks, you step onto the... more

Anyone visiting the big island should do this hike. It is well worth the $10 entry fee to the park even if you don't see anything else. This is highly recommended by the park people and for good reason. You get cool rainforest hiking and also the experience of being up close and personal with an active volcano. It takes... more

The Kilauea Iki Trail is the best hike we took on the Big Island. It leads you through a lush, perfumed and ever-drizzling rain forest where one wonders if that is what paradise looks like, only to leave you staring in awe at the vast and gloomy bottom of the Iki Crater suddenly spreading before you. The ground is still... more