Whether you have lived on Hawaii’s Big Island your entire life, or this is your first time visiting, you absolutely must explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A trip to Hawaii Volcanoes isn’t complete without a visit to the Kilauea Caldera, a trip down the Thurston Lava Tube, a walk through the lava fields, and a drive down the Chain of Craters Road, and a ton of hiking. In fact, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to more than 150 miles of hiking trails, from easy walks to hikes recommended only for experienced hikers in top physical shape. While all of these hiking trails are phenomenal, there are two underrated trails near the park’s summit area that you shouldn’t miss.
When completed together, the Ha’akulamanu (Sulphur Banks) Trail and ‘Iliahi (Sandalwood) Trail provides hikers with a magnificent experience unlike any other throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
Less than three miles round trip, this hiking trail leads adventurers through a tropical rainforest full of ferns, and through sulphur banks along a paved boardwalk, where steaming vents and colorful mineral deposits abound.
Start your journey at either the Kilauea Visitors Center or the Steam Vents parking lot.
For our purposes today, we’ll start with the steam vents. The steam vents are located .8 miles past the Visitors center, where groundwater seeps to the hot volcanic rocks in the area and returns to the surface as steam.
Just a short walk away is the steaming bluff, a grassy meadow with ground cracks and steam concentrated in fractures along the edge of the caldera.
Next up, you’ll head into a magnificent tropical rainforest on the "Iliahi Trail.
Along this beautiful shaded rainforest trail, you will find sandalwood trees growing alongside non-native plants while you walk near active steam vents and listen to the singing native birds.
Once you’ve come out of the jungle, it’s time to head to the sulfur banks.
According to the National Park Service, "volcanic gases seep out of the ground along with groundwater steam. These gases are rich in carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide – the gas that smells like rotten eggs. Some sulfur gases deposit pure crystals at Sulphur Banks. Other sulfur gases form sulfuric acid, which breaks down the lava to clay." The clay is stained brown and red with iron oxide.
The entire trail is relatively flat and perfect for the whole family. And honestly, where else will you experience steam vents, sulfur banks, and a tropical rainforest in a single short, hour-long hike?
It is important, however, to remember to stay on the trail and away from scalding hot steam vents, cracks in the earth, and cliffs.
A warning before you go: Pregnant women, infants, young children and those with heart or respiratory problems should avoid this section of the park, as the gases from the sulfur banks can be dangerous.
Have you explored this diverse area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? What about the epic Chain of Craters Road or the jaw-dropping Kilauea Iki Trail?
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