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Hiking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
We are going to Hawaii towards the end of October 2010 and want to do some hiking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for looking for recommendations, references, etc. of their hiking trails, etc.
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Sorry, our idea of hiking is getting to and from the car
The Big Island Revealed book had lots of hikes and those types of activities,
might want to pick up the most current edition.
jmho,
Greg
Originally posted by riverdees05We are going to Hawaii towards the end of October 2010 and want to do some hiking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for looking for recommendations, references, etc. of their hiking trails, etc. -
We were there yesterday and there is part of the loop road closed as are some of the trails due to the venting from the volcano. Pretty cool to see though. Strong smell of sulphur. Here is link to closed areas.
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Closed Areas and Advisories (U.S. National Park Service)
Today we drove from Hilo Highway 130 to the Kalapana viewing area. Lava viewing is from 2-10 p.m. daily with the last car allowed into the viewing area at 8 p.m. There's no charge to visitors, but a voluntary donation box is stationed at the trailhead.
Visitors can call the lava hotline at 808-961-8093 for daily updates on viewing hours, closures, if any, and potential hazards.David
"If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?"
Vince LombardiComment
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I forget, but aren't many of the "trails" on rather uneven land, volcanic and irregular?
I remember walking from the parking lot to view one of the caldera, and it was pretty rocky and uneven terrain....has this changed at all?Life is short, live it with this awareness.Comment
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That book is a great resource. Where are you staying on the Big Island?Originally posted by aliikai2
We stayed at VI Sea Mountain in January 2010. I think it was the closest timeshare to the Volcanoes Park and if people come from Kona it is about 2-3 hours EACH WAY! Less from Hilo but I am not aware of as many ts there.
The "Green sand beach" near Sea Mountain and the "Black sand beach" even closer might be areas you will like. I think you will need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get all the way to the green sand beach.
The "Lava Tubes" at the Volcano Park are a hike in themselves (imho).
We want to go to the OBSERVATORY and might if we stay at Kona next time because it is closer from there. High elevation is a consideration for that.
Have fun!My Website Link Oked by BFComment
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We are staying in Kona (Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort), but have two nights at Kilauea Military Camp, which I understand is in the Park. My sister-in-law got that, her son is in the Marines.Comment
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Volcanic Smog or Vog
We were on the Big Island in Jan. 2010. We stayed at the Bay Club and the HGVC for 2 weeks. The Vog was a problem while we were there. We drove from the Bay Club to the Park in about 2 1/2 hours. They told us at the Volcano National Park that the Air was not good. but the Park Rangers allowed us to enter. We were at the Welcome building for about 3/4 of a hour when the Park Rangers said the Park would be closing in a 1/2 hour due to the Vog. The Park Rangers were wearing Gas Mask as they directed us out of the Park. You can actually taste the Vog.
Walt
Vog in Hawaii: What it is, Where its from, Health Hazards, Pictures, and More
The Big Island Vog Index Blog
Volcanic Smog or Vog
Vog is basically volcanic smog. The constant eruption of the Kilauea Volcano has caused the volcanic smog, or "vog", to become quite an issue for the Hawaiian islands.
In fact, since the recent awakening of Halemaumau crater in March 2008, the emissions of harmful air pollutants have been times 10 times the normal amount.
Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Fluoride are the most dangerous of the gases being released by Kilauea.
Vog is created when Sulfur Dioxide and other gases from the volcano mix, with and chemically react, with oxygen, moisture in the air, dust, and sunlight.
This mixture is called aerosol, which occurs when tiny particles of gas, liquid, and solid matter are suspended in the air.
The aerosol in vog is made up mostly of sulfuric acid and other sulfate compounds, however trace amounts of several toxic metals are also found in vog. These particular metals found in the vog are selenium, mercury, arsenic, and iridium.
The further you get from the volcano, say Kona, the more you find concentration of this aerosol in the vog.
However, near the summit the vog is thick with sulfur dioxide, and is more dangerous.
Also vog settles just below the inversion layer, or 6,000 ft altitude. The funny thing is that as you go below 6,000 ft it gets less as you approach sea level. The worst conditions are found right at 6,000 ft, making mauka Ocean view, one of the most affected residential areas.
Between Halemaumau's eruptions and Pu`u O`o's continuous flow into the ocean, it has caused the Hawaii Civil Defense to post approximately 25 emergency health advisories.
In fact, they have even evacuated the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on more than one occasion, and they even went door to door in Kau encouraging people to leave their homes. The thickness of the vog is called the vog index.
Advisories are posted when conditions get unhealthy for the average person. This has been occurring when the tradewinds that disperse the vog slow, or even stop.
The map on the right shows the usual pattern for the tradewinds, which also explains why the South and West sides of the island have been affected the most.
Sulfur Dioxide poses the biggest threat to residents of the Big Island.
Sulfur Dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent odor that can irritate the skin and the delicate tissues surrounding the eyes nose and throat.
Mostly it affects the upper respiratory tract.
1 ppm of sulfur dioxide can cause health problems.
When this happens, even the other islands start to feel the effects. You can not see more then a few hundred feet at times, let alone the horizon.
I talked to one man who said that one day in Pahala it was hard to make out the top of telephone poles.
I have seen it so bad in Ocean View that the sun almost disappeared. It appeared to be a red glow in the sky, like some kind of science fiction movie.
On the right is a picture of the vog in Kona at sunset, this is a good example of conditions in Kona lately.
Below is a list of things that are known to counter the affects of the vog.
1. Smoking or other lung irritants should be avoided. This is a great excuse to stop smoking!
2. Stay well hydrated. Warm fluids in particular seem to help with respiratory difficulties. Personally I have found Mamaki tea to be helpful, I have also heard that making a tea out of cayenne pepper tea is helpful.
3. If there are health advisories, do your best to not over exert yourself. In other words, don't do anything over and above normal activity.
4. If the vog gets real bad, stay inside with the windows closed. Kau usually has the most hazardous conditions, because it is right down wind from the volcano. Air conditioners and air purifiers are also known to help.
5. Finally if you are experiencing serious side effects from the vog, consider spending some time in a area where there is low vog levels, such as Kohala, and see if that helps. If it doesn't, then it might not be the vog that is causing the problem.Comment
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For the last 15 years most of my professional activities have involved air quality matters. I also lived in the inland areas of the Los Angeles basin in the mid-1970's.
IMHO - people with any kind of breathing difficulty should avoid VOG exposure. The last time we visited the park - in August 2008 - the air quality in the area was the worst I have ever seen anywhere, anytime in my professional career. Conditions at the crater were actually good, but the pollution was quite severe on the road from Punalu'u up to Volcano. See the picture below, which was taken near Jarret Observatory, looking west at Mauna Loa:
This is Halema'uma'u taken from near the visitor center, about the same time. The fumes were lofting to about ten thousand coming out of the crater due to thermal buoyancy, and started moving to the SSW with the trade winds. But as they cooled, they lost buoyancy and sank, fumigating the road up from Punalu'u.
“Maybe you shouldn't dress like that.”
“This is a blouse and skirt. I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You shouldn't wear that body.”Comment
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There is a book by Lonely Planet, called "Hiking in Hawaii" that is specifically on hiking trails throughout all the islands.Originally posted by riverdees05We are going to Hawaii towards the end of October 2010 and want to do some hiking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for looking for recommendations, references, etc. of their hiking trails, etc.
There is the Kilauea Iki hike. You can do it by yourself or you can book as part of a guided hike with a national park guide. It's 4 miles where you descend 400 ft into the crater through vegetation to the floor and then hike across the frozen lava fields which still have steam vents. You stop at the original vent from the 1959 eruption. You hike across the crater and then back up. We had our hiking boots but running shoes would work as well.
There's the Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs hike/stroll aong the chain of craters road. It's a 1.5 mile loop where you look at old petroglyphs.
You can also drive to the end of the Chain of Craters Road and then hike in over the newly solidified lava to the edge that overlooks the ocean. This area is defintely very uneven and requires regular use of hands to assist you over the various lava flows.
There is the Thurston Lava tube hike. You have to sign up for that. When we went in 2008, there was a new "secret lava tube" that was not named yet. There were special guided hikes which you had to sign up for and was limited to 10 people per day. They were really trying to limit the impact of humans on the footprint so the area wasn't negatively impacted. For the lava tube hikes, you must wear long shirts and pants, hiking boots, hard hats with lights, etc because of the possibility of hurting yourself from the sharp dried lava.
I'd definitely recommend Kilauea Iki and one of the lava tube hikes if you are up to it.Comment
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Kilauea Iki is a nice hike; it's a loop, so you come back to your car. The sun can really bake you in the crater so bring water. They warn you not to get too close at one point (big sign), but that's it.
I didn't know Thurston was signup now; it wasn't when we were there last.
The secret tube is quite different. It only happens once a week, so reserve early. You walk about a mile downhill from the trailhead; then you clamber down a ladder to the entrance. The helmets and headlamps are supplied (bring 4 replacement batteries for them). The gloves they provide are not to keep your hands from getting cut up, but rather to protect their exotic bacteria on the walls from being contaminated by whatever you have on your hands, if you fall to the side.
Consider driving (looong trip) to the Mauna Kea visitor center, not the observatory, that's farther. They set up telescopes and show you the stars. The trip to the top is usually done by tour groups from Hilo or Kona. They (the tour operators) WILL NOT ALLOW ANY CHILDREN UNDER 16 (altitude sickness, PE, or CE). You can drive up yourself, but it's steep, high, and twisty. -kenComment
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Monday, as we were heading this route, but toward V. Park, it looked this way. The closer we got, the heavier rain mist grew. I aborted the mission and headed back to Kona.Originally posted by T. R. Oglodyte...but the pollution was quite severe on the road from Punalu'u up to Volcano. ...
The last two days we've seen blue sky at Kona, but not today.
Nice pictures!RobertComment
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Bob - there was no rain or mist in that cloud at all. That cloud was 100% pure Hawai'i VOG.Originally posted by RESORT2ME“Maybe you shouldn't dress like that.”
“This is a blouse and skirt. I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You shouldn't wear that body.”Comment
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I realize that. I agree your photo showed no rain. I referred to it as that was the way we found it also. However, we had ventured toward Volcano Park in hopes of viewing in spite of the vog. After South Bakery rain started as mist. The closer we got to the park the heavier the rain became.Originally posted by T. R. Oglodyte View PostRobertComment
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