Big Island 2025 Day 2

Saturday January 4th 2025

On The Road To Volcanoes National Park

Kailua-Kona -> Volcano

After a quick stop for coffee, the two hour car ride to volcanoes national park on the other side of the island began around 5:45am. Volcanic rocks make up the majority of the landscape on the western side of the big island. The eastern side of the island, a much more wet and cold temperate, greets you with greenery.

Kilauea Iki Trail

• https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/hawaii/hawaii/kilauea-iki-trail-and-crater-rim-trail

• 3.2 mile loop around Kilauea Iki Crater

The crisp early morning allowed for other worldly fog inside the crater that was viewable from the top and start of the trail. The trail starts around the top ridge of Kilauea, then descends downward where you close up the loop by walking through the diameter of the crater.

Thurston Lava Tube

Kilauea Iki crater with the fog cleared out later in the day. You can see the trail that we walked across earlier.

Kilauea Visitor Center

Steam Vents

Kilauea Eruption

Kilauea’s most recent eruption began a week before we arrived around Christmas.

Nene (Hawaiian Goose)

Hawaii’s state bird. Endemic to the Hawaii island. Only found in the wild on Oahu, Maui, Kaua’i, Molokai, and Hawai’i.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

Mauna Kea