Categorized | Environment

Hike Kilauea Iki with the Friends (Aug. 14)

The public is invited to join the non-profit Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for its “Sunday Walk in the Park” along the Kilauea Iki Trail. (Photo courtesy of FHVNP)

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On Aug. 14, the non-profit Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park presents its next “Sunday Walk in the Park” 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. This monthly program on second Sundays is aimed at bringing together the members of FHVNP to share in the park’s beautiful trails.

Led by Nick Shema, this month’s three-hour, four-mile hike will explore Kilauea Iki Crater. Participants should bring a bag lunch for a rest stop along the walk.

Kilauea Iki Trail begins in the rain forest on the crater’s rim. The trail descends 400 feet through the rain forest, with native birds flitting through the canopy, onto the crater floor. Hikers cross the still-steaming crater, past the gaping throat of the vent that built Puu Puai cinder cone, and ascend the far rim.

Of interest on the hike are forest plants, birds, insects, the 1959 lava lake, steam vents, and cinder and spatter cones.

“Starting from the park’s resources management area, we will proceed to Nahuku (Thurston Lava Tube), drop down onto the Kilauea Iki Trail, come back up via Byron Ledge and Crater Rim Trails, and return to the start,” Shema said.

This hike, rated moderately difficult, traverses pahoehoe lava and forested trails. Participants should be prepared for the 4,000-foot elevation as well as for variable weather conditions, including sunny, windy, chilly, and/or rainy.

FHVNP’s “Sunday Walk in the Park” is free for Friends members, and non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to attend. Annual memberships are $30 for individuals and $45 for families, and come with a variety of benefits.

Park entrance fees apply.

To register, contact FHVNP at 985-7373 or admin@fhvnp.org. For more information, including directions to the resources management parking area, visit www.fhvnp.org

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