Lucky Timing
How We Drove The Chain of Craters Road A Day Before It Closed - Hawaii Big Island Trip Part 1
Sometimes during our travels, we are just very lucky. This was the case during out latest trip, when we visited Volcanoes National Park in the Big Island of Hawaii, just one day before several closures due to increased volcanic activity.
If we timed our visit just one day later, we wouldn't have seen some of the most spectacular landmarks of the park.
I am talking specifically about the Chain of Craters Road, a 19-mile scenic road that follows the lava flow into the ocean. Every mile of that road is spectacular; In fact, it was one of our favorite places in the park.
The Chain of Craters Road
The road continues the main road of the park, Crater Rim Drive, towards the ocean, past the always busy Lava Tube stop. It descends from about 4,000 feet elevation to ocean level, passing through lava fields of different ages, different consistencies, interspersed by several green areas with vegetation.
But what you see most is lava. Black lava swirls and rough lava formations, all in different shades of black, and occasional rust.
We are no strangers to lava flows and craters, since we live close to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and visit it often. But the Bonito Lava Flow at Sunset Crater is a tiny baby lava flow compared to what we saw here.
Here, on this seemingly never-ending lava fields that added miles to the Big Island of Hawaii in recent years, we saw every kind of lava. We recognized its flow, like a giant thick black river making its way into the ocean.
I prefer the look (and feel) of the smooth, rolling swirls of Pahoehoe lava I’ve only seen in pictures until now. I am more familiar with the rough surface of the a’a lava we see at Sunset Crater, and noticed it here, as well.
The black landscape changes constantly as you drive across this enormous lava field. Several stops offer an opportunity for a closer look at different formations and craters.
But nothing beats the view of the lava flowing into the ocean. Here, at the end of the road, we walked out to the water’s edge for an unforgettable view of the Holei Sea Arch of lava rock, along with steep cliffs of black dried lava dropping into the Pacific.
We drove part of the scenic road twice. While the first time it was sunny and too warm for walks except at the very end, the second day was much cooler and cloudy, offering a different perspective of the same landscape.
A Bit of Background History of the Road
The National Park built the original road in 1928 to connect Crater Rim Drive to Makaopuhi Crater. Later, in 1959, they lengthened the road to the coast to reach the tiny town of Kalapana (that no longer exists, destroyed and buried by lava flows in 1990). Only a few years later, in 1969, lava flow from the Makaopuhi eruption buried part of the road.
Chain of Craters Road reopened ten years later, in 1979. Since then, most of the road is the same, except at the very end, where lava covered parts of it.
The coast was once home to several villages, used for centuries since the first human settlements on the island. Trails, home sites, petroglyphs (some of which you can reach at the end of a trail from the road today), and agricultural sites are still remnants of their existence. At least those not buried under the lava.
In the 13th century, Priest Pa’ao built Hawaii’s first luakini heiau (temple designated for human sacrifices) consecrated to God Ku and used until 1819. The historical site became part of Volcanoes National Park in 1938, and in 1966 the park built a Visitor Center near it.
It all lasted until Goddess Pele took back the land, and destroyed all of it during the volcanic eruption of Pu’u’o’ho that lasted 35 years, from 1983 to 2018. During this time, the landscape on this side of the island changed drastically, destroying the Visitor Center and later the ancient temple, along with other structures and the nearby villages.
Today, the road stops when it reaches the coast, with about a mile of it blocked off before the volcano slide that ran across it and destroyed it.
Our Lucky Timing
We could have missed this drive. If we visited the park one day later, which was our original plan.
After two days enjoying the beaches and the coast near Kona, we were ready to explore further. But we weren’t sure which direction to go. We wanted to visit the volcanoes, but had no definite plans of the timing.
When looking for a new hotel, we found one with an available room close to Volcanoes National Park.
So we booked it. And drove into the park for two consecutive days.
We saw the park in the rain, covered with thick clouds, but also with clear skies. Being on the Big Island, and in Volcanoes National Park, the expression “four seasons in one day” took on a new meaning.
As we wandered through the park, on every trail we took, I kept smelling the volcanoes, the strongest near the steam vents. Or at least I thought it was the volcanoes. It didn’t smell like sulfur, like I expected. It was a smell more like steamed greenery, a weird combination of boiling spinach and something else, not sure what.
We saw several pieces of equipment which we assumed were sensors, set up on the surface of Kīlauea, knocked over. Though we noticed it, we thought little of it, though in retrospect it makes sense, considering the underground earthquakes.
The day after our second visit, they closed part of the park, because of the intensity of underground earthquakes that may be a sign of an imminent eruption. Or not. But since it’s unpredictable, the park closed down some of its most scenic roads and trails for safety.
I’m sure it will all reopen soon. However, when I saw the notice the day after we left the park, I couldn’t help but feel lucky to have been there when we could enjoy even parts closed today.
