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Making America's Best Idea Even Better
Hawai'i Volcanoes National ParkLava flows like a river out of a hardened crust.
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Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Day Hike - Puu Loa
Visitors look at petroglyphs from the boardwalk

NPS

The boardwalk viewing platform protects the petroglyphs from damage. (Click on photo for a larger version)

Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs

This coastal trail traverses older lava flows to one of Hawai'i's most extensive petroglyph fields.

Of interest: Petroglyphs, pahoehoe lava.

  • Difficulty: Easy to moderate
  • Distance and hiking time: 2 miles roundtrip, 1.5 hours
  • Distance from Visitor Center to trailhead: 20 miles.
  • Trail begins at the Pu'u Loa parking area on Chain of Craters Road (mile marker 16 on Chain of Craters Road).
  • Petroglyphs are fragile. Stay on the boardwalk - walking on the lava surface will fragment petroglyphs and destroy them.
  • Bring water, wear sunglasses and a hat.
 

For more information about this special area, visit our History and Culture webpage for the article: Pu`uloa Petroglyphs by Mara Durst

 

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Glowing, reddish-orange lava flowing on the surface at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park  

Did You Know?
Kilauea Volcano has erupted lava almost continuously from its east rift zone since 1983. These lava flows have added over 568 acres (230 hectares) of new land to the southern shore of Kilauea and covered 8.7 miles (14 km) of highway with lava as deep as 115 feet (35 m).
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Last Updated: October 07, 2008 at 20:10 EST