Panorama taken next to the Mauna Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The trail is actually marked on the Google map of Hawaii, but is actually very narrow dirt trail over lava. The entrance to the trail from the road is marked by the two wooden signs seen here.

Mauna Iki Trail - Hawaii Island visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Mauna Iki Trail' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Hawaii.

The Mauna Iki is a lava dome that formed during an eruption in the 1920's in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The trail is a 7 mile return from the Mauna Iki Trailhead near to on Hilina Pali Road. It leads over the Ka'u Desert to Pu'u Koae vent (990m) on the Southwest Rift Zone. Much of the track is only marked by cairns and stones. Though mostly barren, new signs of life can be seen on the lava fields.

An alternative is to start from the Ka'ū Desert Trailhead for a shorter, 3.6 mile, round trip. Whichever path is chosen, walkers must carry plenty of water and be prepared for sudden changes in weather conditions.

Hilina Pali Road is a 4 mile long single lane track that terminates at the Hilina Pali Lookout at a height of 695m. On the way the landscape continuously changes, though always with lava as the underlying theme.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
P.O. Box 52
Hawai'i National Park,
Hawaii Island
HI 96718-0052

Car: Mauna Iki Trailhead is about 3.5 miles down Hilina Pali Road, about 5.8 miles from the beginning of Chain of Craters Road on the southern side of Kilauea Caldera. The junction is between Ko'oko'olau Crater and Pauahi Crater.