Travel through a lava tube - Thurston Lava Tube at Volcanoes National Park
Written: Oct 25 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very accessible, Tube is lighted, Interesting forest walk in addition to tube
Cons: Not handicap accessible, Can get very crowded, Can't go into wild portion
The Bottom Line: The exploration of a lava tube like the Thurston Lava Tube is something that you cannot pass up
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| jps246's Full Review: Thurston Lava Tube, HI |
One stop that you can’t miss while you are in Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii is the Thurston Lava Tube. This lava tube, located along the Crater Rim Drive is not too far from the Visitors’ Center and Volcano House and is a great place to get hands on experience with a lava tube.
Not only do you get to walk through a lava tube, as you both approach it and leave the tube, you travel through the Hawaiian forest where you can catch glimpses of wildlife and observe all the various plants that are growing.
Getting There
The Thurston Lava Tube is located within Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii. It’s a stop along the Crater Rim Drive, which passes by a number of other points of interest as it makes its way around the Kilauea Crater and surrounding volcanic features. The lava tube is located near the end of the drive (which is a two-way road) and is not too far from the Visitor Center and Volcano House, should you not want to travel the entire drive to get there.
Parking is located along the side of the road with designated accessible spots. Bus parking is located on the other side of the road. This area gets very busy throughout the day with multiple buses and lots of cars parking. You may find the parking spaces full at the busiest times, so it’s best to get there early or later in the afternoon.
Access
From the road, a small accessible trail leads to an informational sign on the lava tube walk and a restroom. The trail to the tube forms a loop from this point, traveling down into a small volcanic crater, entering the lava tube and then looping back after leaving the tube along the top of the crater before finally coming back to where you have started.
The whole walk is only about a third of a mile and should take somewhere around 10 to 20 minutes depending on how much time you spend looking around at the forest and the inside of the lava tube.
The trail after the informational signs is not handicap accessible. While the walkway itself is improved and paved, there are a number of stairs along the trail.
For those who don’t want to take the walk, there are a number of benches around that the informational signs and restrooms where you can sit and wait for the rest of your party to make it through the tube.
The Walk
From the signs, the trail descends quickly to the base of the small volcanic crater that created the lava tube. This is an old crater and the forest has overtaken it. Lush vegetation surrounds the trail as you hear and catch glimpses of various forest birds. The trail makes its way across the relatively flat floor of the crater as it approaches the lava tube.
A bridge crosses a bit of a ravine near the edge of the crater and enters the Thurston Lava Tube. The tube itself is quite large at the beginning, maybe 20 feet in diameter, though it both narrows and widens as it continues along its way. It is also lit so there’s no need to bring a flashlight. The tube is roughly cylindrical and as you walk through, you can see the hardened lava on the sides, which marked where the hot lava had been flowing through the tunnel.
The walk through the tunnel is quite interesting as you can imagine the lava pouring down through the tunnel and now you are getting to walk through. Not only that, it’s cool and damp down in the tube, which can be quite a difference from the conditions outside.
The trail then climbs out of the tube via a set of stairs. However, if you are on a tour group, there’s a more “wild” portion of the tube that continues for a few hundred feet beyond the exit. This is gated though and only accessible to the tour groups. I wish it wasn’t – as I think it would be an exciting trip for everyone. Though I understand the logistics of having to have a Ranger there providing flashlights and the greater potential for injury.
Once you climb the stairs out of the tube, the trail loops back along the top of the crater before dropping down to the starting point where the restroom and informational signs are.
Final Thoughts
If you are in Volcanoes National Park, this is a “can’t be missed” stop on your tour of the park. It might be crowded and you might not get to go into the wild portion of the tube, but the exploration of a lava tube like the Thurston Lava Tube here is something that you cannot pass up.
There are other lava tubes on the island but this is one of the most easily accessible ones (I’m fairly sure it’s the only lighted one) so make sure to include a stop at the Thurston Lava Tube when you are in Volcanoes National Park.
You won’t be disappointed with a visit here.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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