Kaʻu Desert

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park


Although the Kilauea rain shadow keeps this area relatively dry, it's not a true desert; but what rain does fall is highly acidic from the upwind eruptions. While that's hard on the plant life, it does maintain a rugged and starkly memorable landscape pocked with cinder cones and craters draped with drifts of shimmering Pele's hair (long strands of volcanic glass threads). Whet your appetite with the low-commitment hike to Footprints before tackling the Mauna Iki or Kaʻu Desert Trails.

If you visit the Kaʻu, rangers recommend using a dusk mask as levels of volcanic ash in the air around here is still hazardous.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park attractions

1. Footprints

2.73 MILES

A short, 0.8-mile walk down the Mauna Iki trail from the Kaʻu Desert trailhead on Hwy 11 brings you to a field of scattered footprints preserved in…

2. Twin Pit Crater

3.24 MILES

True to their name, these dual yawning craters are just west of Cone Crater on the Mauna Iki Trail.

3. Hilina Pali Overlook

3.29 MILES

This serenely beautiful overlook looms 1700ft above the coastal flats of Hilina Slump: a semidetached landmass sinking 4in each year, and which may be…

4. Cone Crater

3.31 MILES

A prominent, semicollapsed volcanic crater along the Mauna Iki Trail.

5. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

6.17 MILES

Even among Hawaii's many wonders, this national park stands out. Its two active volcanoes testify to the ongoing birth of the islands: quiet Mauna Loa (13…

6. Jaggar Museum

7.83 MILES

There's plenty packed into this small one-room geology museum including real-time seismographs and tiltmeters recording earthquakes inside the park (and…

7. Halemaʻumaʻu Crater

7.99 MILES

The original Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook off Crater Rim Dr was closed in 2008 due to volcanic activity and the very real threat of death. For the next decade,…

8. Kilauea

8.04 MILES

Kilauea volcano lies at the center of activity in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The unassuming bump on Mauna Loa's southeast flank would be easily…

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