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The most beautiful lava flow you will see is the 1969-1972 Mauna Ulu flow, which covered 17 sq. miles and traveled 7 miles to the coast. The colors are created from the various minerals (mainly iron) oxidizing as moisture came into contact with the surface flow. The colors and textures are like terracotta pottery, perfectly and uniquely glazed. Some areas of this flow are over 25 ft. thick. Amazing!
A steel dial sits atop Pu‘u Ula‘ula (Red Hill) at over 10,000 feet in this Mars-like landscape on Mauna Loa. The dial points in the major directions of other pu‘u (hills) and volcanoes from this point on the Island of Hawai‘i: Mauna Loa, Haleakala (Maui), Mauna Kea, Pu‘u O‘o, Hilo, Pu‘u Kulani, Kīlauea, and Kamakala.
Ribbon-like, hardened lava (called pahoehoe) remains from past lava flows at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Pahoehoe is different from its cousin lava, a‘a by having a lower volume flow rate, lower viscosity, and running slightly hotter in temperature creating many beautiful ribbon or rope-like shapes in many stunning and intricate patterns.
‘Apua Point is a beautiful back country destination. The area was once a fishing village, but was destroyed during an 1868 earthquake that caused a localized tsunami and was never rebuilt. Now, sea turtle monitoring is performed here in the park, and adventurers come for day hikes or overnight camping in this serene and isolated location by the water's edge.
The Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in Kīlauea Volcano began its most recent eruption in 2008 and is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Here it is seen with undulating volcanic gas pluming from its active lava lake. Native ohia trees show off their brilliant red blossoms on the crater's edge.
Halapē is a popular backcountry destination, but not for the faint of heart. Any trail you choose to get there is either rugged or a pretty good haul. But don't worry--if you're lucky, there will be coconuts waiting and water in the catchment; and you're always guaranteed to find a couple palm trees for your hammock. Relax and enjoy a colorful sunset, and the brilliant awe of the Milky Way on your overnight stay.
Bright orange lava seen flowing into the ocean at sunrise at Kamokuna. A tour boat in the background gives visitors a closer look.
A threatened green sea turtle sunbathes at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in the company of friends.
The Tatoosh Wildernes Area is a stunning venture into the Cascades, with breathtaking views of alpine lakes (at ~6,000 ft), and of the commanding and majestic Mt. Rainer. The haze seen here is from ongoing fires (8/2017) in the northern and the southern forest areas.
"Pele's hair" is a term you might hear when referring to the golden and glistening hairlike fibers you find strewn downwind from Kīlauea Volcano. It's named after the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, and is created when gas bubbles violently burst from the lava lake of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater propelling thin lava wisps of volcanic glass that are carried, stretched, and distributed by the wind. Mounds of Pele's hair can eerily be found deposited in almost every nook and cranny along the Ka'ū Desert. Malama.
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