Crater Rim Drive Tour - Stop #8

Approximately one mile from the Keanakako'i Overlook, Crater Rim Road intercepts Chain of Craters Road on your right. The 40 mile round-trip down Chain of Craters Road descends 3,700' to the coast and dead-ends where a 1995 lava flow crossed the road. Allow 3 or more hours for this driving trip. Note, there are no services along this route.

The Devastation Trail parking area is on your left. You can park your car here and take a 30-minute walk through the cinder outfall of the 1959 eruption of Kilauea Iki. This 1/2 mile (each way) paved trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible. You can have the driver of your car proceed on to the Pu'u Pua'i Overlook located 1/2 mile away and meet your group.

Another option is to walk the unpaved trail (.6 mile each way) to the Byron Ledge trail across the cinders being reclaimed by a variety of native and alien species.

One half mile from the Devastation Trail parking area is the turn off to the Pu'u Pua'i Overlook. On most days, the strong trade winds make it easy to see how the cone was built during the high lava fountaining in 1959. Notice parts of the old road are buried under Pu'u Pua'i. (Road rebuilding and rerouting is a fact of life here at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.)

Close to Kilauea Iki's fountaining, the lava pumice cinders were hot enough to weld themselves together into a spatter cone, Pu'u Pua'i.(Pu'u Pua'i means gushing hill.) Further downwind, the falling cinders had cooled sufficiently to form a blanket of cinders.

The Pu'u Pua'i Overlook provides a fine look into Kilauea Iki Crater. A gray line on the crater floor is the Kilauea Iki Trail. Your next stop is 1.3 miles away at Thurston Lava Tube.

Go To: Crater Rim Drive Tour - Stop #9 - Pu`u Pua`i Overlook

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