Explore Kahuku April through June 2014

Hikers traverse the 1868 flow in Kahuku at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

NPS Photo

News Release Date: March 31, 2014

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

Everyone is invited to participate in the upcoming Kahuku programs, offered April through June 2014, in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Free!

Palm Trail is a moderately difficult 2.6 mile loop traversing scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and amazing volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures. A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered April 19, May 25, and June 29; from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Enter the Kahuku unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the mauka (uphill) side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection, and a snack are recommended.  

People and Land of Kahuku is a moderate two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields, and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored this land. The guided hike is offered April 20, May 18, and June 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Enter the park's Kahuku unit on the mauka (uphill) side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection, and a snack are recommended.   

'Ōhi'a Lehua. Learn about the vital role of 'ōhi'a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the 'ōhi'a tree, and the lehua flower. Visitors traveling through the park will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent tree in the Kahuku Unit. The 'Ōhi'a Lehua program is offered April 27, May 11 (Mother's Day), and June 15; from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Enter the Kahuku unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the mauka (uphill) side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection, and a snack are recommended.   

-NPS-

 

Yellow ‘ōhi‘a blooming in Kahuku.

NPS Photo/David Boyle