Hilo | Volcano | Volcano Park | Kilauea Iki | Chain of Craters Road | To Kailua | To Hawi | Near Kailua | Snorkel
The Chain of Craters Road runs down to the south coast, across massive lava fields, some of which flowed in the not-so-distant past. The road along the coast has been blocked by lava 37 years of its 49-year existence. Because of a different lava-flow in progress that threatens to cut off lower Puna from the rest of the island, the old road is being reopened between Chain of Craters over to Kalapana, near Puna, a month after our visit.
It was very hot and humid that day at the coast, rivaling Haiti.
Across the Lava Plain  | Overlooking a Rift  | Lava Wrinkles  |
End of the Road (but not for long - reopened late October, 2014) &image_dir_name=../images/hawaii-2014/&page_group_name=hawaii-2014&page_name=chain-of-craters&back_arrow_url=/php/hawaii-chain-of-craters.php){kind=icon} | Really? However, this sign was removed. Only a month after our visit the road was reopened!  | Palm Tree Oasis  |
Lava Slope  |  | |
The Thurston Lava Tube is just off of the Chain of Craters Road. You can walk down the section that is lit, but the rest of the tube is fenced off.
Best to bring a flashlight, just in case . . .
Inviting Entrance  | Big Enough For the Car  | A Few Yards Farther; it Drips  |
End in Sight  | Exit  | There's More, but No Admittance  |
Egress  | | |