Recently I came across one of my Camping at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park articles on the Internet, and I noticed that the Webmaster added the specification that the article was about camping on a dormant volcano. Kilauea, residing on the flanks of Mauna Loa, is anything but dormant, but it's understandable that to some, the idea of camping on one of the world's most active volcano is nuts. And that may be just as well.
Namakanipaio Campground at 4,000 feet elevation in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is pristine, tranquil and beautiful. About a 40-minute drive from Hilo, we didn't see the litter that we hat some of the more crowded beach campgrounds. Fragrant eucalyptus, ohia trees (with their bottlebrush type, red lehua blossoms), Hawaiian honeycreepers, green ferns – this is a whole new version of paradise.
The amazing quiet of this campground is an interesting contrast to Kilauea's Pu'u 'O eruption, a few miles away. It has been destroying and creating along the Big Island's shoreline (and under the sea where a new island is forming) continually since 1983. There are times when you can hike out from the end of Chain of Crater's Road (lava flows broke the chain) and view lava pouring into the ocean.
About five years after Kilauea's Pu'u 'O eruption began, I moved to the Big Island and had the honor of experiencing my first big earthquake right at Kilauea, the epicenter of the quake.
My family and I were on Chain of Crater's Road, headed to the ocean (before that section was closed due to lava flow). We had stopped at a crater lookout. My husband parked the car and the three of us (our 7-year old son at the time), walked up to the look out on the crushed lava path. There was nothing but lava rock stretched out to the sea. Two women tourists from the Midwest approached on their way back to their car, talking about how boring Pele's craters were, lamenting their drive up. As they drew nearer, complaining all the way, I heard a familiar sound, but rather odd considering our moonscape location. It sounded like autumn leaves rustling in the wind then being crunched under footsteps. But there were no leaves or trees in sight.
The sounds were emanating from the crushed lava rock around us as it was being stirred. In the next few seconds, everything sort of happened at once. I realized the ground really was moving up and down underneath me, and the next thing I noticed was our car slowly rolling away. My husband ran to it, jumped in and put the emergency brake on. Yep, we were experiencing an earthquake – on the volcano.
I noticed Gladys and her traveling companion hightailing it to their car, maybe thinking there was something to all this island talk about not disrespecting the Volcano Goddess, Pele. That cured their boredom!
When we got back home to Hawaiian Paradise Park, the earthquake (6 on the Richter scale) was big news. Some damage, mostly minor, but one man's home that was being built, crashed.
Earthquakes in Hawaii are not the ground splitting variety, but rather they move up and down and have everything to do with the volcano. They're ongoing, although most aren't noticeable. You can check out the seismograph and learn about the science behind Hawaii's volcanoes (as well as Hawaiian cultural history) Visitor Information near Crater Rim Drive in the Park.
The campgrounds are peaceful and delightful, far out of range of sulfur fumes and flowing lava. Twenty years later, they're still free. Respect Pele.
A brief overview of the Volcano area: The Park is home to many of Hawaii's endangered species, including the Hawaiian nene goose and the i'iwi, a Hawaiian honeycreeper.
It gets very cold at night, often frosty. Daytime temperatures hover in the 60's and 70's, there's often a cool/cold breeze and it rains a lot. Many of the homes and campgrounds have fireplaces. The Volcano Lodge has a massive fireplace where guests and visitors can sit and play a game of chess before visiting the gift shop. There are also natural steam baths, courtesy of Pele. The Park's Visitor's Center is a must see. It provides hiking trail maps, driving maps and loads of information. For safety, stop there first.
There's also the volcano's series of craters (including the steaming Halema'uma'u Crater where you might want to leave a lei or bottle of gin for Pele), lots of steam vents, and a walk through a rain forest that is a bird watcher's heaven. It ends at the walk-through Thurston Lava Tube.
Many artists, drawn to Pele’s creative energy inhabit Volcano Village. You'll find many interesting workshops in hula, fine arts, crafts, etc. at Volcano Art Center.
Cedar trees are everywhere. Up above the village, you'll find grazing horses and cows in pastures. The wildlife is way different, though. No bear or cougar. Wild pigs runt around, but we've never seen one.
In the summer, yellow ginger blooms in abundance along the Volcano Highway (Highway 11, leading up to the Park and to the South end of the island where you can continue around to Kona). Mauna Loa and Kilauea are also favorite spots among the locals for plucking maile for special lei, berries for jam and all sorts of treasures for Hawaiian Christmas wreaths.
More Information
Camping on Hawaii's Beaches and Volcanoes
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