Red lava hike on Kilauea!

Wow! And I am NOT talking about anything the Park Service will tell you about ';seeing'; lava, which right now to the NPS means seeing the glow from 2 miles away. The Park Service thinks even that kind of hike--with a long-distance view-- is for ';crazy people';. What we did--twice the distance-- must make us certifiable!

The lava flow changes locations depending on where a surface breakout might occur. While sometimes in the past they have occurred closer to the end of Chain of Craters Rd, now they are quite a distance. It paid to go with someone who knew where to find it.

We saw the glowing and flowing red lava from 2 feet away, felt the heat, heard the hisssss. Amazing!

We arranged it online through Arnott%26#39;s Lodge in Hilo (we were staying at Volcano Artist Cottage but you can still get on the Arnott%26#39;s adventures at a slightly higher fee if not a lodge guest).

This was one of the most strenuous hikes we have ever made and NOT for sissies. When we read the Arnott%26#39;s website info (http://www.arnottslodge.com/volcano.html and with recent photos on their home page) about the hike we were almost laughing because it is just 4 pages of dire warnings. We signed up anyway. After 6 1/2 hours we weren%26#39;t laughing, just stinky and sore but exhilarated!

This is a 9 mile round trip hike in the sun and humidity, over 90 degrees, up and down and up and down over the pahoehoe lava formations. We were the oldest (42 and 49) and slowest in the group. We took breaks about every mile or mile and a half. Then after 3 1/2 miles we started veering up the slope of Kilauea just in case it wasn%26#39;t hard enough already!

It was a once-in-a-lifetime expereince and if you think you fit enough, go for it!! But DO follow all the warnings: carry a backpack with at least 2 liters of water per person and high-energy snacks; wear long pants and proper footwear; carry a flashlight for the last part of the hike; wear a pair of garden gloves; keep hands free for balance in climbing over lava mounds! If you slip and fall the lava will cut and scrape up whatever skin hits it. You might also carry a few bandaids and sterile wipes or antibacterial ointment. The guide has first aid supplies but I was glad I had my own so I could take care of my cut and scraped hand quickly (and then I put the gloves on, duh). Do not try this by yourself-- go with someone who has a GPS with the most recent lava spotting info.

Anyway, we had a great 9 days on the Big Island, traveling pretty much the whole circumference, and this was a highlight. Maybe later I will have time to update on the rest of the trip!!

Red lava hike on Kilauea!

That sounds so neat! We were originally interested in doing the Arnott%26#39;s tour (heard about it from some friends who went to BI last year), but they%26#39;ve gotten terrible reviews here and on Fodor%26#39;s.

What time did your hike start?

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip! We leave on Friday and I%26#39;m so excited! :)

Red lava hike on Kilauea!

My only advice is to be extremely cautious. Just because someone knows where the surface outbreak is, doesn’t mean you should go there. If one were two feet away, one could very easily be standing over a lava tube. Skylights open in lava tubes all the time, and if one’s weight isn’t supported by the fragile new rocks, that is tantamount to instant death. Couple thousand degrees isn’t my idea of a good way to go. The reason the NPS keeps visitors away isn’t so they can keep it to themselves – it’s because people have and do die b/c they get too close, even in Hawaii to volcanoes. FWIW.

I respect Pele and nature too much to try and risk something like that. If you go, know the risks and weigh it carefully, and be extremely careful.

Good luck and happy travels!

Thanks! Don%26#39;t worry, we don%26#39;t intend to try it on our own, except maybe out to the ranger boundaries at the sea entry.

Must confess to envy (from the safety of my office) nmlhats.

For those of us not able to accomplish what you did; HOW %26#39;BOUT SOME PICTURES?!

nmlhats, I think you are the only one who posted positively about Arnott%26#39;s on TA in a long long time, but while I understand your enthusiasm, I don%26#39;t think taking visitors to a lava flow two feet away is responsible.

Arnotts has a solid reputation on this island for the worst run tours and totaly irresponsible guides. Read, please the dozens of horror stories posted on trip advisor by folks arnott ripped off .

The comment that this hike is not for ';sissies'; is only half right, it is also ';not for any person with even a remotely is concerned with their safety'; The risks are on a par with playing russian roulet.

The neat part is if you cant keep up with their guides...... they just leave you ...... hey they got you money why should they care. ..and they dont......

Even the geologists doing research keep out of this area and do aerial monitoring........ Gee.... ya think there might be a little risk ?

When lava is %26#39; sizzling'; it is reacting with vegitation and other minerals..... this is a warning sign ... and produces violent methane explosions and a variety of very toxic gasses....... Did the guide tell you thiis... provide breathiing apparatus..... Proably not because he was as clueless as the people he guiided. Its a case of the blind leadiing the blind

As the saying goes ';there%26#39;s an exception to every rule';. It appears to us that nmlhats conducted thorough pre-hike investigation, accurately assessed their capabilities and ended-up with the experience of a lifetime.

While my Wife and I have concluded the Arnott%26#39;s Tour is not for us (but that could change depending on lava flows), it was exciting to share nml%26#39;s adventure.

We keep returning to Trip Advisor in search of new ideas as well as those which, to an extent, alter preconceived notions and increase the odds of our next visit to Hawaii being even more pleasurable than the previous twenty five. Within this context we offer a sincere Mahalo to nmlhats; your report receives two enthusiastic high-fives from us.

If I may, one final, hopefully non-inflamatory, observation: Prior to retirement I was in a position of dispensing and receiving information and advice. I have never known a true Expert who wasn%26#39;t adept at knowing when to change his, or her, mind...and recognized that they didn%26#39;t know the answer to everything.

';If I may, one final, hopefully non-inflamatory, observation: Prior to retirement I was in a position of dispensing and receiving information and advice. I have never known a true Expert who wasn%26#39;t adept at knowing when to change his, or her, mind...and recognized that they didn%26#39;t know the answer to everything.';

Well said. I too have avoided Arnott%26#39;s tours, but my opinion alone is just that... a single opinion. I wish more folks would remember that about their own input. There have been many messages on this forum (and others like it) that would make you believe Hawaii is the most dangerous place on the planet. The alarmist attitude I understand due to many people getting injured. Afterall, the islands are my home too and I know their dangers. But all places come with danger. Apparently the people (tourists) who are here ahead of time doing their homework aren%26#39;t always given the benefit of the doubt. As I%26#39;ve said before... it%26#39;s easy to look down at all of those who are ';non-experts.'; But you are truly never one until you%26#39;ve joined the ranks of those around you. Only then can you truly lead. Otherwise it sometimes appears as if you%26#39;re saying the ';rest'; of us are idiots.

Food for thought.