Sight · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
See what a tree leaves behind when lava moves through a forest.
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes audio tourRecorded for this place
Tree Molds: Where the Trunks Were“You're coming up on Tree Molds, a short detour for anyone who likes close-up geology. At the end of Tree Molds Road, walk around the fenced openings and look down at their ridged walls.”
Plays as you drive up to Tree Molds in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Tree Molds is a small roadside geology stop on Tree Molds Road, off Mauna Loa Road near Highway 11. It’s known for dark, trunk-shaped cavities in lava, where trees stood as molten rock flowed through a forest. I’d make this a short detour if you like close-up geology; it’s a modest stop rather than a wide scenic overlook.
Follow Tree Molds Road to the loop at its end and walk around the fenced openings before returning to your vehicle. Most visitors spend only a few minutes here, and the parking area is small. Look down into the cavities: their ridged walls show how the lava wrapped around the trunks.
As lava moves through a wooded area, it can crust around tree trunks. The trees eventually burn away, leaving hollows in the cooled rock where they stood. If a flow later sinks or drains, it can expose upright lava casts; where it stays in place, the cavities remain as molds. A younger forest has since grown over the lava here.
Wildlife
600 sightingsHawaiian Goose (Nēnē)Most seen around 5 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
36 sightingsHawaiian Hawk ('Io)Most seen around 11 AMSighting map
41 sightingsBlack NoddyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
96 sightingsWhite-tailed TropicbirdMost seen around noonSighting map
24 sightingsHawai'i 'ElepaioMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyCrater Rim Trail3.8 mi · 2 hr · 0.7 mi awayA 3.8-mile out-and-back from Kīlauea Overlook to Volcano House.
EasyHaʻakulamanu (Sulphur Banks) Trail1.2 mi · 36 min · 0.9 mi awayA short boardwalk walk past yellow sulfur and rising steam.
EasyKīpukapuaulu Trail1.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.4 mi awayA shaded loop through an ancient forest island in younger lava.
ModerateHalemaʻumaʻu Trail1.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA short rainforest descent opens onto Kīlauea’s caldera floor.
EasyKūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge) Trail1.2 mi · 54 min · 1.5 mi awayA short paved route to a broad caldera view
ModerateUēaloha (Byron Ledge) Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayOpen cinder, forested ledge, and views of Puʻupuaʻi.
EasyKeanakākoʻi Crater Trail2 mi · 1.3 hr · 2.6 mi awayAn easy walk on a former road reaches a 115-foot crater.
EasyDevastation Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 2.6 mi awayA short paved walk through cinder from Kīlauea Iki’s 1959 eruption.
Visitor center · 0.5 mi awayWelcome CenterA helpful stop for trail advice, maps and a park-store browse.
Lodging · 0.5 mi awayKīlauea Military Camp (KMC)Lodging, dining and recreation at a historic park camp.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayKīlauea OverlookA short walk to a huge view into Kīlauea's caldera.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayKūkamāhuākea Steam Vents and WahinekapuA short walk pairs summit steam with a view into Kīlauea's caldera.
Campground · 1 mi awayNāmakanipaio CampgroundA simple in-park campground with tent sites and rustic cabins.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayUēkahunaA caldera overlook and place of Native Hawaiian cultural practice.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayKīpukapuaulu Picnic AreaA rain shelter and grill beside an older forest island.Sight · 1.3 mi awayHaʻakulamanu (Sulphur Banks)A short walk to yellow sulfur, altered rock and rising steam.Parkwolf’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
