Parking
Start at the Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) parking area. Finish at Chain of Craters Road near the Mauna Ulu parking area; arrange a pickup or plan to walk back.
Overview
About Escape Road Trail
Why go
- Gentle descent through tall tree ferns
- A 1973 lava-flow crossing
Heads up
- Point-to-point logistics need a pickup or a return walk
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes map
Full mapElevation3,235–3,970 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Hawaiʻi Volcanoes alerts
- ClosureStorm-damage closures at Kahuku, Kīpukapuaulu, and Sulphur BanksStorm damage and hazardous trees continue to restrict access at Kahuku and Kīpukapuaulu; the damaged Sulphur Banks Bridge is closed.Official details
- ClosureWork closures on Hilina Pali and Mauna Loa roadsRoad work is restricting motorized and all-use access on portions of Hilina Pali Road and Mauna Loa Road.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Your drive to Escape Road Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Nāhuku: Inside a Lava Flow0:00 / 0:31
“Nāhuku Lava Tube is coming up, with a rainforest walk into a tunnel left by flowing lava. I'd do this one if you've never been inside a lava tube. Allow about half an hour for the short loop from its own parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kīlauea Iki: Above the Lava Lake
- Puʻupuaʻi: A Quick View into Kīlauea Iki
- Devastation: Choose Your Walk
- Backcountry Permit Office: Before an Overnight Trip
- 58 audio storiesacross Hawaiʻi Volcanoes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Hawaiian Goose (Nēnē), Green Sea Turtle, Hawaiian Hawk ('Io), and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 33 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Escape Road Trail
A one-way forest walkEscape Road is a 3.
Escape Road is a 3.8-mile, one-way walk from Nāhuku’s parking area to Chain of Craters Road near Mauna Ulu. From the lot, follow Crater Rim Trail south to the Escape Road branch, then descend on the unpaved, cinder-surfaced doubletrack. Expect about two hours and roughly 735 feet of descent. The distance includes the short connector from the parking area, not the separate Highway 11 section north of Nāhuku.
Through forest and lavaMost of the walk is a gentle road descent through tall tree ferns, dense undergrowth and grassy…
Most of the walk is a gentle road descent through tall tree ferns, dense undergrowth and grassy patches. It crosses a 1973 lava flow before reaching Chain of Craters Road. Escape Road is an emergency access route that park sources also identify as a route for hikers, cyclists and equestrians. Expect a long forest crossing rather than a loop or narrow singletrack.
Arrange the far endThis is point-to-point: arrange a pickup near the Mauna Ulu parking area or walk back the way…
This is point-to-point: arrange a pickup near the Mauna Ulu parking area or walk back the way you came for about 7.6 miles total. Dogs and other pets are prohibited on park trails, including frontcountry and backcountry routes. The separate Mauna Ulu Eruption Trail is near the finish but is not part of this route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
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.
