Parking
Start at the ROD Quarantine Gate on Upper Kahuku Road. The Kona loop’s trailhead is a 1.2-mile walk from the gate each way, so include the access miles when planning the outing.
Overview
About Kona Trail
Why go
- The route crosses old ranch pasture, native forest and the 1887 lava flow
- Ranching history remains visible in fencing and stone walls
Heads up
- The gate approach adds 2.4 miles to the loop
- Sharp, uneven lava makes the long route strenuous
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes map
Full mapElevation3,366–4,409 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Hawaiʻi Volcanoes alerts
- ClosureWork closures on Hilina Pali and Mauna Loa roadsMentions Mauna Loa, referenced in this guideRoad work is restricting motorized and all-use access on portions of Hilina Pali Road and Mauna Loa Road.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Your drive to Kona 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
Kahuku Quarantine Gate: The Longer Glover Walk0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Kahuku's quarantine gate, the walking access for the Glover Trail. From here, reaching the Glover loop and walking it makes a five-point-six-mile outing, with uneven grass and plenty of ups and downs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Forested Pit Crater: A Hike to the Rim
- Palm Trail: Pasture and an 1868 Lava Channel
- Kamakapaʻa: A Short Walk for the View
- Kahuku: Start Here for Pasture and Cinders
- 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 Kona Trail
The full outingKona Trail is a strenuous loop through the Kahuku Unit’s former ranch country and across Mauna…
Kona Trail is a strenuous loop through the Kahuku Unit’s former ranch country and across Mauna Loa’s 1887 lava flow. The loop itself is 4.6 miles; reaching it from ROD Quarantine Gate adds a 1.2-mile walk each way, making the whole outing 7 miles round trip. Allow 3 to 5 hours. The loop has 520 feet of elevation change, before counting the gate approach.
Pasture into lavaThe access walk leads from the gate to the mapped Kona loop near Lower Glover Trailhead.
The access walk leads from the gate to the mapped Kona loop near Lower Glover Trailhead. From there the route circles through open paddocks scattered with large ʻōhiʻa trees, then crosses the 1887 flow that reached the ocean in less than a day. The change from ranch grassland and native trees to dark, rough lava is the hike’s defining contrast.
Kahuku’s ranching landscapeKahuku Ranch was among Hawaiʻi’s largest cattle ranches and produced beef and hides for more…
Kahuku Ranch was among Hawaiʻi’s largest cattle ranches and produced beef and hides for more than 150 years. Old fencing, stone walls and pasture openings still show how the land was used. The Kona route ties that history to the lava landscape instead of treating the two as separate stops.
Plan for rough footingUse ROD Quarantine Gate as the starting access and count the approach in both directions.
Use ROD Quarantine Gate as the starting access and count the approach in both directions. Carry water and snacks for the full outing. The lava can have deep cracks, unstable ground and razor-sharp edges, so watch each step. Spray shoe soles with the rubbing alcohol provided at the ROD station to help limit Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. Pets are not allowed.
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.
