Maunaiki Trail

Maunaiki Trail is a 7-mile point-to-point walk across the Kaʻū Desert between Maunaiki and the trailhead on Hilina Pali Road. It crosses broken lava, cinder cones and deep pit craters. This is a long, rough volcanic traverse, not a quick stop. Allow about 4 to 6 hours for the trail itself.

The park's published map gives seven miles, but the connected line I could verify measures about 5.3 miles. Use the full seven-mile figure for planning and check the current route with the park before setting out.

The named Maunaiki segment starts at Maunaiki. From the Kaʻū Desert Trailhead on Highway 11, a separate 1.8-mile one-way approach reaches it; the footprints shelter is about 0.8 miles into that walk. The approach isn't included in the seven-mile figure. The Hilina Pali and Highway 11 access points are separate, so arrange a pickup or be ready to retrace the trail for a 14-mile round trip.

The trail crosses fields of broken, jagged lava and is extremely uneven in places. Ahu, or stacked-rock markers, show the way, but you need to keep your eyes on the ground and follow the established line. There is no water and almost no shade. Fragile ash deposits and nearby cultural resources are reasons to stay on the trail rather than cutting across the surface.

Two cinder cones and deep pit craters break up the lava field. The Mauna Iki cone formed in the 1919–1920 eruption; look for thin golden strands called Pele's hair in the area. White-tailed tropicbirds nest in the walls of Twin Pit Craters, so keep back from the eroding edges and watch from the marked route.

If you take the Highway 11 approach, stop at the shelter exhibit about human footprints preserved in ash after the 1790 eruption. The tracks belong to people who were traveling through this landscape when ash, sand and hot gas fell across it. The exhibit is a short detour on the approach, not part of the seven-mile Maunaiki segment; stay on the path around the fragile deposits.