Parking
Use the Kealakomo parking area on Chain of Craters Road. The Nāulu access begins across the road from the Maunaulu area.
Overview
About Nāulu Trail
Why go
- Forest and exposed lava give the route a changing setting
- A direct connection from Kealakomo to Nāpau Trail
Heads up
- Rough lava and hard-to-spot cairns slow progress
- No drinking water along the route
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes map
Full mapElevation2,002–2,829 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 Nāulu 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
Kealakomo: The Village Beneath the Lava0:00 / 0:32
“Up ahead is Kealakomo Overlook, a quick stop with a wide view across the lava plain to the Pacific. I'd pause here even if you aren't hiking; you can take in the scale of the coastal flows without a long walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Hatchling's First Direction
- Alanui Kahiko: The Road Under the Lava
- One Park, Different Weather
- Islands on a Moving Plate
- 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 Nāulu Trail
What this hike includesNāulu is a 6.4-mile out-and-back from Kealakomo parking area to the Nāpau Trail junction.
Nāulu is a 6.4-mile out-and-back from Kealakomo parking area to the Nāpau Trail junction. Plan about 3½–4 hours for the long, uneven ascent and return. Elevation figures differ: park material gives about 500 feet of change, while samples along the mapped line rise about 830 feet to the junction, so plan for a sustained climb. This listing ends at the junction; continuing toward Nāpau Crater is a separate, longer outing (5.2 miles one way from Nāulu access).
Footing and wayfindingThe route moves between forest and exposed lava.
The route moves between forest and exposed lava. Expect rough, unstable ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe underfoot. Cairns can blend into the dark rock; pause at each marker and follow the line carefully across the flows.
Water, pets and overnight travelThere is no drinking water at the trailhead or along the route.
There is no drinking water at the trailhead or along the route. Pets are not allowed on backcountry trails. Backcountry camping requires a permit, so an overnight extension needs separate planning.
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.
