Parking
Start at Lower Palm Trailhead in the Kahuku Unit. The loop returns from Upper Palm downhill on Kahuku Road; the unit has limited open days and hours, so check the current schedule before visiting.
Overview
About Palm Trail
Why go
- Broad pasture views meet Mauna Loa’s 1868 lava channel.
- A different road return makes the route a complete loop.
Heads up
- Sharp, uneven lava calls for careful footing.
- The downhill return follows the road instead of a separate trail.
Palm Trail is a 2.6-mile loop in the Kahuku Unit, climbing from Lower Palm Trailhead to Upper Palm Trailhead through pasture and Mauna Loa’s 1868 lava features, then returning downhill on Kahuku Road. Plan one to two hours; the National Park Service rates it moderate. The hike works well if you want a short route with a mix of open ranchland and rough volcanic ground, rather than a long wilderness walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the loop for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes map
Full mapElevation2,497–2,818 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Hawaiʻi Volcanoes alerts
- ClosureStorm-damage closures at Kahuku, Kīpukapuaulu, and Sulphur BanksMentions this trailStorm 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 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Your drive to Palm 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
Palm Trail: Pasture and an 1868 Lava Channel0:00 / 0:27
“You're nearing Lower Palm Trailhead, where a moderate loop takes you through open pasture and across Mauna Loa's eighteen sixty-eight eruption fissure and lava channel.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kamakapaʻa: A Short Walk for the View
- Forested Pit Crater: A Hike to the Rim
- Kahuku: Start Here for Pasture and Cinders
- Kahuku Quarantine Gate: The Longer Glover Walk
- 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 Palm Trail
Follow the whole loopStart at Lower Palm Trailhead and take the named trail uphill to Upper Palm Trailhead.
Start at Lower Palm Trailhead and take the named trail uphill to Upper Palm Trailhead. The mapped Palm Trail section is about 1.8 miles; the roughly 0.8-mile road return is part of the hike, not an optional extra. Keep that in mind when comparing it with descriptions of the uphill section alone. The trail is open to hikers and cyclists, so share the path and give each other room.
Watch the lava underfootThe route crosses Mauna Loa’s 1868 fissure and main lava channel.
The route crosses Mauna Loa’s 1868 fissure and main lava channel. Flow-field ground can be uneven, unstable, and razor-sharp, with deep cracks; stay on the marked route rather than wandering out for a closer look. Wear sturdy footwear and bring water and a snack for the walk.
Pasture with a volcanic seamThe Kahuku landscape carries more than 150 years of ranching history, and Palm Trail moves…
The Kahuku landscape carries more than 150 years of ranching history, and Palm Trail moves through open pasture before cutting across the dark 1868 lava features. Where the view opens, frame a little pasture and lava together: that contrast is what makes the landscape legible in a photo. The lava channel and fissure are route features, not a separate side trip.
Getting to the startBegin at Lower Palm Trailhead in the Kahuku Unit; after reaching Upper Palm, follow Kahuku Road…
Begin at Lower Palm Trailhead in the Kahuku Unit; after reaching Upper Palm, follow Kahuku Road downhill to return to your vehicle. Kahuku is open only on limited days and hours, so check the current schedule before driving over.
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.
