The Glover Trail

The Glover Trail is a 3.2-mile loop from Lower Glover Trailhead through former ranch pasture to Forested Pit Crater, returning by the Upper Glover paths. Allow about 2½ hours for uneven grass and a route with meaningful ups and downs; the route spans about 320 feet of elevation change. Starting at the ROD Quarantine Gate makes the outing 5.6 miles round trip, adding a 1.2-mile walk each way to the loop.

Hikers must spray shoe soles with the rubbing alcohol provided at the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) decontamination station before entering. Pets are not allowed. Bring water and a snack; no food or drinking water is found along the route. Restrooms and a picnic area are by the Kahuku entrance, a separate stop.

The walk crosses open pasture and uneven grassy ground among large native trees. Expect the grade to change along the way; this is a longer commitment than the distance alone suggests, especially from the ROD gate. Stay with the grass tread as it bends toward the crater.

The trail reaches the edge of a large pit crater whose steep walls shelter Hawaiian rainforest. The canopy below is the payoff. For a photo, include a strip of rocky rim in the foreground with the trees inside the crater; that makes the depth visible.

Hawaiian communities used Kahuku's uplands for gathering, visits to religious sites, bird hunting and koa gathering. In the ranching era, forests were cleared for cattle pasture. James Glover bought Kahuku Ranch in 1947 and built roads, fences and a water system; Kahuku became public land within the park in 2003.

An optional spur toward the 1926 lava flow adds 1.6 miles round trip. On that extension, deep cracks, uneven unstable ground and sharp lava make footing hazardous.