This hike consists of parts of Kilauea Iki Trail, Byron Ledge Trail, Halema'uma'u Trail, and Crater Rim Trail.  It was originally going to be the entire Crater Rim Trail, but after looking at the map, I decided that I really didn't want to parallel the Crater Rim Road and see the same spots that we had previously visited in the car.  Instead, I wanted to go into the caldera.  Good choice!

If you don't mind a couple of steep climbs, getting into the crater is an experience not to be missed!  My route started on the Kilauea Iki Trail, but soon branched on to new territory for me as I followed the Byron Ledge Trail down into the Caldera.  From here, I had a choice of either continuing on the Byron Ledge Trail, or taking the Halema'uma'u Trail.....or I could do both.  While the last option is very popular, I wanted something a little longer.  I chose Halema'uma'u Trail and set off.

Like many national parks, once you get away from the road, everything becomes less travelled.   I'm always surprised (and thankful!), as you get a very different perspective of things when it's only you, steam rising around you, and lava crunching under your boots.  I met no one on the trail until I got to where it and Byron Ledge intersected again.  This spot, only a short distance from the Halema'uma'u Overlook, attracts people for its views of the caldera and the incredible assortment of volcanic formations. It's the site of a spatter rampart (buildup along a fissure) from the 1982 eruption.  The result is an incredible assortment of rocks that vary in color, shape, and texture.  Way cool!

Halema'uma'u Overlook is a "must stop" place....except if the volcanic fumes bother you.   Back in the early 1900s, this crater within the caldera was actually a lake - not of water but of lava.   There's a picture at the Jaggar Museum, as well as a copy on one of overlook signs, showing people checking out the lake. While the lake is no more, steam rises from numerous cracks, varying from minute to minute.  Like Steam Vents, the best time to see the steam is in the morning but here the steam is impressive throughout the day.  Halema'uma'u Crater is considered the home of Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, so you may see offerings of food or flowers to Pele.

South of Halem'uma'u Crater, the crowds disappear and I enter the Ka'u Desert.  It's not what I think of as a desert - sand, dunes, cactus, etc.  Instead, it's lava flows and ash that's been blown downwind from Kilauea.  Few plants grow here because the sulfur dioxide is also blown downwind and the resulting acid rain isn't friendly to plants.

Picking up Crater Rim Trail, I head east, passing Keanako'i ("Place of the Adze", where Hawaiians mined basalt for tool-making, and then open a gate into another lava flow area.  Once in this area, the views are blocked by the hills between you and the caldera, as well as the tall trees.  Crossing Chain of Craters Road, I enter an different world, this one of the rain forest.  Trees and ferns grow in abundance, in great contrast to just a couple of miles behind me.  The cool, damp air is a welcome relief!