Report from Hawaii National Park, HI – Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park celebrates the tenth anniversary of Kahuku in 2013 by offering free programs to introduce visitors and residents to the park’s southernmost section, January through March 2013:
NEW! Lunch with a Ranger at Kahuku. Bring a bag lunch and join Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park rangers on select dates. Over lunch, rangers guide an open discussion on topics ranging from land management and conservation issues to environmental and cultural history. Lunch with a Ranger sessions are scheduled for Jan. 12, Jan. 27, Feb. 17, Mar. 17 and Mar. 30. at 11:30 a.m. To get there,drive through the Kahuku gate located on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5. Park and meet at the visitor contact tent, near the ranch buildings. Check the activities board for the location and topic of the day. No advance registration required.
People and Land of Kahuku is a two-mile, three-hour expedition that explores the pastures, a quarry, an airstrip, and the 1868 lava fields of Kahuku. Rangers explain how people lived on the vast Kahuku lands, from the earliest Hawaiians through today. Walk in emerging native forest, hear about Kahuku’s history of violent earthquakes and eruptions and the residents who survived them, and find out how Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park plans to restore and protect the native ecosystem and cultural sites.
The guided hike is offered Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Feb. 9, Feb. 23, Mar. 10, and Mar. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To get there, drive through the Kahuku gate located on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5. Park and meet at the visitor contact tent, near the ranch buildings. Boots, raingear, long pants plus water and a snack are recommended. No advance registration required.
Palm Trail is a relatively easy 2.6 mile loop traversing scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and amazing volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures.
A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered Jan. 19, Feb. 10, and Mar. 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To get there, drive through the Kahuku gate located on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5. Park and meet at the visitor contact tent, near the ranch buildings. Boots, raingear, long pants plus water and a snack are recommended. No advance registration required.