Mauna Loa Road Scenic Drive: Explore More Volcanoes

Have you driven the Mauna Loa Scenic Drive? Let me tell you why you should!

Just outside the main entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the Mauna Loa Road scenic drive. Often bypassed by tourists, this scenic drive along the slopes of Mauna Loa offers lava tree molds, hiking, birding, and a scenic lookout, as well as the trailhead for the world’s largest active volcano. 

After living on the Big Island for a year, I was still surprised by the beauty on this road.

Lava Tree Molds

At Mile 30.5 on Hwy 11 turn mauka side (towards the mountain) up Mauna Loa Road. The first sign you’ll see points you to the right for Lava Tree Molds. Follow the road a little ways to a small parking lot.

You’ll immediately see fences squaring off well-like, round holes in the ground. They may seem like wells made from rock but in fact these are the footprints of tree trunks. 

A placard at the sight eloquently describes how tree molds were formed:

The land shudders. Up slope, the fiery blood from the heart of the earth spews forth once more. Old land is covered, but the grand trees cannot flee. Their water-laden trunks, resistant to the lava’s first touch, allow the flow to harden around them. The heat is too great though, and each tree eventually bursts into flame. The flow stops, but tree molds in the flow mark the former forest and the flow’s depth.

Notice how new life has grown up the rocky walls and made themselves at home. 

Besides the half dozen tree molds there isn’t much else here. A grassy path goes 100ft or so before ending at the gated off border of a golf course.

Tree molds can be found throughout Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and all over the Big Island. This is just a convenient stop where they are clearly labeled and easily accessible.

Tree Molds to Kipukapuaulu Trail

As you are headed back to Mauna Loa Road you’ll notice a gravel pullout to the right. This is a trailhead that takes you about 1.5 miles through ohia trees and a lava field. It’s a mostly flat but rocky walk. 

The trail ends at the next road which leads to a little park with picnic tables, a covered awning, and pit toilets.

Kipuka Puaula Trail

About 1.5-miles down the Mauna Loa Road scenic drive you’ll come to a giant roundabout. You’ll see the trailhead for the Kipuka Puaula Trail. There are no official parking spaces, but the roundabout road is wide enough for parking along the edges.

This 1.2-mile trail takes you up and down a densely forested easy loop. For $2 you can pick up a trail guide and follow along with the markers along the trail. Or, you can download it for free here. 

Be sure to wipe your shoes on the brush at the trailhead before and after your hike to help prevent the spreading of invasive species.

If you are following the Kipuka Puaula trail guide you’ll begin your loop going clockwise. 

A kipuka is essentially an island in a sea of lava. Surrounded by a lava flow, this is an “oasis” of life among death. You’ll notice at the very beginning of the trail, before the loop begins, how desert-y the terrain is and then how immediately it turns into a richly dense forest.

In the early 1900s this forest was on the verge of dying. Imported cattle and goats had been ravaging the native Hawaiian plants for over 200 years with no signs of stopping as they have no natural predators. In 1928 the cattle were moved out and the forest preserved, allowing it to rebuild itself. 

This Kipuka Puaula trail is also referred to as a bird park because it really is a great trail to see birds. The ʻelepaio, ʻapapane, ʻamakihi, and the elusive ʻiʻiwi (a bird I am on the hunt for) are known to be seen here.

Almost halfway through the trail at marker #6 is a lava tube. It’s not forbidden to go inside but it’s also not encouraged, enter at your own risk. It takes some crawling to get through the entrance but once you are inside it’s easy to stand up and walk through the tunnel. It’s unclear how far the lava tube goes.  

From the lava tube the Kipuka Puaula trail begins to descend and a half mile later you’ll meet up at the beginning of the trail loop.

Mauna Loa Road Scenic Drive

From the roundabout at Kipuka Puaula trail, Mauna Loa Road continues past a yellow gate. It will be closed if it’s unsafe to drive up due to weather, maintenance, and other such things. Mauna Loa Road continues for 11 more miles, in which it will take 20-30 minutes to reach the end, but this is the scenic part of the drive.

You’ll begin to notice a drastic change in scenery as you ascend elevation. The trees change from ohia trees to koa trees. The forest gets denser and the road more windy, always climbing up. 

And then the view changes again to the most intriguing part of the whole drive. 

An out of control brushfire ravaged through this area in 2018 during a dry and windy spell. It burned up over 1,500 acres of land. 

What’s left today are tall dead koa trees rising like skeletons above a verdant new growth. Some trees are blanched white while others’ bark are charred black. All the while they are contrasted by the green new koa trees and ferns that grow at their bases. Both eerie and beautiful, it reminds me of Licorice Land in Candyland.

As your eyes are drawn to the fascinating landscape, keep a watch out for Kalij pheasants crossing the road. You’ll often see them in a male and female pair.

These pheasants were introduced to the island back in 1962 for hunting. While Kalij pheasants are most commonly found in the Himalayas, it is believed that these birds originated from the first 67 that were shipped from farms in Texas and Michigan. Because they lack a natural predator here on the Big Island they’ve been able to flourish and have not caused too much of a negative impact on the environment.

After 4.5miles you’ll hit a cattle guard. If you aren’t up for the entire 11-mile trip up Mauna Loa Road, this is a good place to turn around as you’ve seen the majority of the mysterious dead koa forest.

Here is also a large gravel pullout with a hiking trail running along the fence line. 

Past the cattle guard the road goes from a two lane paved road to a one lane paved road. Traffic is sparse so it won’t be too much of an issue.

The terrain transforms from trees and ferns to trees and tall grass. More pull outs are along the road with unlabeled trailheads. 

You’ll cross another cattle guard and once again the road quality changes. It’s still mostly paved with one lane but less maintained. 

Roots have pushed up cracks in the road, which can be hard to see on a sunny day, the bumps camouflaged from the shadows of trees. Potholes come out of nowhere and patches of gravel replace pavement. It’s not quite a 4X4 trail but definitely keep your guard up on low riding vehicles.

At one point you’ll drive over a lava “riverbed” and pass through boulder columns.

Just when you are confused about how much longer it is until the end of the road you’ll reach your final destination at 6,660ft elevation.

Mauna Loa Lookout

After all the “backroading”, the Mauna Loa Lookout area is surprisingly well maintained. Paved parking spaces, a picnic table, pit toilet, and the piece de resistance: a rock pavilion built in 1937 by the Civil Conservation Corps.

Follow the paved path to inside the shelter for an expansive lookout down the mountain you just climbed and on a clear day, all the way to the ocean. Smack in the middle of your view you can see Kileaua smoking from the ground. 

After taking in the vista, walk the path by the pit toilet for a short stroll to see the endangered but recovering Mauna Loa silversword plant.

The Mauna Loa silversword plant, ‘āhinahina, is only found on Mauna Loa between 5,000-8,000ft elevation. Their sword-like leaves are covered with tiny silver hairs. When they are between 10-30 years old they will sprout a stalk of fragrant flowers up to 9ft tall. After a few weeks, it goes to seed and dies. 

Foraged by cattle and goats, the Mauna Loa silversword almost became extinct. But in the 1990s, an effort was made to save this unique plant and 20,000 cross-pollinated Mauna Loa silverswords were planted throughout the mountain and its future is looking bright. 

Take a good look at the placard at the trailhead so you know what the Mauna Loa silversword looks like. You might think you are looking for a large plant, but the ones that are visible from the path are really just baby plants and hard to find. 

At the end of the trail after a few hundred feet you’ll come to a roped off section. Scanning beyond the ropes, all you can see is tall grass, ohia trees, and a few other normal looking plant life. 

However, search for staked flags amongst the grass. When you spot one, look at its base you should see a clump of plant that looks like a cross between grass and cactus. Yep, that little guy is what all the fuss is about. 

I did find one close to the rope fence, unflagged. A bit underwhelming but hey, now you can boast you’ve seen the endangered Mauna Loa silversword plant!

Mauna Loa Trailhead

As I mentioned before, the end of the Mauna Loa Road scenic drive gets you to the trailhead for the Mauna Loa hike to the summit. This hike is no joke and should only be done by experienced hikers.

Mauna Loa’s summit is at 13,678ft elevation. The trail is 38.2-miles roundtrip on this sleeping, but still active, shield volcano; its last eruption was 1984. A permit is required for hiking and two cabins (one at 7.5-miles, the second at 11.6-miles) are available with a few beds in each; first come, first served.

The hike ascends 6,600ft over lava rocks with little respite from the incline. Ahu, or cairns, mark the trail, which can become unclear without these markers. 

Elevation sickness, sun exposure, and cold weather are just some of the hazards to take heed of. 

But the moon-like landscape of the caldera that could potentially erupt again at any time is a boastable reward.

Looking for more Big Island scenic drives?
Take the Pepe’ekeo Scenic Drive out of Hilo

Epilogue

So yeah, the Mauna Loa Road scenic drive has more to offer than meets the eye and is a great extension of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and perfect to add on a 2-day visit to the park, especially since this section is free.

It’s a good place to spend 2-3hours and an area most tourists don’t visit.