Dry Run: tap the arrows to step through each segment from your couch — bookends, connectors, and stop narrations. Audio plays automatically when it exists; auto-advances to the next segment when the current one finishes. Works with keyboard ← / → keys too. Or scroll down and tap any segment directly.

0. Intro

   Intro

   Show transcript

   Chain of Craters Road drops 3,700 feet over 18 miles, from the summit down to the sea. It's a dead end — lava buried the lower section years ago, so you'll drive back the way you came. Plan two to three hours if you stop at the pullouts. Fuel up in Volcano Village before you enter the park. There's no gas, no food, no cell service past the summit. Reset your odometer at Crater Rim Drive so the stops line up with what you hear. Let's go.
1. Include
   HAVO

   MILE

   0.4
   Stop · mile 0.4 right

   Lua Manu Crater

   First of four pit craters in the opening 1.5 miles. Covers the pit-crater primer and previews Puhimau (0.9), thermal hotspot (1.3), and Koʻokoʻolau (1.5) so the driver doesn't need a separate trigger for each.

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the right in about a quarter mile—Lua Manu Crater. Good first stop to dial in your eye. Chain of Craters is named for a reason, and you'll pass four pit craters in quick succession over the next two miles. Small turnout, and you can see the crater floor from the rail.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   See that flat black floor down there? That's fresh lava—poured in during 1974. You're at Lua Manu, a pit crater about 109 yards across. When magma drains out from underneath the earth, the roof collapses. You're staring down into the space where that magma used to be. This crater opens a sequence. Drive makai (toward the ocean) and you'll pass three more in the next mile. Puhimau appears at 0.9, then a thermal hotspot at 1.3 where you can sometimes feel warm ground bleeding through the pavement. Koʻokoʻolau comes at 1.5. No lava has touched that one in over 200 years, so ʻōhiʻa and koa forest have grown back inside. Same kind of hole, radically different ages—that contrast is worth noticing. Keep rolling when you're ready. The Hilina Pali junction is next.

   Full page on Lua Manu Crater →

2. Include
   
   → 2 min from previous stop · 1.2 mi
   HAVO

   MILE

   2
   Stop · mile 2 mauka

   Hilina Pali Junction

   Side-trip stop. User explicitly wants it included because the lookout is genuinely good, but framed honestly as a 30-minute detour each way.

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the mauka side, a right-hand turn at the Y—Hilina Pali Road. Optional detour: 8.2 miles of narrow one-lane pavement to a cliff lookout, about 30 minutes each way. Skip it if you're short on time or uncomfortable with one-lane roads. It's one of the better overlooks in the park if you have the time.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   You're standing at the junction where Hilina Pali Road branches mauka—toward the mountain—from the main Chain of Craters spine. The road runs 8.2 miles through the Kaʻū Desert to a pavilion sitting on top of a 2,000-foot sea cliff. The view is raw lava slopes dropping straight down to the ocean, wind hard enough you'll feel it in your legs. There's a small plaque there honoring two campers killed in a 1975 tsunami triggered by an earthquake that collapsed the pali below. The detour takes about thirty minutes each way. If you skip it and stay straight on Chain of Craters, Devil's Throat shows up in roughly two-tenths of a mile.

   Full page on Hilina Pali Junction →

3. Include
   → 1 min from previous stop · 0.6 mi
   HAVO

   MILE

   2.2
   Stop · mile 2.2 right

   Devils Throat

   Small roadside pullout, unfenced 150×165 ft pit. Arrival narration previews Hiʻiaka (MM 2.5) and Pauahi (MM 3.1) so those don't need their own triggers.

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the right in about a quarter mile—Devil's Throat, a 165-foot pit with an unfenced edge. Small pullout, easy to miss. Park on the shoulder, cross the road to a dirt path, and walk carefully to the edge. No guardrails, crumbling edges—watch your step.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   You're standing at the edge of a pit that drops 165 feet straight down—and there's no fence. That's Devil's Throat, a collapse crater right here at the roadside, formed when magma drained from below and the ground simply fell in on itself. The walls are steep and crumbling, which is why the name fits. Don't step past that lip. You're driving directly above Kīlauea's East Rift Zone—a fracture in the earth where magma rises and falls. The craters here line up like beads on a string, each one marking a spot where the ground collapsed or magma drained back down. Just ahead you'll pass Hiʻiaka Crater at mile 2.5, and then Pauahi at 3.1, a massive 1,800-foot crater with a boardwalk for viewing. Spend a minute or two here, stay well back from the edge, then move on down the road. You're driving on a live rift.

   Full page on Devils Throat →

4. Include
   
   → 4 min from previous stop · 1.8 mi
   HAVO

   MILE

   3.6
   Stop · mile 3.6 left

   Mauna Ulu

   Spur road off the main drive, half a mile to a parking lot with restrooms. Hike to Puʻu Huluhulu is 1 mi one-way, legitimately interesting. Full Nāpau trail requires a permit.

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the left in about a quarter mile — the Mauna Ulu turnoff. Short spur road takes you to a parking lot with a restroom. The Puʻu Huluhulu hike is one mile one-way, short, and shows you what fresh lava fields look like up close.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   You're standing on black lava from 1974 — feel how sharp that aʻā rock is under your feet. This is Mauna Ulu, where Kīlauea opened a vent between 1969 and 1974, building a 400-foot shield and burying six miles of the old road on its way to the coast. The first mile of trail here is open to everyone. It climbs Puʻu Huluhulu, a small cinder cone, and crosses both the rough jagged aʻā and smooth pahoehoe from those flows. The trail threads past kīpukas, pockets of forest the lava somehow skipped, and on a clear day you can spot Puʻu ʻŌʻō to the east, the vent that kept Kīlauea rumbling for 35 years starting in 1983. Bring water — there's no shade out here. Follow the reflective markers; the black field can swallow the trail fast. When you're back at the car, Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu is makai (toward the ocean) about two and a half miles ahead.

   Full page on Mauna Ulu →

5. Connector · HAVO → 3 min drive · 1.1 mi

   Mauna Ulu to Mau Loa Connector

   Show transcript

   You're driving across the Mauna Ulu flows now — lava that came through between 1969 and 1974. This used to be forest. The road cuts a black line through what looks like a frozen sea, pahoehoe lava that cooled where it fell. The surface shifts as you move through it. Where the flow was still moving under a cooling skin, the lava twisted and ropy. Then smooth sheets where it spread out and set. Those dead tree trunks poking up are lava trees. The flow wrapped around them, the wood burned out, and the lava cast kept its shape. Everything here arrived in living memory. The quiet gives you space to just take it in — this is what the land looks like in its first decades after creation.
6. Include
   → 3 min from previous stop · 1.1 mi
   HAVO

   MILE

   6.2
   Stop · mile 6.2 right

   Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu

   Roadside pullout overlooking the 1969–74 pahoehoe field. Also the trailhead for the Keauhou Trail (8 mi to the coast, most visitors skip it).

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the right in about a quarter mile—Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu pullout. Easy roadside stop with a view straight across the pahoehoe field from the '69–'74 eruption you just drove through. The Keauhou Trail starts here if you're interested, though most visitors skip it for the view.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   A black lava plain stretches to the horizon—smooth pahoehoe that came from Mauna Ulu between 1969 and 1974. That same eruption vent you just saw mauka at mile 3.6 poured out 460 million cubic yards of lava over five years. Roughly 150 Great Pyramids of Giza spread across the rift zone. The Keauhou Trail starts here and runs eight miles makai down to the coast, though most visitors skip the hike and just look at this pullout instead. The road is flat for now, but the landscape changes in about three miles when you reach Kealakomo at mile 9.6, where the descent down the pali to the water begins. Take your time with the view while you have it.

   Full page on Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu →

7. Connector · HAVO → 10 min drive · 5.6 mi

   Mau Loa to Kealakomo Connector

   Show transcript

   You're coming up on the pali descent now—that's Hawaiian for cliff. This one drops about two thousand feet from where you're driving to the shoreline, and the road cuts across the face of Hōlei Pali in long switchbacks. The grade is steeper than it looks, barely any shoulder out there, so take it slow. As you approach Kealakomo the forest thins and the view opens up. Pretty soon the whole coast spreads out below you. Don't be the person riding someone's bumper when they finally realize they're driving on the edge of a cliff.
8. Include
   
   → 10 min from previous stop · 5.6 mi
   HAVO

   MILE

   9.6
   Stop · mile 9.6 mauka

   Kealakomo Overlook

   Wooden pavilion perched 2,000 ft above the sea at the top of Hōlei Pali. Handicapped-accessible. The pali descent starts seriously after this point.

   Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

   Show transcript

   Coming up on the mauka side in about a half mile—Kealakomo Overlook. Wooden pavilion on the right, perched 2,000 feet above the sea at the top of Hōlei Pali. Handicapped-accessible. Pull in.

   Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

   Show transcript

   You're standing 2,000 feet above the ocean at Kealakomo, and the wind up here is strong enough to knock you off balance. The wooden pavilion is solid—use it as a windbreak if you need one. What you're looking at directly below is where an entire Hawaiian village stood until 1971, when a lava flow erased it completely. The pali face itself tells you how that happened. That lava poured down in actual visible waves, frozen mid-motion. It's not a smooth slope. It's stone that moved like water and stopped. Ten minutes here is plenty. When you head back down, the road gets serious right away. There's a hairpin turn at mile 11.5 that surprises people who aren't watching for it, so take the descent slowly.

   Full page on Kealakomo Overlook →

9. Connector · HAVO → 7 min drive · 4.2 mi

   Kealakomo to Alanui Kahiko Connector

   Show transcript

   You're dropping down Hōlei Pali now, losing elevation fast. The hairpin at mile eleven-point-five comes hard—brake early. By twelve you're down around a thousand feet and the air changes. The landscape dries out noticeably as you descend. The road hugs the coast from here. You'll pass pullouts with views straight down to where the water meets the black cliffs. Sometimes you'll see steam rising offshore—that's lava hitting the sea when there's active flow. Most days it's just the blue water against the rock. Alanui Kahiko pullout sits at mile thirteen-point-seven. That's where the old road shows through beneath the newer terrain.
10. Include
    
    → 7 min from previous stop · 4.2 mi
    HAVO

    MILE

    13.7
    Stop · mile 13.7 left

    Alanui Kahiko Holei Pali

    Arrival narration covers both the Alanui Kahiko pullout (MM 13.7 — buried old road) and Hōlei Pali lookout (MM 14.4 — cliff-face view) as one beat. Those two pullouts are close enough that a second GPS trigger would clutter the playback.

    Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

    Show transcript

    Coming up on the left in about a quarter mile—Alanui Kahiko pullout. The old Chain of Craters Road lies buried under lava from 1972. Small shoulder parking here. Continue a half mile further to Hōlei Pali lookout for the cliff-face view.

    Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

    Show transcript

    You can see asphalt poking through the black lava right here—the old road, half-buried and cracked. This is Alanui Kahiko, the original Chain of Craters Road, buried by the 1972 Alae Lava Shield flow. The pavement isn't a museum piece. It's a visual reminder that the ground here keeps moving and infrastructure has a half-life. Half a mile makai—toward the ocean—Hōlei Pali lookout shows you how the lava poured down that cliff face in massive sheets, the flow lines still etched into the stone. From there the road is flat and coastal. Linger here with the buried pavement, then drive down to the overlook. Puʻuloa Petroglyphs comes up around mile 15.9.

    Full page on Alanui Kahiko Holei Pali →

11. Connector · HAVO → 3 min drive · 2.5 mi

    Alanui Kahiko to Puʻuloa Connector

    Show transcript

    You're driving across the coastal bench now—flat ground wedged between the cliff wall and the ocean. Everything under your wheels is young lava from flows in the last few hundred years, stacked on top of each other over time. Keep an eye out for nēnē. They're the state bird, and they wander across this road without much concern for traffic. They're endangered, so give them space if you see one. The petroglyph trailhead is coming up on your right soon. This road layers time in front of you—each flow tells you something about when it came through.
12. Include
    
    → 3 min from previous stop · 2.5 mi
    HAVO

    MILE

    15.9
    Stop · mile 15.9 right

    Puuloa Petroglyphs

    15,000–20,000 ancient Hawaiian stone carvings. 0.7-mile loop trail, boardwalk at the main site. Piko holes are the most common image. Vog risk at dusk.

    Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

    Show transcript

    Coming up on the right in about a quarter mile—Puʻuloa Petroglyph Field. Thousands of ancient Hawaiian stone carvings carved into this lava field over centuries. The 0.7-mile loop trail has a boardwalk at the main site. Plan about 45 minutes round trip. Pullouts on both sides of the road.

    Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

    Show transcript

    You're standing at the edge of a massive pahoehoe lava field, and if you look makai—toward the ocean—the black rock stretches away in frozen waves. This is Puʻuloa, the densest concentration of ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs on the Big Island. Between 15,000 and 20,000 carvings are etched into this ground, left over centuries by families who came here for one reason: those small circles with a dot in the center, called piko holes. Parents would place a piece of their newborn's umbilical cord into the rock as a prayer for long life. The word puʻuloa means exactly that. The 0.7-mile loop trail crosses the lava field on a boardwalk that keeps you above the carvings—they're fragile, and every footstep counts. You'll see human figures, canoes, sail shapes. Don't touch anything or make rubbings; the rock erodes faster than you'd think. If you're here at dusk, watch for vog settling in—the air gets a sulfuric, metallic tang that hits harder if you're pregnant or have heart or lung issues. The road ends in about two and a half miles, so this is close to the finish.

    Full page on Puuloa Petroglyphs →

13. Connector · HAVO → 3 min drive · 2.2 mi

    Puʻuloa to Sea Arch Connector

    Show transcript

    This last section runs right along the coast now, ocean on your right and young lava fields on the left. You might notice cracks in the pavement—fresh-looking ones. That's the coastal bench still settling, still moving beneath you. The road ends at a ranger station near the sea arch, and that's your turnaround point. There's a pit toilet there, sometimes a canteen. The pavement stops because lava covered it. The road actually ends where the lava flow won. This is what the end looks like out here.
14. Include
    
    → 3 min from previous stop · 2.2 mi
    HAVO

    MILE

    18.3
    Stop · mile 18.3 right

    Holei Sea Arch End

    End-of-road stop. No active lava right now (as of April 2026), but the real draw is walking out on the mid-2000s pahoehoe flow that buried the road. User explicitly called this out as the signature experience at this stop.

    Approach Cue (~12-15 sec)

    Show transcript

    Coming up in about half a mile — the end of Chain of Craters Road. Walk out onto the pahoehoe lava flow that buried the road in the mid-2000s, or head right past the barricade for the sea arch viewpoint. Parking on both sides, ranger station and pit toilets available.

    Arrival Narration (~45-60 sec)

    Show transcript

    You're standing at the end of Chain of Craters Road, and the Hōlei Sea Arch rises about 90 feet offshore. What most people miss, though, is what's right under your feet. Past the ranger barricade, you're walking on pahoehoe flows from the mid-2000s Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption—the same lava that buried this road and ran straight into the ocean. No active lava now, but the surface shows you what happened: ropy textures, pressure ridges, cracks, occasional lava tree casts. Watch your footing. Pahoehoe edges are sharp and unstable, so stick to marked paths and stay back from steam cracks. Once you've walked it and looked your fill, head back to the car. You've got about 45 minutes of drive time ahead if you skip the other stops on the way out.

    Full page on Holei Sea Arch End →

15. Outro

    Outro

    Show transcript

    The return drive is quicker now—you've already seen the pullouts. But notice the light. Afternoon sun hits the pali differently than it did on the way down, and shadows stretch across the rift zone. The summit caldera might steam more visibly as things cool. You've covered about two percent of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park today. When you're ready to go deeper, Kīlauea Iki, the summit overlooks, and the Thurston Lava Tube are all within a few miles. Come back whenever the volcano calls.

AI-narrated audio voiced by Hoku (feminine) and Honu (masculine). Both are AI narrators, not native Hawaiian speakers. Some pronunciations may land slightly off — mahalo for your patience as we refine.