Kilauea Iki Trailhead, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Nice loop trail that is manageable for a wide range of physical conditions. We followed conventional wisdom and went counterclockwise, which took us through the forest along the rim and then we descended down more stairs. The walk along the lava lake is fun and filled with diverse geological features. We had a nice breeze to stay cool, but bring water. The ascent took us to the lava tubes and then we took a last .5mi trail to where we parked. Parking does get tight, google also overshot the entrance to the lookout, enter the parking lot .1mi before google says otherwise you’ll have to loop around a few miles later.

Best trail in the park. Not even close. One of the best hikes I’ve taken in any national park. So if you do only one thing in the park, make it this. Hike starts off, admittedly, kinda boring. You walk along the rim, but with the vegetation you only get passing views of the crater. But about a mile in, you start descending into the crater and the hike becomes absolutely awesome. We combined this trail with Thurston Lava Tube. If you do that, it’s right at 4miles round trip. HIGHLY recommend going counterclockwise on the loop.