Overview

Hype:

Visitors to this tropical park can descend into a massive 1881 lava-tube cave formed by Mauna Loa.

Cave Type: Horizontal

Time: Varies

Length: 25 miles

Depth: Negligible

Gear: Closed-toe shoes, flashlight, long pants

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Permits: Open

Getting There

Navigate to 19.686908, -155.130839.

From Hilo take Waianuenue Ave. mauka for about a mile. Kaumana Dr. will branch off to the left. The park is located on the right between the 3 and 4 mile markers. The parking lot is across the street and on a blind curve so be careful when crossing the street. The entrance to the cave is marked with a railing. A very steep set of stairs descends into the cool darkness of this relatively young lava tube.

Route

From the entrance there are two directions in which adventurous visitors can explore. The left tube appears to be smaller from the entrance; however, a tight opening leads to a long, dark portion of the tube that snakes its way underground and at times requires some scrambling over rocks. It terminates at another collapsed section of the tube. Through the opening in the ceiling, light pours in and roots reach down, creating an eerie tropical setting. A small footpath at the end leads back to the road from above, or the cave can be followed back to the start.

The right section of the tube has a much larger opening and is usually dripping from above. The ambient light from the entrance fades quickly and the air becomes stagnant and muggy as the walls become closer together. This section of the tube is much longer than the left section, and almost 2 miles of underground tunnel being open to the public. Along the way visitors will encounter unique lava formations as well as some eerie graffiti, plenty of darkness and sometimes mud. Avoid exploring deep into the cave during periods of heavy rain because they can be known to overflow in some places. Unlike karst limestone caves, lava tubes are relatively straight and do little branching, so getting lost is an unlikely issue, but always use good judgment when entering the cave.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Big Island, Hawaii

Coordinates: 19.686908, -155.130839

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June 5, 2018 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye,

Story

In our research on Kaumana Caves, we read a bunch of differing stories. Almost everyone agreed that if you go left at the bottom of the stairs, it quickly ends, but if you go right, it goes on for longer than anyone cared to explore. This information was only partially correct.

In the weeks leading up to our trip to Hawaii, there was a ton of recent volcanic activity. Whole subdivisions were being buried in lava flows, and large parts of the island were closed. A day or two before we explored Kaumana Caves, there had been a magnitude 5-point-something earthquake near the caldera as the magma pressure dropped and the caldera began sinking.

We arrived at the cave at around 6:30 pm. We dropped down into the lava tube and went right. We took two headlamps, but only one ended up working. So Tara took the good headlamp, and I followed behind in the shadows. The tube was a little bit narrow at first but quickly opened up. We saw some cool lava stalactites and a bunch of graffiti. At one point the lava tube forked and made an abrupt right turn (we're not sure if the left fork went very far or not). The tunnel bottom opened up in some places to different levels. After about 15 minutes of exploring Tara had had enough. She got extremely wigged out and a little bit panicky being underground with all the recent seismic and volcanic activity. She wasn't worried about the tunnel filling up with lava; she was more worried about the roof collapsing in on us. I wanted to keep going, but we only had the one headlamp, so we both turned back. We got back to the stairs at 7:00.

I hadn't scratched the exploring bug all the way yet, so Tara went back to the car, and I explored the left tunnel by myself. The tunnel was super tight near the beginning but soon opened up into a very tall passageway. I made it all the way to the "end" where there was a tunnel collapse and you could climb out to the surface. However on the other side of the rubble, the tunnel kept going, so I did too. I soon came to another tunnel collapse, climbed through the rubble, and found the lava tube again. When I got to the third collapse, I thought about exiting the lava tube and walking back to the car on the surface. I had my GPS, so I probably could have found my way back to the car even though it was getting dark, but it had been raining and all the plants were wet, so I didn't want to go bushwhacking through the wet underbrush. Plus I figured that if I was fenced in, there was virtually no chance of me finding the tunnel collapse in the middle of the forest. It was getting kind of late and Tara was waiting in the car, so I turned around.

On my return trip, after I climbed through the middle collapse, I ended up in a section of lava tube that didn't look familiar. It was very constricted, and I had to belly-crawl for a long distance. I wasn't sure where I had made a wrong turn, so I backtracked until I made it to some place I recognized. I soon found the correct tunnel and made my way back to the stairs. I finished up around 7:40 pm.

Pictures