BACKPACKER® THE NATIONAL PARKS COAST TO COAST

Plunge from rainforest to caldera and see Hawaii's famously explosive national park three different ways.

Flash back to your childhood imaginings of lava belching forth from the guts of the earth. What you see in your mind's eye is reality at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where two of the world's most active volcanoes—Kilauea and Mauna Loa—spew Day-Glo orange rivers of molten rock that cool into bizarre shapes in an ever shifting landscape. Intrepid hikers can wander into eruptions in real time in three unique ways.

With three hours available, the Kilauea Iki Trail drops visitors into a caldera on a day hike that ventures from a tropical rainforest dripping with life to a scorched and barren lava field. This 4-mile loop hits you with the best of both extremes, winding through thick vegetation before descending 400 feet into a steaming crater. From the Kilauea Iki Overlook located near the Thurston Lava Tube, head out onto the Kilauea Iki Trail. In just over a mile, the trail descends black rock slabs to the crater's flat, crunchy bottom. This 1.5-mile section is smooth, with buckled lava flow flanking the sides. You'll pass the source of the highest-recorded lava fountain in Hawaii's history, 1,900 feet in 1959, as you close the loop.

Got five hours? Explore the Halema‘uma‘u Crater, which exploded in March 2008 for the first time since 1924; survey the aftermath on a 5-mile hike. From the Kilauea Visitor Center, cross Crater Rim Drive and hang a right onto Crater Rim Trail to cruise through pointed ferns and red tufted ohia trees. Just 1 mile in, steam billows upward from the fractured earth, the air hot enough to fog sunglasses. Continue 1.2 miles to the Jaggar Museum overlook to watch plumes rise from Halema‘uma‘u, the fabled home of the Hawaiian fire goddess, Pele. A white cloud, evidence of a lava pond deep below the vent's rim, often billows a mile high before arcing in the wind.

Hikers with nine hours to blow reap the finest trip of all on a trek to a remote crater. The volcanic vent Pu‘u ‘O‘o has erupted continuously since 1983, making it Kilauea's most active fissure in 600 years. Stop at the Kilauea visitor center for a Napau Trail permit (free) then drive on Crater Rim Drive east to reach the trailhead. The 14-mile round-trip route starts atop a 1974 lava flow. Eerie remnants like contorted trees and channels linger where lava once gushed. At 0.75 mile, ascend the Pu'u Huluhulu cinder cone for views of three volcanoes—Kilauea, Mauna Kea, and Mauna Loa. As you curve around the Makaopuhi Crater, ferns and rosy ohelo berries brighten the landscape. Backtrack after watching the steam show at fuming Pu'u ‘O‘o vent at the Napau Crater overlook.

DISTANCE: 4, 5, and 14 miles

TIME REQUIRED: 3, 5, and 9 hours

DIFFICULTY: Intermediate

CONTACT: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, (808) 985-6000; nps.gov/havo

THE PAYOFF: Active lava flows, steam vents, jungle scenery.

TRAILHEAD GPS: 19.429525, -155.257072

FINDING THE TRAILHEAD: From Hilo, take H111 south for 30.1 miles to the Kilauea visitor center.

GPS: 19.417068, -155.242981 From the Kilauea Iki trailhead just west of the Thurston Lava Tube, wind through thick vegetation before descending 400 feet and walking through the steaming crater.

GPS: 19.413599, -155.238800 Walk in the dark through Nahuku, known as the Thurston Lava Tube.

GPS: 19.415022, -155.236862 Emerge blinking in the sunlight at the end of Nahuku.

GPS: 19.416439, -155.242950 Complete the hike by closing the loop around the crater rim of Kilauea Iki by going right (east) at the T on Crater Rim Trail.

GPS: 19.429525, -155.257072 From park headquarters, cross Crater Rim Drive and go right on Crater Rim Trail.

GPS: 19.419994, -155.288550 Continue 1.2 miles to the Jaggar Museum overlook to watch plumes rise from Halema'uma'u. At the junction with the Halema'uma'u trail at the south end of the Kilauea Crater, hang a left onto the Halema'uma'u Trail and follow it north through the crater, taking in the volcanic landscape before closing the Crater Rim Trail loop at the visitor center.

GPS: 19.365081, -155.215616 Drive southeast on Crater Rim Drive from the entrance. The Napau Trail begins atop the remnants of a lava flow from 1974.

GPS: 19.370790, -155.204759 At 0.75 miles, ascend the Pu'u Huluhulu Crater, to gain long views of Mauna Kea, Kllauea, and Mauna Loa.

GPS: 19.363138, -155.174589 Near Makaopuhl Crater, Look for ferns and rosy 'ohelo berries brightening the lava-scarred landscape.

GPS: 19.369292, -155.156221 Remnant lava flows from the 1960s reach the trail.

GPS: 19.373624, -155.148046 After gazing at the steaming crater, backtrack from here.

Want to pack more efficiently? Follow these tips on how to pack a week's worth of gear into your regular weekend pack.

DON'T PACK PIECEMEAL. Lay out everything you think you'll need to bring and strategize from there.

GET BIG ITEMS SITUATED FIRST. Keep Weight low and centered. Liquid fuel should be placed outside or at the very bottom of a pack In case of a leak.

LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF CLOTHING YOU PLAN TO BRING, THEN CUT IT IN HALF. It's not a wilderness experience otherwise! Pick baselayers that can provide both breathability and warmth. Roll, don't fold—or better yet, use a compression sack.

COMPRESSION SACKS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND for slimming down puffy items, like sleeping bags. Bonus: they provide water protection In case of a downpour.

DEFLATE DRY-FOOD PACKS WITH A PIN AND COVER THE HOLE WITH TAPE. Put survival Items in the brain of the pack for fast emergency access.

CARABINER LIGHTER ITEMS TO THE FRONT OF YOUR PACK, taking care to balance out each side. Use external loops and straps to secure awkwardly shaped items like tent poles and sleeping pads.

HOW TO PACK A BACKPACK THE RIGHT WAY