If you’ve visited Kīlauea in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park recently, you’ve probably seen the crowds gathering on the rim of the caldera to watch the spectacular lava fountaining episodes in Halemaʻumaʻu. But during pauses in the eruption, there’s an entire volcanic landscape waiting to be explored. 

One great option is the Footprints Trail, about ten miles southwest of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s main entrance.

A short walk brings you to preserved ash footprints left by Native Hawaiians during an explosive eruption in 1790. But the trail goes farther. Another mile takes you out into the heart of the Kaʻū Desert and up the gentle rise of the Maunaiki shield—a broad volcanic feature that formed by successive lava flows over eight months during the 1919–1920 eruption.

At that time, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was still in its early years, with geologists Thomas Jaggar and Ruy Finch documenting dramatic activity at Kīlauea. A lava lake at the summit drained more than 600 feet in just four hours before magma intruded into the Southwest Rift Zone, eventually feeding lava flows that built Maunaiki’s slopes.

Today, hikers can walk across those same flows and see the results of the processes that shaped Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone. So, if you’re waiting for the next lava fountaining at Kīlauea summit to begin, consider packing water, snacks, and sunscreen, and exploring Maunaiki—a place where volcanic history is written directly onto the landscape.

Mahalo for listening, I’m Katie Mulliken and this was your weekly volcano minute brought to you by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.