The start of this trail can be found just off Highway 11 approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the southwest of the main entrance to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park near Kīlauea summit. A short hike leads to a covered pavilion with signage that describes the origin of the trail name, where footprints can still be found by Native Hawaiians who walked in wet ash that fell during an explosive eruption in 1790.

Many visitors hike out to look at the footprints before turning around. However, another mile (1.6 kilometers) along the trail brings hikers to the unvegetated heart of the Kaʻū Desert and the low slope that leads to the top of the Maunaiki shield. This is one of the more prominent, high-standing features along Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone, providing views for miles in every direction, with other trails leading farther into the Kaʻū Desert for those that have packed plenty of water and sunscreen.

The Maunaiki shield itself is a relatively recent addition to the landscape. This broad high point with great views formed over 8 months from December 1919 to August 1920.

At the time of the Maunaiki eruption, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was still relatively new, having started operations in 1912. Dr. Thomas Jaggar and Ruy Finch were the two observatory geologists tasked with monitoring volcanic activity.

Before the eruption started, a persistent and long-lived lava lake occupied Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea. On November 28, 1919, this lava lake drained by more than 600 feet (180 meters) over 4 hours. It took 17 days for Halemaʻumaʻu to refill back up to its crater rim.

Less than a month later, from December 15–23, 1919, a magmatic dike intruded from the summit about 6 miles (10 kilometers) into the Southwest Rift Zone. Volcanic gases were seen coming from ground cracks and observers could occasionally see molten lava deep within. Then on Christmas Eve 1919, a small lava fountain started to erupt and feed pāhoehoe flows in the area where the Maunaiki shield now sits. At the same time, the level of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake started to fall, indicating a hydraulic connection between the summit and the rift zone.

On December 30, 1919, a large volume of ‘a‘ā lava began flowing downhill to the southwest, from the lava fountain vent. This lava flow lasted until January 17, 1920, and made it 7 miles (11 kilometers) from the vent.

Most of the height of the Maunaiki shield that is climbed when hiking the present-day trail was built from January 18 through April 16. During this time, a lava pond formed and its pāhoehoe overflows slowly built up the shield structure that came to be called Maunaiki. Not far from the hiking trail on the flank of the shield there is a noticeable ‘a‘ā flow covering the pāhoehoe slopes. It is thought that this part of the shield accumulated lava at shallow depths, causing the surface to bulge, then it broke open and created this little flow.

By mid-April, the Maunaiki shield had stopped growing and lava tubes had formed to more efficiently transport lava downhill. Lava flowed until August 3, 1920, at which point the eruption came to an end.

Next time you are waiting for a lava fountain to start, consider packing some water, snacks, and sunscreen so you can go check out the views from the top of Maunaiki and the volcanic activity of the recent past that has sculpted the landscape of Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.