Devastation Trail

Issue #022 - Hawaii: The Big Island

Rain forests, black sand beaches, volcanoes, and snow-covered peaks are a few of the reasons to photograph the big island of Hawaii. The peak of Mauna Kea may be covered with winter snow. Eruptions on the slopes of Mauna Loa send rivers of molten lava down the southern slopes and into the Pacific. One of the marked trails along the Crater Rim Drive is called the Devastation Trail. Several bleached-white oheo trees in a landscape of black pumice are best shot in the direct low light of a sunny, late afternoon. This dramatic landscape photographs best in contrasty light. Some of the most spectacular cloud formations I have ever seen were photographed from the Volcano Observatory on the west side of the caldera. To find this quality of light, arrive on the crater rim overlooks before sunrise. To do this, spend the night in the Park. It’s a 28-mile-drive up from the town of Hilo. Make hotel reservations well in advance to stay several nights at the Volcano House, located right on the rim of Kilauea Crater. The location is convenient, across the road from the Visitor Center. Mark Twain wrote about staying at the Volcano House in 1866, when these were called the Sandwich Islands. He climbed down into the crater at night and walked across the still-warm volcanic crust. There were no park rangers to prevent such things in those days.