Our second stop on Chain of Craters Road during our February 2014 visit to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was at Puhimau Crater. Like most of the craters along this drive, this is a pit crater formed when the surface collapsed into an underground chamber or void. This pit is estimated to have formed sometime after the mid 1400s, but before 1800. The crater is about 500 feet deep, 400 feet wide and 650 feet long creating an oval shaped pit. A paved parking area is accessible on the left side of the road at approximately 0.9 miles from the beginning of the road.
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| Accessible walkway to crater overlook |
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| First view of the crater |
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| Talus at the base of the pit |
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| The walkway and railing keep visitors away from the rim |
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| The crater provides geologic clues to the lava flows that created the island |
An entrance fee of $10 provides a seven-day pass to visit the park. Other entrance options include the Hawai`i Tri-park Annual Pass for $25 for twelve month access to three parks in Hawai'i, an America the Beautiful Annual Pass for $80 for twelve months access to most national parks and forests or a Senior Pass for a one-time fee of $10 for those age 62 or over for access to most national parks and forests.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.
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