Our February 2014 scenic drive along Chain of Craters Road ended at the Hōlei Sea Arch. This is the temporary end of the road that once continued east out of the park and through the village Kalapana. The road was covered by lava in 1969, reopened in 1979 and closed again in 1986 due to additional lava flows. The sea cliffs in this area are over 40 feet high with the top of the arch rising nearly 60 feet out of the water. Near the turnaround are vault toilets and a very small gift shop that includes a few snack items. In addition, two shelters provide shade for a few picnic tables. Paved accessible parking for six vehicles has also been provided. All other vehicles must be parallel parked on the mountain side of the road. A 180 foot trail across the lava leads to a walled overlook of the sea arch. Numerous signs warn of the dangers of getting too close to the cliff edge and of falling on the uneven lava. Back down the road a short distance are several paved pullouts on the ocean side of the road. The nearest of these has another 200 foot trail down to a walled overlook of some sea caves along the eroding sea cliffs.
 |
| Accessible parking and toilets at the turnaround |
 |
| 2000 foot high Hōlei Pali |
 |
| Path to the overlook from the road |
 |
| A closer view of the path |
 |
| Hōlei Sea Arch |
 |
| A wave crashes into the sea cliff at Hōlei Sea Arch |
 |
| 60 foot sea cliffs east of Hōlei Sea Arch |
 |
| The blue waters of the Pacific Ocean seem so calm from a distance |
 |
| Sea caves visible from the second overlook |
 |
| The Pacific Ocean doesn't seem to be living up to its name |
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment