Lava Tree State Monument

August 10th, 2007

Lava Tree State Monument preserves the site where a lava flow burned through an ohia forest in 1790. The lava that flowed quickly from Kilauea Volcano’s east rift zone surrounded the trees and cooled forming molds of the burned tree trunks inside. There’s a 0.7 loop trail that will take you through the formations in the forest. There are 17 acres of preserved forest here. If you go on the hike, the ground is uneven so wear decent shoes and/or watch your step. To get there: Go south on Highway 130 out of Pahoa. Then turn east on Highway 132. The Park is 2 1/2 miles down this highway on the left. This place is unbelieveably green and should definitely be put on your stop when in the Puna district just to get an appreciation of both destruction and rebirth. There are restrooms and picnic facilities available. (Geocachers: Yes there’s a cache here the last I checked) Lots of interesting information available there about the forming of the lava molds as well as their ongoing battle with the coqui frog. This little frog is not native to Hawaii and has become a real nuisance. Visitors from the midwest may liken them to crickets…until there’s an army of them. Then good luck trying to sleep!

Now as you’ve looked at the resulting molds in the pictures you’ve seen in this post, the same thing may have crossed your mind that crossed my mind when I saw them. Would it be wrong to admit that we stopped at this park specifically to get dirty pictures? Yes, I was 31 years old and it’s highly immature for a gal that age to be posing suggestively next to these pieces of history but come on…LOOK AT THEM! I heard collective giggles with every person who went up to them but no one else had the 12 year old mentality to pose the way we did with them. What can I say, it’s mandatory to grow older but not to grow up. Guilty as charged!