Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Gear Checklist
Most people who use this permit walk down to the lava coast, where Halapē is eight miles from the nearest trailhead and no tree shades the route. The park wants you carrying at least four quarts of water, a stove, a map and a first aid kit, and it asks you to treat any water from the shelter tanks. Hikers add a headlamp for the cairn-marked trail, shoes that survive jagged lava, and a plan for rodents and the afternoon sun. A few things are specific to this park, such as a red light for nesting turtles and ash that can drift down onto your dinner.
What shapes your gear on Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
- Distance
- Halapē lies 8.0 miles from Hilina Pali Overlook, 8.5 or 9.2 miles from the Mau Loa o Maunaulu trailhead, or 11.3 miles from Puʻuloa. The most elevation change from trailhead to campsite is 3,000 feet.
- Heat and shade
- The park says daytime temperatures can reach the high 90s and no trees offer relief. It asks hikers to stay off coastal trails from 10 am to 2 pm.
- Water
- The coastal shelters at Kaʻaha, Halapē and Keauhou have roof catchment tanks. The park says water is not always there and there are no streams, so ask rangers for current levels and treat tank water. Nāpau has none.
From National Park Service, Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and Reddit r/backpacking
- Trail marking
- Routes are marked by stacked-stone cairns called ahu. The park says they are easy to miss in rain or mist and cannot be found at night. A recent hiker stopped several times to find the next one.
- Sites and limits
- The permit covers eight backcountry sites, from the coastal camps to the Pepeiao, Red Hill and Mauna Loa cabins. A group can be up to 12 people. At Halapē, 16 hikers a night are allowed for up to three nights.
From National Park Service and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)
- Eruption days
- During an eruption, ash can reach the coast. A recent hiker at Halapē saw rain carrying black and gray specks onto skin, gear and food roughly 10 miles from the crater.
What the agency requires on Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Your signed permit, carried by the group leader
A signed permit must be on the group leader at all times. A reservation confirmation, on paper or a phone, does not count as the permit.
A stove, fuel and a first aid kit
The park's essential gear list names a first aid kit, a trail map, emergency food, a cookstove, fuel and utensils. Open fires and smoking are prohibited, and stoves with an on/off valve are allowed.
From National Park Service and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)
Treated water and a lot of it
Carry and drink at least 4 quarts per person per day. Treat water from catchment tanks before drinking it.
From National Park Service and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)
Your own toilet paper and a pack-out plan
Shelters have composting toilets but hikers must bring toilet paper. Nothing goes in the toilet except waste, and everything you pack in leaves with you.
From Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and National Park Service
Sun protection
The park asks hikers to wear sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat, and to take layers for changes in temperature.
What hikers carry on Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Water for the whole approach, plus a filter
The park describes roof tanks at three coastal shelters as the only water and says there are no streams, so hikers carry what they need down. One trip report filled bottles at the Halapē tank before camp to avoid a second trip, and stressed filtering it. A commenter on a planning thread adds that rangers rarely update the small tank at ʻĀpua Point.
From Adventure Tours Hawaii, NPS Hike Journal (visitor account), Reddit r/backpacking and National Park Service
A headlamp with a red light option
A party that started at 4:30 pm reached the beach by headlamp and said the dark route was hard to follow. Turtle crews at Halapē asked them to avoid bright light on the beach and lent red lights, and the writer suggests red cellophane over your own.
From NPS Hike Journal (visitor account) and National Park Service
Sturdy shoes and blister care for jagged lava
The ground is rock, rope-like lava and rough a'a. Blisters slowed one writer near the end of the hike out, and another notes the footing demands attention even where it looks smooth.
From kenjiSAITO, Adventure Tours Hawaii and National Park Service
Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
There is almost no shade. A recent hiker found a single tree on the whole descent and a few lava tubes that offered brief relief from the sun.
A tent with a fully zippable screen
The park names centipedes, scorpions and rodents as common at camps and recommends tents that zip tight against insects. A group at Halapē also strung their food in trees to keep rodents off their tents.
From National Park Service and kenjiSAITO
A map and the habit of looking up for cairns
The park's gear list includes a trail map. The recent hiker says cairns across the lava are easy to lose when you watch your feet, so stopping to scan ahead for the next one kept them on route.
A stove and fuel, not a fire
Fires and smoking are banned and thick grass makes the coast a fire hazard, so the park lists a cookstove and fuel among essentials.
From National Park Service and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)
Rain gear and a layer
The park warns of passing showers and cooler air at higher elevation, and a group heading down at 2,680 feet started in mist and vog before the weather cleared.
From Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and NPS Hike Journal (visitor account)
12 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Hiking out in the middle of the day
A volunteer ranger who left Halapē at midday called it a mistake because there was no shade on the climb, and the park tells hikers to stay off coastal trails from 10 am to 2 pm.
From NPS Hike Journal (visitor account) and National Park Service
Counting on the water tank being full
The park says water is not always available, and a commenter says rangers rarely update the level at ʻĀpua Point. The recent Halapē group saw full tanks but still treated everything.
From National Park Service, Reddit r/backpacking and Adventure Tours Hawaii
No toilet paper
The outhouse at Kaʻaha had none when a recent group visited, and the park says to bring your own.
From Adventure Tours Hawaii and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)
Leaving food or lights uncovered at camp
Mongooses, mice and feral cats go after loose food, and nesting turtles are disturbed by bright light, so hikers hang food and use red light on the beach.
From National Park Service, kenjiSAITO and NPS Hike Journal (visitor account)
Gear questions for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
How much water should I carry for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes backcountry camping?
The park says at least 4 quarts per person per day on the coast. The only backcountry water is roof catchment at some shelters, which may be empty and must be treated, so most hikers carry all they need and a filter as backup.
From National Park Service, Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and NPS Hike Journal (visitor account)
Can I have a campfire at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes backcountry sites?
No. Campfires and smoking are prohibited. Bring a stove with an on/off valve, which the permit allows.
From Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and National Park Service
What shoes work for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes backcountry trails?
Sturdy shoes that protect against jagged lava. Hikers describe uneven rock, loose rock and rough a'a, and one group fought blisters.
From Adventure Tours Hawaii, kenjiSAITO and National Park Service
Do I need a headlamp for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes backcountry hiking?
Yes, if there is any chance you arrive after dark. Cairns are hard to see by night. A red light also protects nesting turtles on beaches such as Halapē.
From National Park Service and NPS Hike Journal (visitor account)
Sources
- Backcountry Hikes: Halapē · National Park Service · Agency
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Backcountry Permits · Recreation.gov (National Park Service) · Agency
- Hike Journal: Halape · NPS Hike Journal (visitor account), Drew Erickson · Trip report
- Hiking Hilina Pali Trail to Halape to Puna Coast Trail and Kilauea · kenjiSAITO, Kenji Saito · Blog
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Coastal Backcountry: Kaʻaha to Halapē Trail Guide · Adventure Tours Hawaii · Blog
- Overnight backpacking in Hawai'i Volcanoes NP, which trail? (r/backpacking) · Reddit r/backpacking · Reddit thread