Volcanoes National Park Hikes on Hawaii's Big Island: Nāpau, Nāulu, Puna Coast, and Keauhou Trails

We hiked a 40-mile, 3-day backpacking trip in Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii's Big Island, combining the Nāpau, Nāulu, Puna Coast, and Keauhou Trails. Learn about the Mauna Ulu and Mauna Loa volcanoes, Makaopuhi and Nāpau Craters, 'Āpua Point, and the history of Chain of Craters Road and the Park's volcanic eruptions.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL!
/ hankle
/ hankle
/ hank.leukart
THANKS to Keith Medlin for his beautiful 4K Hawaii drone photography. Check out his KZbin channel for lots of great aerials from around the world! / @keithmedlin5774
All drone operation was done outside of Volcanoes National Park. Drone responsibly.
READ MY BLOG TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS TRIP YOURSELF!
withoutbaggage....
HELP ME OUT WITH FUTURE VIDEOS!
/ hankle
SEE ALL OF MY CAMERA AND OUTDOOR GEAR:
www.amazon.com...
MY CAMERA: amzn.to/2zfXYkQ
MY SUPERZOOM LENS: amzn.to/2DwiJMr
MY WIDE LENS: amzn.to/2BRb0bG
MY DRONE: amzn.to/2Bn1g84

[@abeybaby29]

So proud of you both do something most people cannot do in just a few days. As a local boy here on the big island i am going to give both of you a double high five. Great job!

[@HankLeukart]

thank you! we loved the trip

[@gruffgruff2757]

Thanks Hank & Parker! My students watched your video in combination with a virtual tour and it proved exactly the escape they needed from the monotony of lockdown. Hope you're able to go exploring again soon...

[@HankLeukart]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Parker and I also did an epic hiking adventure in the European Alps with a bunch of other friends that you can check out here if you need more adventure :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqGnepeAeqaiq80 And if you have any VR headsets lying around for the students (like an inexpensive Oculus Go), Parker and I also made a short 360-degree VR video of a snow-hiking adventure we did in Sequoia NP which is super fun because in VR, the views are amazing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGismKCvmLucfc0

[@sebastiankeck3738]

Amazing video! Because of this I am visiting Volcanoes NP on my next visit.

[@hagendf]

That's a good loop. I haven't been to Big Island yet, but Maui is the same kind of thing. You're on a lava desert one second and go over a ridge into forest canopy. You would like Haleakala. And the ocean is another whole thing, paddleboarding or snorkeling with the sea turtles.

[@HankLeukart]

Yeah, it was a great trip. I'll definitely have to check out Maui. So far, I've only been to the Big Island because I grew up in the East and we never went to Hawai. But can't wait to get back out there for some more hiking, snorkeling, or scuba diving. Thanks for the tip on Haleakala. Any suggested routes there?

[@ekimpp]

If you go to visitor center you could get all the infor, maps. They are very helpful. You must sign in before start of hike. I did sunrise Haelakela. You don't need go up with tour group. I did it solo. Oh its very cold and windy!

[@HankLeukart]

Cool, I'll check out the maps and head out there someday soon!

[@hagendf]

@@HankLeukart I don't know the routes up there but if you check with Ben Brochu from the packrafting community he and his wife did a hike from crater to sea a few years ago.

[@ekimpp]

Wow, i was in big island! Solo hiked Mt. Mauna Kea December 16 2018. I did not see anyone on the trail. Came down by hitchhiking to visitor center. It was very cold and windy.

[@HankLeukart]

Oh, I'm so jealous! I also wanted to hike both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, but we didn't have time to do more. I originally wanted my loop to be much longer and INCLUDE Mauna Loa. Oh well, next time! And yeah, our hike was super windy too (note the disappointing audio!).

[@ekimpp]

I am super worried about TMB in September. Can i possibly hike...over 100 miles. Never backpacked. And i took a lot of note from your trip.

[@HankLeukart]

Oh, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Don't think of it as hiking 110 miles, think of it as hiking 10 miles every day for many days in a row. You can definitely hike 10 miles in a day. Also, the refugios make things much easier because at night you can relax indoors and someone else cooks you dinner. And if you don't feel like hiking on a given day, you can hang out in the refugio (or hotel in some cities) to relax and rest and then hike the next day.

[@ekimpp]

Thank you Hank for your encouragement!

[@sutash9043]

@@HankLeukart But don't you have like a schedule of reservations to follow? 'Cos that's one of my worries too.