HVNP Loop

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Allowed

I like riding this loop because you start off in a cool environment -- usually 55-65 degrees and mostly cloudy before transitioning to hotter and drier lava fields. It's an amazing ride for the scenery and overall experience that may not be the most technical mountain bike masterpiece.

The trail is bidirectional. Consider parking near Kiluea Iki and biking up to the volcano village entrance on the main highway. This will split up your time spent climbing. Also note, the last part of the climb is on winding roads, so pay attention to cars. There are a few gates you must go through, but they are simply in place to contain pigs. There are bathrooms at the bottom provided by the park.

The trail starts as a very lush doubletrack between large ferns and subtropical trees. Then as you make the descent, the temperature will slowly change and so will the flora, eventually ending in a lava field where the ground is still steaming. Most of your descent is on doubletrack.

There is one small gate that is sometimes locked -- this is for wild pigs. Go ahead and climb over it if the lock is on. At the bottom, you'll come to a parking lot that takes you to the main road. As you climb the main road back, you can take a break at multiple calderas from previous flows. Not many mountain bike trails in the world are like this; you really gain an appreciation for Mother Nature and the sub-geological activities of our planet riding this active volcano.

When riding this trail, you can go in either direction. My recommendation is to park outside the park and descend, then climb back up using the road. Then as the road gets more difficult, cutting back onto the Jeep doubletrack. This can be done at Thurston Lava Tube or other small eastern-facing trails from the paved road.