Pu'u O'o Trail, Hawai'i (eastern saddle)

Pu\'u O\'o Trail, Hawai\'i

Overview

The part of Pu'u O'o Trail open to the public starts on the South side of Saddle Road, near the 23 mile marker. There are signs just off the roadside and a flattened gravel parking area - it may be difficult to see until you're near the turn-off.

Pu'u O'o Trail crosses the saddle just West of (and parallel to) Kulani Powerline Road.

I intend to improve this description in future. PM 'bkrownd' and visit my PBASE page linked below for more information.

Birds

Notable Species

The first section of the trail dips through an old 'a'a lava flow channel covered by a low 'ohia forest and a lot of nice undergrowth. This section is thickly populated by i'iwi, 'apapane and 'amakihi.

After crossing the 'ohia forest, you drop into a grassy meadow growing on an old pahoehoe flow, dotted with ponds and bogs. There are nice koa-ohia forests on both East and West sides of the meadow, full of birds. The forest on the West side is lush and wetter, and I find Hawaii Creeper and Hawaii 'elepaio in there. The clumps of forest in this area are broken by small interconnected meadows, making off-trail exploration very easy. This meadow system is the easternmost (lowest) part of the large East saddle meadow area called 'Ainahou. It is part of "Kipuka 'Ainahou Nene Sanctuary".

At the other end of the first meadow system the trail climbs onto fresher pahoehoe lava, and you pass through a sparse 'ohia forest for a little while. Then the trail drops into a second large meadow, with koa forests on the other side.

At the other end of this second meadow, off the West side of the trail, is a dense koa grove. This is a great area to watch Hawaii 'elepaio and 'akiapola'au. I'iwi patrol their canopy territories, while 'oma'o patrol the lower branches. 'Apapane will be high in the canopy. Looking carefully you can find some small trails entering the Northeast (nearest) corner of the koa grove, and there is a network of faint trails throughout the grove. If you find the trails that go deeper into the forest, the central and western end of the grove has some large, gnarly old koa trees. The South half of this forest is difficult to penetrate. This area is a pleasure to explore, and an excellent place to watch birds.

If you pass the koa forest, the South end of the second meadow is thick with 'akala and blackberry vines, inhabited by noisy invasive Red-billed Leiothrix. Pu'u O'o Trail ducks through a stand of young koa, and crosses another smaller meadow, bordered on the East by a recent 'a'a flow. The trail then enters a very dense old forest. I've also seen 'akiapola'au here, but the dense undergrowth discourages exploration off-trail. You'll find some large tree ferns in here.

After this dense forest, the trail climbs onto and crosses the narrow 'a'a flow you saw in the last meadow. On the other side is a dry grassy 'ohia forest. At this point you are heading diagonally toward Powerline Road, which crosses the Eastern end of this grassy kipuka. At some points the trail widens into a channel cut through the forest. You'll probably only see the most common endemic birds in this forest.

After the grassy forest you cross a narrow pahoehoe flow, then another similar grassy ohia forest, and then arrive at the edge of a larger pahoehoe flow. The trail can be difficult to follow across these pahoehoe flows if it is foggy, so be careful. The pahoehoe flows are dotted with berry bushes and small ohia trees, and are a great place to watch 'amakihi.

After the second pahoehoe flow the trail enters a very nice wet kipuka forest, with very tall trees and lush undergrowth. You are now only slightly West of Powerline Road, and from the East side of this lush forest you can walk a couple hundred yards across the lava field to Powerline Road in just a few minutes.

Beyond this kipuka Pu'u O'o Trail crosses the largest lava field. It would be a good idea to check the weather before continuing. You will be very exposed out on the lava field, and could get lost in the fog or dark, and lightning is terrifying out here. Powerline road is a much safer and easier to follow route across the lava fields, and runs through different parts of the same kipuka forests. The two trails are close and roughly parallel from this point on.

After visiting two more kipukas, the road and trail meet in the middle of the last large kipuka before the 1984 lava flow the road. Some people like to do both trails in a loop. Pu'u O'o Trail branches off of powerline road again near the other end of the last kipuka, and becomes progressively more difficult to follow until you reach the (second) spot where the 1984 lava flow had covered it.

This last kipuka is the largest, and has a large meadow running down the middle of it. It has bogs, meadows, lush dense forest and a lot of birds. (and sheep, pigs and hunters) The rarer species can be found this last kipuka along Powerline Road, with luck and patience. The rare species are vastly easier to find after you have learned what they sound like

See also: Saddle Road powerline service roads, Hawai'i(East half (Hilo side) of the Saddle Road,)

Tree-Planting Road(Eastern saddle, above Hilo, Hawai\\\'i,) Kilohana, Ka'ohe GMA, or Pu'u La'au, Hawai'i(West slope of Mauna Kea,)

Check-list

Common natives: 'Apapane, i'iwi, 'amakihi, 'oma'o, 'elepaio, 'akiapola'au, kolea.

Uncommon natives: Hawai'i creeper, 'akepa, 'io, pueo.

Alien birds: Japanese white-eye, house finch, red-billed leiothrix, kalij pheasant, wild turkey, and yellow-fronted canary.

These are the only alien species I have observed in over two years of frequent searches, though various other alien species are possible.

Other Wildlife

Feral pigs and mouflon sheep are common throughout this area. Mongoose, rodents, loose/feral dogs and feral cats are also possible. The lizards scrambling across the rocks are skinks. Insects.

Site Information

Pu'u O'o Trail is slower and more difficult to follow than Powerline Road. (more dangerous if the weather turns) The primary benefit to Pu'u O'o Trail is the nice koa forests and meadow system at the very beginning. If I want to go farther and explore the saddle lava flows and isolated kipukas I prefer to use Powerline Road.

History and Use

It was historically used as a cattle drive trail between Pu'u O'o Ranch (hence the name) on the southeastern slope of Mauna Kea, and the ranches on the southern slope of Mauna Loa. The route probably existed in some form in pre-contact times as well, but lava flows are frequent in this area of the saddle, including at least 5 across the trail route in the last 160 years, which would have covered any trace of them.

Areas of Interest

To do

Access and Facilities

This portion of Pu'u O'o Trail is part of the State's "Na Ala Hele" trial system, and you can find very minimal information at their tiny web site http://www.hawaiitrails.org. There are presently no facilities other than the trailhead sign. The trail may be difficult to follow at times, and the possibility of getting lost in the wilderness is very real. If you get lost at sunset, expect to spend the night under a tree in the rain and mud, and try to flag down a passing helicopter in the morning.

Most of the Saddle Road Construction is now further East, but it is still technically in the construction zone and it's possible that the parking lot for Pu'u O'o Trail might be closed on any given day. The parking lot is now a bit more level than it was before construction, but still loose gravel and not any larger. I am uncertain if there are any plans to change it more. The State has plans for some sort of a visitor center in the forest across the road.

Contact Details

To do

External Links

To do

The official (and very minimal) description at the State's "Na Ala Hele" trial system web site: http://www.hawaiitrails.org/trail.php?TrailID=HA+47+002&island=Hawaii

More pictures and information: http://www.pbase.com/bkrownd/puu_oo_trail

Content and images originally posted by bkrownd

•