Isaac Hale Beach Park, Black Sand Beach
Kilauea’s Recent Eruption and Its Effect on Isaac Hale Beach
During the massive 3-month eruption of Kilauea in 2018, lava flowed from the lower east zone of the volcano and directly into the Puna district. This district is sprawling and includes Volcanoes National Park and Volcano Village, where Volcano Village Lodge sits. As lava flowed continuously throughout that summer, it inundated the area between Kilauea’s summit and the ocean’s edge, covering roads, consuming properties, and burning through neighborhoods in the process. Isaac Hale Beach, also known by its Hawaiian name, Pohoiki Beach, was left entirely transformed after the eruption. Volcanic rock consumed much of the beach park’s infrastructure, with roads and camping facilities buried under the lava. But in its wake is now a stunning black sand beach, a product of volcanic chemistry and transformation.
Getting to Pohoiki Beach: Access Restored and a Scenic Day Trip From Volcano
In the immediate aftermath of the 2018 eruption, Pohoiki Beach was inaccessible as lava overtook some access roads. Since then, however, access has been restored, and it’s a 50-mile drive from Volcano Village Lodge. This route is also one of the more scenic routes on the Big Island, as Highway 137 traces the coastline, with gorgeous ocean overlooks along the way. Isaac Hale Beach was a popular camping spot in the past, but overnight camping is not currently allowed due to the eruption’s impact. It’s worth checking the Hawaii County website for updates on when, or if, camping may be permitted again. But it’s a perfect day trip to add to your itinerary, and you won’t be disappointed once you arrive at Pohoiki. There you can step foot in freshly-formed black sand and stand mere feet away from some of the most recently-created lava fields in the world.
An Otherworldly Beach Scene: Leave the Black Sand Alone, but Photograph Away
When lava meets the ocean, it’s a dramatic event, as the scorching-hot lava solidifies and quickly explodes into fragments when it confronts the much-cooler seawater. As tiny as grains of sand, the newly-created volcanic bits form an entirely new beach landscape – one of deep, rich black sand rather than the white sand we’re so accustomed to seeing. Along Isaac Hale Beach, the palm tree-lined cove is now completely black due to this explosive lava-meets-water phenomenon. It’s magnificent in person, and if you do visit, remember that it is illegal to take any black sand with you as a souvenir. Black sand beaches are inherently temporary, as the volcanic rock gets washed away by powerful tides, so preservation is an important priority. But you can surely take as many pictures as you wish, capturing this rare beach landscape and its black sand beauty.
Reserve your stay today, and rare black sand beachscapes will be only a couple of hours away!
