New Black Sand BeachOne of my favorite night trips is to go to New Black Sand Beach at Kalapana. In 1992 the Kiluea lava flow went through the old Hawaiian village and covered most of the town, as well as the existing beach. In the process, New Black Sand Beach was born.  During this hike, looking toward the south, we can see steam from the still erupting Kiluea lava flow. Sometimes, we can even see the red glow of lava flowing down the side of the mountain and into the ocean.On the way back, we enjoy stargazing..... the skies always seem to be clear, and there are not very many lights around so we can see alot of stars. We never go on this hike unless there is at least a half moon. The lava seems to have it’s own glow, but we do need some light. Also, we walk only on the lava and not on the vegetation. The vegetation may be hiding cracks that we could fall into. Another Black Sand Beach you might be interested in is Richardson Beach. Richardson Black Sand Beach |
Beginning about a half an hour before sundown, we head across the new lava, almost 1/4 mile to the new beach. We always take a flashlight and a jacket. It is easy to see which way to go....we just follow the road sign tops, that were left sticking up out of the lava after the road was covered by the lava flow. The lava is pahoehoe lava, so it is not difficult to walk on.