Tuesday, June 25, 2024

We weren’t quite done with the national park after our adventures the day before, but first we took a short roadtrip to go check out the most southern point of the United States. We made a few stops along the way.

Our first stop was Punalu’u Beach, which is one of the few black sand beaches on the island. It was a gorgeous beach! We took some time to watch a sea turtle warming itself on the rocks, occasionally splashing itself with water.

Next, we went to Whittington Beach Park, which has a series of tide pools. We waded through the water and saw many fish, crab, sea snakes or eels, and another sea turtle!

Then we made our way to the southernmost point, which required a short hike from the parking area. This area was super cool! There were lava rocks, shells, and water crashing against the rocks. Very picturesque.

After some time there, we left for lunch at Punalu’u Bake Shop. We bought some amazing bread here that we munched on for the rest of the trip. Highly recommend!

Finally, we made our way back to Volcanoes National Park. We stopped by the Visitor’s Center, and LS turned in her junior ranger handbook. She took her oath and received her badge. She was so proud!

Then we headed over to the far side of the parking lot to start the Sulphur Banks Trail. This trail circles back around to the Visitor’s Center and walks through an area with many, many steam vents throughout the trail. This was an easy (it was mostly paved) and super cool hike.