Petroglyphs in lava rock at Pu'uloa along Chain of Craters road, in the Volcanoes National Park. 1200494920 ancient, archeology, art, artwork, carving, chain, civilization, craters, culture, draw, drawing, hawaii, hawaiian, heritage, hill, historic, history, icon, indigenous, island, landmark, lava, loa, long, message, national, native, old, outdoors, park, petroglyph, polynesian, pu'u, pu'uloa, puu, puuloa, road, rock, sacred, spiritual, states, stone, symbol, travel, tribal, tropical, united, usa, volcano, writing

©David G Hayes/Shutterstock

Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs

Top choice in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

LoginSave

The gentle, 1.3-mile round-trip to Puʻu Loa (roughly, 'hill of long life') leads to one of Hawaiʻi's largest concentrations of ancient petroglyphs, some over 800 years old. Here Hawaiians chiseled more than 23,000 drawings into pahoehoe (smooth-flowing lava) with adz tools quarried from Keanakakoʻi. Stay on the boardwalk – not all petroglyphs are obvious, and you might damage some if you walk over the rocks. The trailhead parking is signed between Miles 16 and 17 on Chain of Craters Road.

There are abstract designs, animal and human figures, as well as thousands of dimpled depressions (or cupules) that were receptacles for piko (navels). Placing a baby's piko inside a cupule and covering it with stones bestowed health and longevity on the child. Archaeologists believe a dot with a circle around it was for a first born, while two circles were reserved for the first born of an ali`i (chief).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Smoke plumes from the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

    Kilauea

    12.9 MILES

    Kilauea volcano lies at the center of activity in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The unassuming bump on Mauna Loa's southeast flank would be easily…

  • Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

    Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

    10.83 MILES

    Even among Hawaii's many wonders, this national park stands out. Its two active volcanoes testify to the ongoing birth of the islands: quiet Mauna Loa (13…

  • Kilauea crater fumarole expelling fumes. 467882084 Cloudscape, Pele, Kilauea, Geology, Fumes, Exploding, Wide Angle, Big Island, Hawaii Islands, Day, Island, Volcanic Crater, Fumarole, Volcano, Earth, Cloud, Fog, hot spot, sulfide, Gas, Crater, Halemaʻumaʻu

    Halemaʻumaʻu Crater

    13.33 MILES

    The original Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook off Crater Rim Dr was closed in 2008 due to volcanic activity and the very real threat of death. For the next decade,…

  • Punaluu Black Sand Beach, a beach in the southeastern part of the Hawaiian coast of Kau 1738359710 beach, beautiful, big island, black sand, black sand coast, blue, coast, exotic, famous place, hawaii, hawaii volcanoes national park, holiday, island, island of hawaii, kilauea, landscape, lava, nature, ocean, outdoor, palm, paradise, punaluu, punaluu black sand coast, sand beach, sea, sky, southeastern kau coast, summer, sun, sunny, tourism, tourist attractions, travel, tree, tropical, vacation, volcano, water

    Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park

    27.25 MILES

    Beyond the nearly omnipresent green sea turtles basking in the sun, or the rare hawksbill turtles that lay their eggs here (be careful where you walk),…

  • Liliuokalani Park, Hilo, East Coast.

    Liliʻuokalani Park

    29.98 MILES

    Arguably Hilo's most beautiful spot, these sprawling Japanese gardens are perfect for picnicking. Named for Hawaii's last queen (r 1891–93), the 30-acre…

  • This is a shot of the Kilauea Volcano from the Kilauea Overlook in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, this is a panoramic shot of the caldera of the large Volcano on the south side of The Big Island of Hawaii 1488714858

    Kilauea Iki Overlook

    11.58 MILES

    When 'Little Kilauea' burst open in a fiery inferno in November 1959, it filled the crater with a roiling lake of molten rock fed by a 1900ft fountain…

  • Kilauea Visitor Center & Museum

    Kilauea Visitor Center & Museum

    12.9 MILES

    Stop here first on your visit to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Extraordinarily helpful (and remarkably patient) rangers and volunteers can advise you…

  • KEHENA BLACK SAND BEACH,Big Island Hawaii 1291212460 137, adventure, beach, beautiful, black sand, blue, blue sky, car, coast, countryside, exploration, green, hawaii state, hawaii volcanoes national park, journey, lake flow, landscape, lava flow, locals, magma, nature, ocean, outdoor, plant, resort, rock, sandy beach, sea, sightseeing, sky, southern country, spectacular, tourism, travel, trees, unexplored, usa, vacation, view, volcano, water

    Kehena Beach

    14.43 MILES

    If any place captures the vibe of Puna, it's this beautiful black-sand beach tucked beneath a cliff where all walks of life – hippies, Hawaiians, gays,…

View more attractions

Nearby Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park attractions

1. End of the Road

1.56 MILES

Sort of. The road ends where the lava says it ends, having consumed this coastal section of Chain of Craters Road repeatedly since 1969. Currently there…

2. Holei Sea Arch

1.6 MILES

Constantly brutalized by unrelenting surf, the coastal section of Chain of Craters Road has sharply eroded lava-rock pali (cliffs). Visible from near the…

3. Kealakomo

3.12 MILES

About halfway along Chain of Craters Road is this coastal lookout (elevation 2000ft), with picnic tables and commanding views. That inky black snake's…

4. Old Pulu Factory

5.74 MILES

Ancient Hawaiians used pulu, the golden, silky fibers found at the base of hapuʻu (tree fern) fiddleheads, to dress wounds and embalm the dead. In the…

5. Makaopuhi Crater

5.77 MILES

This jaw-dropping, mile-long crater is the largest in the East Rift Zone. Although once accessible by road, it's now 5 miles along the Napau Crater Trail,…

6. Puʻu ʻOʻo

6.67 MILES

Puʻu ʻOʻo vent saw the longest-lasting and most voluminous of the Kilauea's eruptions, oozing an estimated 80 to 160 million gallons of lava per day, or…

7. ʻAlae Lava Shield

6.99 MILES

The once-awesome ʻAlae crater did not go easily. The Mauna Ulu eruption had just filled the 1440ft-wide and 540ft-deep crater with a lake of molten lava…

8. Mauna Ulu

7.29 MILES

In 1969, eruptions from Kilauea's East Rift Zone began building a new lava shield, Mauna Ulu (Growing Mountain). By the time the flow stopped in 1974, it…