VNP - Kilauea Iki Trial with 18 month year old?

Is this hike/trial do-able with an 18 month year old? Can we use a stroller? Or just a carrier? Or should we just forget the whole thing? I can%26#39;t guage how strenous this would be, our child definately can%26#39;t walk it...Thanks.

VNP - Kilauea Iki Trial with 18 month year old?

The trail was closed when we were there a few weeks ago so I can%26#39;t tell you but I think i%26#39;ts like a 2 hour hike if that helps you make up your mind.

My husband and brothers were planning on it but I opted out as I didn%26#39;t think my daughter would walk the entire thing and I didn%26#39;t know how a stroller would do. (thinking it wouldn%26#39;t be pretty)

VNP - Kilauea Iki Trial with 18 month year old?

You would not be able to use a stroller on this trail. It%26#39;s beautiful, but there are some parts that are rather steep, so it is strenuous. It%26#39;s also rather bumpy, so you need to watch your step. I%26#39;m sure some people wouldn%26#39;t have a problem with a carrier, but if you haven%26#39;t used it a lot, or if your child is real wiggly, it might be tricky. I know that when mine were little, I gave up using the carrier on any trail where my footing wasn%26#39;t good, because they were kind of squirmy, and I was afraid I%26#39;d topple over. If that could be a problem for you, I wouldn%26#39;t risk it.

This trail can%26#39;t be navigated with a stroller. The trail (if you start heading left at the parking lot) starts off easy enough along the top of the crater. It then heads straight down to the crater floor. Along the way you are navigating large rocks and a very steep trail. Once at the bottom you must traverse the bottom of the crater. While this is quite smooth, there are wide cracks in the smooth lava here. Once you get to the other side there are a series of switch backs to get up the other side of the crater and back to the parking lot. I suppose my husband could have hiked with one of our sons in a backpack. I wouldn%26#39;t want to do it. It was hard enough for just me (somewhat out-of-shape).

If you can normally carry your child in a backpack for two hours (and they are willing to be in it that long) and think you can make it up two 10-15 minute stretches that are either straight down or straight up, it might be doable. We went on several long hikes with a quality backpack when our son was small and his legs would go to sleep and it wasn%26#39;t pretty when the feeling came back.

On the other hand we did this trail with kids ages 5 thru 17 last summer and they all enjoyed it. I would probably say starting at 5 most children could do it on their own.

The trail is definitely worth it if you can do it (volcano fumes not withstanding).

Aloha Ama!

My family did this trial last month. It is considered %26#39;strenous%26#39;, and took us almost 3 hours to complete. My 2 Teens are competitive athletes in a number of sports. Hubby and I are very athletic and in shape. Still, I was feeling it in the legs, the next day...KWIM? It was also the HIGHLIGHT of our trip to VNP....

Can your 18-month old stay with a friend/relative/babysitter..someone you trust?

unless the air quality improves, I would think twice about even taking a child of that age to the Park.

Without question....You should NOT even bring the child to the south end of the island let alone inside the park....

I strongly suggest leaving your child on the mainland till the current volcano activity is over..... In fact the present conditions you wont be able to make it...

He is way too young for any activity in the park...and it would be a serious mistake to attempt taking him

So, hawaiidan, you wouldn%26#39;t advise bringing young children to the Big Island AT ALL right now? What about around Kona or Kohala? or Hilo?

Thank you everyone for the advice. It sounds like this trail is a no-go. Does anyone know if the Thurston Lava Tube trail would be okay? Our daughter can walk, but obviously if it%26#39;s a long hike, it%26#39;s much better that we could push a stroller or carry her in the Bjorn.

For Akaka Falls - Is there alot of stairs on the path? We could ';close'; the stroller and carry her and the stroller up/down the stairs and just push it when we are on the path again.

For the other waterfalls (Boiling Pots and Rainbow Falls) - is the trial paved? Can we use a stroller?

Hawaiidan - We are not traveling to the big island until end of May/early June. Will the conditions be better then? How long does this usually last? We are planning 2 nights in Waikola, 2 nights in Hilo, 1 in Volcano, and 2 nights in Capitan Cook...

Akaka Falls has a lot of stairs and it%26#39;s a pretty narrow path. I%26#39;d leave the stroller in the car; use your carrier instead. (Or just carry her in your arms.)

Rainbow Falls has a parking lot and about a 100 foot walk to a viewing platform. You%26#39;ll spend more time getting the stroller set up than it will take to walk to view it.

I%26#39;d forget the volcano right now with an 18 month old. The sulfur emissions are way too high, and there isn%26#39;t that much to see with an 18 month old anyway. If your trip isn%26#39;t for a few months, you might wait it out and see; things might clear up, though I%26#39;d be skeptical.

ama asked:

We are not traveling to the big island until end of May/early June. Will the conditions be better then? How long does this usually last?

ama, there is no ';usually.'; I think this level of emissions is unprecedented since they%26#39;ve begun monitoring. No one knows why it is happening or how long it will last. It%26#39;s a VOLCANO. It does not cooperate or conform to a schedule!

The only pattern we have to rely on for ';how bad'; are the typical wind patterns. And even those have been erratic this year. (Some people I know blame global warming for a reduction in the trade winds, whether they have a point I can%26#39;t say).

Captain Cook is a very voggy area.

The vog is intense right now beyond anything I%26#39;ve seen in almost six years on the island. I went to Kona yesterday and felt like I was in a cloud of smoke. Not as bad as being in the fallout of a wildfire, but still it was bad. I could not see the ocean or the mountains.