07-07-2016, 02:38 PM
Taro... we have biked the whole Chain of Craters emergency route (end of HWY 130 to the National Park side visitors info booth/snack stand/portoilettes
it is open from either end, but the National Park side is over 5 miles west of the flow at the eastern boundary of the park & the HWY 130 route is almost 3 miles east of the flow at the National Park boundary, on a much better packed road (as of Monday)... with a lot more public to join you on your trek!
The reason why vehicles are being limited is that federal funds went into that construction & the county is not willing to do anything that may damage the federally funded emergency evacuation road... if madam Pele decides to, well, that is a totally different matter!
Today the lava flow is well under a mile to the ocean, & which means less than 3/4th mile to the limit of the public approved access (going off road to the flow is being done, but. when I last checked NO LANDOWNERS HAVE GIVEN PERMISSION TO GO ONTO THEIR PROPERTY TO VIEW THE LAVA... which means you are trespassing if you d (and many have....have no idea how the liability issues that could arise will be handles...
That said, stay on the road if you wish to stay fully legal & esp. if you have any doubts on your "its dark out & I'm traipsing over sharp, uneven black lava" skills.
I am not sure what PTed expected of the Chain of Craters emergency route, but it WAS completed, leveled & graded as a gravel road from the paved area of HWY 130 to the paved area of CoC in the National Park.
it is open from either end, but the National Park side is over 5 miles west of the flow at the eastern boundary of the park & the HWY 130 route is almost 3 miles east of the flow at the National Park boundary, on a much better packed road (as of Monday)... with a lot more public to join you on your trek!
The reason why vehicles are being limited is that federal funds went into that construction & the county is not willing to do anything that may damage the federally funded emergency evacuation road... if madam Pele decides to, well, that is a totally different matter!
Today the lava flow is well under a mile to the ocean, & which means less than 3/4th mile to the limit of the public approved access (going off road to the flow is being done, but. when I last checked NO LANDOWNERS HAVE GIVEN PERMISSION TO GO ONTO THEIR PROPERTY TO VIEW THE LAVA... which means you are trespassing if you d (and many have....have no idea how the liability issues that could arise will be handles...
That said, stay on the road if you wish to stay fully legal & esp. if you have any doubts on your "its dark out & I'm traipsing over sharp, uneven black lava" skills.
I am not sure what PTed expected of the Chain of Craters emergency route, but it WAS completed, leveled & graded as a gravel road from the paved area of HWY 130 to the paved area of CoC in the National Park.