Hiking Highlight (Segment)
Recommended by 2 hikers
This Highlight goes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The Kona Trail takes hikers through pastures that used to be part of the Kahuku ranch. Before cowboy culture was popularized in the western U.S., Hawaiian cowboys called Paniolo wrangled cattle across Hawai'i. Cattle were introduced to Hawai'i in 1793 and rapidly grew out of hand, eating the thatch roofs off of villages and destroying fields of crops. From the mid-1800s through 2003 when the Kahuku Unit was annexed to the park, Kahuku ranch trained capable paniolo who battled the volcano and demands of the landscape to make a living.
March 13, 2023
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