Boiling Pots, Hilo, Hawaii

Just up the road from Rainbow Falls is the Boiling Pots, a succession of bubbling pools lined by hexagonal columns of basalt lava and connected by underground flow. During times of heavy rain, the river churns up from beneath a level of old and solidified lava, sometimes quite suddenly, as if the "pots" were boiling over.  Boiling Pots is part of the Wailuku River State Park, and like all state parks in Hawaii, there is no admission fee. The Pe'e Pe'e Falls, a beautiful five-spouted waterfall on the Wailuku River, cascades dramatically into the portion of the river that leads to the Boiling Pots. The "pots" are visible from the parking area, but you can also hike down the trail to the water's edge if you don't mind trekking through rather high grass and steep rocky inclines to get there. Dan took the trail down for a closer look, while I chose to stay in the viewing platform.