An easy twenty-minute hike in from the highway along the majestic Ka‘ū Desert Trail in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park lies a haunting imprint of the past: the fossilized footprints of Hawaiians who walked an ancient trail that connected Hilo and Ka‘ū. Many incorrectly believe they were made by warriors caught in an eruption after a battle for control of the island between the armies of King Kamehameha I and his cousin Keōua. According to this version, the footprints were those of hundreds of Keōua’s men overcome by a sudden surge of hot ash from Kīlauea volcano. However, new research indicates that Keōua’s soldiers died elsewhere on the trail, closer to the summit. “Scientists found hundreds of footprints of men, women and children in the area,” said retired park ranger Jay Robinson, who has studied the site for decades. “Some could have been from war, but it’s unlikely.”

So if not those of ancient warriors, whose footprints are these? Kīlauea saw a period of violent volcanic activity beginning in the 1500s, which culminated around 1790 in an explosive event Hawaiians called Keonehelelei (Falling Sands). The volcano spewed huge columns of ash as high as thirty thousand feet into the air, turning the midday sky dark. When the ash from such eruptions mixed with clouds, a gloppy, mud-like substance rained down.

Researchers now think that hundreds of people walking on the trail simply continued on through this day of “falling sand”—not fleeing in fear, but walking casually. After the rain stopped, the footprints they left hardened like concrete within hours.

Today the remaining footprints are sometimes covered in volcanic sand but are visible when the sand blows away. The best place to catch a glimpse of them is at the display shelter on the trail, looking south toward the ocean. The shelter also features a replica of the footprints and paintings of the Keonehelelei by prominent Hilo artist John Dawson.

While present-day rangers wisely advise wearing closed-toe shoes on this trail, all of the men, women and children who left these footprints in the rough terrain were, needless to say, barefoot. “The people of Ka‘ū and Hilo were, and are, tough,” says Robinson. “They live in the shadow of Kīlauea and adjust their lives accordingly.”

nps.gov/havo