Boulder - U.S. Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

"Boulder" is located near the "start" of Powerline Road, just South of Saddle Road. It is marked by name on the USGS topo map. The access to Powerline Road exits the South side of Saddle Road about the 21.5 mile mark, and has been recently improved following the reconstruction of Saddle Road. You will be entering the "Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve". Follow the bulldozed road to the East and park at the beginning of Powerline Road, in the open are before the gate. Walk around the iron gate and straight South down the gravel road until you reach the deep trench in the lava field, avoiding the bypass around the West side of the trench. The benchmark is located at the top of a high lava outcrop near the East side of the road just before it drops into the trench, next to a section of iron rebar driven into the lava. It is easily visible from the trail. There is also a small "kipuka" (i.e. island in the lava) forest just East of the site, at the end of the lava trench. The elevation is actually about 5650 feet - my altimeter wasn't calibrated for the image.

Why is this place special? Powerline Road is my favorite hiking area in Hawai'i. It crosses about 4.5 miles of lava fields and kipuka forests, from Saddle Road to Stainback Road. Powerline Road has some of the best birdwatching anywhere, and each kipuka and lava flow has its own unique character and blend of flora and fauna. Many more kipukas are just a short hike across the lava fields, and the historic Pu'u O'o Trail is nearby. This is some of the best native habitat left in Hawai'i, with rare native birds and relatively few alien animals and weeds. On a clear day the views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are wonderful. From "Boulder" you will be able to look all the way down Powerline Road, across the lava fields and kipukas, to the east rift zone of Mauna Loa. It doesn't look like much from Saddle Road, but this is a wonderful landscape for exploration and enjoying nature.

Condition: Mark found in good condition Designation: Boulder 1955 Benchmark Agency: U.S. Geological Survey Monumentation type: BENCH MARK (or B.M.) Disk County: Hawai'i County USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Waikoloa Ponds, HI Find type: Searched @ "BM" on a topographic map Benchmark Agency (if other): Not listed Monumentation type (if other): Not listed Special category (optional): Not listed Special Category (if other): Not listed Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): Not listed NGS PID: Not listed Local database's URL (optional): Not listed

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   11/23/2011 InGodsHands visited it