| Best Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Travel Deals | Sponsored Links |
Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Lava Boat Tours VIEW LAVA Group Lava Tours in Hilo Hawaii Classic Resorts Hawaii
Official Site of Mauna Lani Point & The Islands at Mauna Lani. Hawaii Vacations
Book Your Vacation at Grand Wailea Resort & Spa In Maui, Hawaii Today!
| Reviews and photos of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sightseeing. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Map |
 | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 102 |  |
From Volcano House, this 50 mile roundtrip drops almost 4000 feet to the coast. It used to continue along the shore, providing another entry route into the Park from Hilo, but continual lava flows from the East Rift Zone have covered the road. Trails wander off the road to explore craters beyond. Several smaller calderas also lie right next to the road. At Kealkomo Overlook, there is a magnificent view towards the coast as the road begins a 1000 foot drop through the cliffs of Holei Pali. The road goes atop lava sea cliffs for several miles, thereafter, before abruptly stopping in the flowing lavas. Explore the road's end carefully. Lava hisses into the sea as island building continues. Nighttime is a special show, but be aware the road is a long and narrow one. For updates on where and how to see the lava: http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/lava.htm Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
 | |  |
Crater within a crater, Halema'uma'u is about a half Mile wide. It hisses and steams. The floor is at 3412 feet, 200 feet below its rim. Recent flows date back to 1974 and a smaller event in 1982. Pele, the Hawaiian creator and destroyer, is in ready evidence. There is a large carpark on the south rim of Halema'uma'u, just off the Crater Rim Drive. The Halema'uma'u Trail goes across the floor of Kilauea from here toward the Volcano House - 2.4 miles of flat crater floor and 0.4 miles and 300 feet of calderan cliffs. Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
Kilauea Crater is at the edge of the leeward-windward rain divide. The windward side gets deluges of rain during the year leading to dense jungles of vegetation. The leeward side - especially towards Kona - is parched in the other extreme.
Walking from atop Kilauea Iki, you start in heavy tropical foilage but quickly descend to devastated ground where life either must begin again.
http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/journal_kilaueaiki.htm
this website will take you on a virtual hike across Kilauae Iki. Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
The 40-60 foot lava cliffs which you drive along near the end of the Chain of Craters Road are very impressive. Waves originating in the vast depths of the Pacific smash up against the cliffs. It is possible to hike west from the Chain of Craters Road along the Puna Coast Trail to old abandoned settlements of Keauhou and Halape - the latter destroyed by a tidal wave in times past. It is 9.7 miles to Keauhou and another 1.6 miles to Halape. There are primitive shelters at each with the possibility of water, though check at the Park Headquarters before setting out to make sure. Besides, you will need to obtain a backcountry permit, as well. More information on hiking towards Halape can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/halape.htm Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
| | |
The Nene is Hawaii's state bird. Here in the Park, the Nene has its main remaining sanctuary. You will see warning signs along the Park roads warning you to look out for them, though the birds can be difficult to spot when you are looking for them. Nenes have evolved as a species unique to Hawaii over the eons. A narrow side road branches off the Chain of Craters Road at the 6 mile mark - the Hilina Pali Road. Travel this road for 6 miles and you come to the picnic/camping area called Kipuka Nene. A kipuka is an island of vegetation surrounded by lava flows. Nene 'Island',thus, sounds like a good place to see the birds? If you have come to Kipuka Nene, then you should drive the extra 4 miles to the road's end atop the Hilina Pali. The view from the overlook is wide-sweeping - to the south, the ocean, about 1-2 miles away with the Hilina Pali cliffs dropping almost 1500 feet directly below you; to the northwest, the vast Ka'u Desert, devastated land from Kilauean lava flows, the slopes of Mauna Loa rise beyond. For more on the Nene, see: http://www.nps.gov/havo/resource/nene.htm Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
| | |
This is the heart of the Park, a two-mile wide crater - an open-air museum of vulcanism. Here you will find 80-90% of the Park's visitors assembled in their ubiquitous rental cars. The Park Visitor Center and Headquarters is here just off the northeast rim near HI 11 - the highway that leads from Kona to Hilo. The Volcano House Hotel lies directly on the caldera rim at 3980 feet/1213 m offering rooms with a view. Camping - and cabins, too - can be found just off the northwest rim at Namakani Palo along HI 11.
Most people drive the 11 mile Crater Rim Drive - there is also a trail which parallels the road - which goes around the rim, visiting subsidiary craters, traversing volcanic deserts and rainforests, acting as a starting point for hikes into and around the caldera. There are over 150 miles of trails within the Park. Water, sunscreen and sturdy footgear should all be considered before heading out To see all around the crater, figure on the better part of a day or more. Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
| | |
Kilauea is far from dormant. The latest eruptions within the crater date only back to the 80's, and steam and sulfur vents can be seen and smelt in different areas. On the north rim of the crater, the steam vents of the Steaming Bluffs/Akanikolea provide visceral evidence of the ongoing processes. The overlook lies just off the Crater Rim Drive. Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
The Big Island continues to grow. There are constant lava flows emanating up from the Earth's core. At the end of the Chain of Craters Road is the best place to witness active flows though who knows where you will see them tomorrow. For updates on where and how to see the lava: http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/lava.htm Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
Kipuka is an island of vegetation surrounded by lava flows. Just off HI 11 and the NW side of Kilauea crater, up the Mauna Loa Strip Road, is Kipuka Punaulu. In this native forest, you can hear and catch glimpses of rare native Hawaiian bird species. There is a 1.2 mile nature trail with self-guiding signs to help explain what you are seeing.
For more adventure, think of hiking to the top of Mauna Loa, 13677 feet/4169 m high, Hawaii's second highest peak. Mauna Loa Trail takes off from the end of the Strip Road at Lookout Shelter - 13.5 miles up from HI 11 at 6626 feet/2031 meters. Water is key to this hike. Start with plenty and know you have to carry a lot. There is a cistern 7.5 miles out at Red Hill Cabin - 10025 ft/3059 m - where you spend the first night out. Then 11.6 miles to the Mauna Loa Cabin, where there is another water cistern - check water availability from the Park HQ before moving out - atop the summit crater - Moku'aweoweo Caldera. If peakbagging is your game, Mauna Loa Cabin - 13250 ft/4039 m - is on the east side of the crater, but the true summit is on the west side, 4.5 miles away from the cabin. Moku'aweoweo is as vast as Kilauea and has considerable volcanic activity. Backcountry permits need to obtained and advance registration from the Park Headquarters. Note permits for the climb are on a first-come basis, not in advance of your visit. Only 16 hikers are allowed per cabin per day. Altitude can be a problem on top, especially since it is gained so quickly. Warm clothing, camping gear including a sleeping bag good to 0 F and a water purification system should be brought along with sturdy boots for the wicked lava you will walk up and down. It is quite an experience apart from the normal beach trip. The stars are just as wild and close from Mauna Loa as from the observatories atop its sister volcano to the north - Mauna Kea. See: http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/ml.htm for detailed info on the climb. Lastly, snow can extend down to Red Hill Cabin in the winter months. Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
| | |
The large devastated region dropping off of Kilauea's southwestern rim is the wastelands of the Ka'u Desert. The desert is bordered on the east side, roughly, by the Hilina Pali Road. From that road's end at the Hilina Pali Overlook, the Ka'u Desert Trail takes off making a wide, long sweep southwest and then back northwest, returning to Kilauea Crater after almost 19 miles. Water can be obtained 4.8 miles out from the Overlook at the Pepeiao Cabin - nowhere else. Camping or use of the shelter requires a backcountry permit from the Park Headquarters.
Off of HI 11, southwest of Kilauea, just before the highway leaves the Park, there is the Ka'u Desert Trailhead. The trail here is actually the Footprints Trail - an extension of the Mauna Iki Trail (which bisects the Desert in about 8 miles over to the Hilina Pali Road). The trail eventually leads to Mauna Iki - a small version of the giant volcano to the north (Mauna Loa) - but the most interesting part of the trail lies about one mile in where footprints from a warparty can be seen in the ash dating back to 1790. This is all the warriors left behind. The trail gives you a taste for the desert surrounding you and lying beyond in all directions. The story is told in full detail here: http://www.nps.gov/havo/history/archeology/footprints.htm Leave a Comment Address: P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052Phone: 808.985.6000Directions: 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive) or 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).Website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/
|
| | |
More Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Tips |
More Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Travel Deals Luxury Volcano Park Hotel
Stay In Luxury & Get 5th Night Free With Rates Starting At $775/Night. Hawaii Vacations
Plan a Perfect Hawaii Vacation with Our Hotel Reviews & Special Deals. Hawaii National Park Deal
Save on Hawaii National Park Vacations. Low Prices Guaranteed. State Park Hotels
Save up to 50% on hotel rooms near the State Park at Priceline.com. Sponsored Links
|
on May 15, 2004
