Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Travel Guide

  Road blocked by lava from helicopter
by grandmaR
 
  • Road blocked by lava from helicopter
      Road blocked by lava from helicopter
    by grandmaR
  • Seismograph
      Seismograph
    by DEBBBEDB
  • Steam coming from the volcano
      Steam coming from the volcano
    by DEBBBEDB
  • Another view of the crater during the day
      Another view of the crater during the...
    by DEBBBEDB
  • Another seismograph
      Another seismograph
    by DEBBBEDB
 

Pro

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 Amazing landscape and rigorous hiking 


Con

dlytle profile photo

 Very difficult to get to the current lava flows; it's an all day trip from Kona 


In a nutshell

atufft profile photo

 The lava flow is a powerful example of mother nature at work 

 

Explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Things to Do  

Chain of Craters Road

Chain of Craters Road, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 24 Reviews  I drove all the way down to the end (where it was closed by a lava flow) of Chain of Craters Road and I got out and went to see the Holei Sea Arch. It was just a short walk but the surface was VERY uneven and it was very hot and sunny so it was hard for me. I wanted to see the arch because a similar... 

Lava Flows

Lava Flows, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 20 Reviews  At the end of the Chain of Craters Road where the lava had closed the road, the bus stopped and gave us a chance to get out and walk on the lava and take photos close up of what I had seen from a distance in the morning from the helicopter. It was very interesting. 

Kilauea Crater

Kilauea Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 13 Reviews  My grandmother found from talking to one of the rangers (she talks to everyone) that there would be a ranger led walk to the Kilauea Crater that morning at about 10:30, so I did that. He gave us a talk at the visitor's center first and it was very interesting. We went through a tropical rainforest... 

Halemaumau Crater

Halemaumau Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 5 Reviews  On the top of Kilauea is the Halema'uma'u Crater, the best view of which is at the Halema'uma'u Overlook, about halfway around the Crater Rim Road from the Park entrance. An additional depression in the Kilauea Caldera, the crater creates something of a lunar landscape with its most recent floor... 

Crater Rim Road

Crater Rim Road, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 15 Reviews  There are two main roads in the park. This is one of them - the Crater Rim Drive takes you along a portion of the summit caldera (large pit crater) of Kilauea. The road starts at Kilauea Visitor Center. The places we went on this road include the Steam Vents, the Jaggar Museum, the Kilauea Iki... 

Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 7 Reviews  The bus stopped for us to take a walk into the Thurston Lava Tube. This lava tube was discovered in 1913 by Lorrin Thurston, a local newspaper publisher. At that time the roof of the tube was covered with lava stalactites, but those soon disappeared to souvenir collectors. This is a tube that lava... 

Steam Vents

Steam Vents, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 7 Reviews  Rob (the tour bus driver) stopped at the steam vent which has a railing around it. I didn't see but one of the steam vents because I didn't walk past the one that is in the parking lot. Rob explained that ground water seeps down to the hot volcanic rocks in this area and returns to the surface as... 

Jaggar Museum

Jaggar Museum, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  The first stop on our bus tour from Hilo was the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum. I am really interested in volcanology so I was very interested in the working seismographs. The Museum is next to the main crater, Halema'uma'u We also came back here at night on our trip to the Big Island after the cruise... 

Ohia Lehua trees

Ohia Lehua trees, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 4 Reviews  As we drove along the road in the park, the guide told us about the ‘ohi’a trees and I took photos of the fronds of giant hapu’u, a tree fern. Everything looked very green and the color almost glows in the photos. 

Helicopter Tours

Helicopter Tours, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 4 Reviews  I understand that there used to be helicopter tours right from the park, but they are no longer available as there were safety concerns. The tour I booked from the cruise ship left from the Hilo airport. Since we didn't do the Tora Tora Tora tour where black clothing was suggested for lack of... 

Kilauea Visitor Center

Kilauea Visitor Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  When we were at the visitor's center I was primarily interested in taking photos of the petroglyphs. Later I got a chance to walk to the trail and see them in person. I was also interested in the exhibits on island formation but I didn't take photos of them. 

Hotels  

Volcano House Hotel

 5 Reviews and 13 Opinions  When we were here, this hotel was closed for remodeling. It might have needed it - my sister visited... 

At the Craters Edge

 25 Opinions

Nightlife  

Lava.

Lava., Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 2 Reviews  Well, if you've managed to snag a place to stay at the HVNP, make the effort to take a drive to see the lava path at night. Follow road to the bottom of Chain of Craters road and if lava is visible, you will see the glowing reds along the mountain. Light windbreaker is nice to have ... it can get... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Lava

Lava, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  There are a number of dangers around any sort of lava. Obviously, you do not want to get to close to running lava and you absolutely must not touch it. For solidified lava, it is easy to break through a thin, overhanging crust of lava or trip on a crack and fall on the abrasive surface. Near the... 

Volcanic Fume Vents

Volcanic Fume Vents, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 2 Reviews  We were warned in advance about the multiple dangers of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and especially the Halema'uma'u Overlook. You can geuss them: * Don't go to close to the rim, it's quite a drop whenever you fall; * Be in good shape, beacuse the hike towards is not easy; * Et cetera. But we... 

Physical Workout

Physical Workout, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 2 Reviews  I'll add them all here. First and foremost bring a 1.5 liter bottle of water with you. You can buy it at any store you stop in to here so there isn't a shortage. I actually had to refill at a water fountain cause I drank it all not even half way. The trails itself vary in terrain from giant roots,... 

Rugged Cliffs - Pali

Rugged Cliffs - Pali, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 1 Review  The Hawaiians call them Pali. Scientists call them fault scarps. Most of us would call them cliffs. But by whatever name you call them, they can be deadly especially along the seacoast close to the Chain of Craters road. These cliffs are common both around the summit calderas and close to the... 

Tourist Traps  

Jaggar Museum

Jaggar Museum, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  Also a tiltmeter is on display in the museum providing real-time data about the volcanoes. Rapid increase in tilt can indicate that magma is accumulating at shallow levels within the volcano and is often a precursor to an eruption. Rapid decreases in tilt can indicate that magma is draining at... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Devastation Trail & Overlook

Devastation Trail & Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 4 Reviews  We stopped at the Pu’u Pua’i Overlook & Devastation Trail. There was a picnic table here under shade so we decided to eat our packed lunches. The weather was perfect for a picnic and it turned out to be a really nice, relaxing lunch. Just past parking lot, there is an overlook of Kilauea Iki Crater.... 

Halema'uma'u Overlook

Halema'uma'u Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  Halema'uma'u changed greatly during the 20th century. In 1924 it was only 1,500 feet in diameter but was filled by a lake of molten lava that bubbled and boiled 2,100 degrees in Fahrenheit. There is currently no red lava visible in the crater, but we have been told that it is only 300 feet below... 

Favorites  

Landscape

Landscape, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 5 Reviews  As the steaming lava cools & descends into the sea, patches of forest recover. Black shoreline as such are commonly observed. A huge undersea volcano (called the Loihi) is presently building a future Hawaiian island. 

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