Guide to Hawaii Volcanos National Park

One of the main reasons that we decided to take a vacation to Hawaii-other than to escape the cold of the Pacific Northwest and Midwest-was to explore Hawaii Volcanos National Park. This park did not disappoint! It offered active lava, breath taking views and an amazing hike through a crater. We travelled to Hawaii with our friends and their 6 month old daughter. 

Information about the park 

- It is located on the big island of Hawaii and it became a national park in 1916 (way before Hawaii became a state) 

-Within the park is the volcano Kilauea, which is quite active! The last eruption was in September 2021. There was still active bubbling lava while we were there in January 2022. 

- It costs $30 to enter the park and it is good for 7 consecutive days 

- If possible I would recommend spending at least two days in the park. We spent about a day and a half total and I would've liked to explore more of the park- but unfortunately we ran out of time 

- The park is a 2 hour drive on a fairly switchback filled road from Kona. If you want to spend two or more days in the park I would plan on booking lodging in Hilo or surrounding towns to avoid 4 hours on that road in one day. 

-You might see some signs and recommendations for the Jagger Museum. Unfortunately this was closed after the September 2021 eruption (it's very close to the eruption site and I think they are worried that it might collapse)

Looking onto the Kilauea Iki Crater amongst the lush plant life 

Must explore: Thurston Lava Tubes

These are caves created by lava flow. They are located on the main road- Crater Rim drive. They are relatively short- only 600ft long (especially compared to Mammoth or Wind Cave) but we found them very neat to explore. They are well marked on the main road and there is a parking lot for people to park and explore the lava tubes. 

Recommended Hike: Kilauea Iki Crater Trail 

This is a 3.5 mile hike through the Kilauea Iki Crater in the park. It was a very cool experience to hike through a volcano crater. We really enjoyed it! We started the hike from the Kilauea Iki Crater overlook which gives views of the crater that you will eventually hike through. From there we headed to the left towards the Thurston Lava tubes. We recommend going this route because we thought it provided the best views. The first part of the hike down into the crater is filled lush plant life.

Views of the crater from the beginning of the trail. 

Once we got down into the crater the terrain changed from lush greenery into desolate devastation. This particular part of the trail was hot- the sun literally beats down on you and it is reflecting off the black lava. You want to make sure you have sunscreen and a hat as well as plenty of water. Despite the heat we found hiking through the crater to be a very unique experience. 

Towards the end of the crater it gets slightly more rocky and a little more difficult to pass through. Once you get past the rocky section you start your ascent back up the crater. We thought that by taking the route that we chose it was easier to make the ascent this way. There were stairs along the path with hand rails that made the journey easier. On the other side- the part that we had descended there were no stairs it was just switchbacks down into the crater. This would've been harder to do if we were going the opposite direction. Once you get back up to the top you have a bit of a walk to get back to the Kilauea Iki crater overlook. We were able to get some views of the steam vents from this vantage point. Overall we really enjoyed this hike. We found it to be moderately strenuous but not overwhelming. It was definitely a unique experience to the national park!

Recommended Stop: Steam Vents 

These steam vents are along Crater Rim drive. They are holes in the ground where literal steam is released from the heat of the active volcano. If you stand in the "line of fire of the steam" it is crazy to feel how hot it is. It made the 80 weather that we were surrounded by feel cold. There is a little trail from the steam vents that gives you a better look out at the Kilauea Crater-this is the site of the active volcano within the park. 

How to view the active lava 

First of all I would recommend- the best way to view the lava is to go late in the evening or at night because lava glows and thus is easier to see in the dark. 

Since the September 2021 eruption the National Parks Department has set up a designated viewing area. Unfortunately this area gets very busy so if you want a good spot it is recommended that you get there early in the evening- like an hour before sunset. We got there slightly before sunset and there were people who had essentially set up camp. It reminded me of people watching 4th of July fireworks in my hometown. 

The best location is near the devastation trail on the old crater rim drive. You have to walk roughly a mile on the old crater rim drive. The parks department has blocked off the last mile of the road. The parking lot for this area fills up very quickly so plan ahead. 

During this hike along the road we also ran into a lot of NeNe birds. We had seen many signs to be aware of these birds whilst in the park but we had never run into them until this point. We gave them their distance and they crossed in peace. 

When we got to the viewing area it was neat to see the bubbling lava from a distance. I would highly recommend bringing a telescopic lens or binoculars to get better looks at the lava. We might've stayed longer and allowed the sun to set more but it was getting slightly cool and we were hungry. Still seeing the lava was so cool and a once in a lifetime experience. Fun Fact: the second picture was taken through a binocular lens. It took three people to hold the binoculars, focus them and take the picture-worth it!

Areas I wish we could've visited if we had more time 

Mauna Loa Overlook- Mauna Loa is the second largest mountain on the big island of Hawaii. Within the park you can drive up to an overlook and if you are so brave you can continue to hike up to Mauna Loa. I don't think I would be brave enough to do the hike but I thought it would be fun to go to the lookout since Mauna Loa is such an important part of the big island landscape. 

I wish we would've had more time to continue on the chain of craters road and see the the Pu'uloa Petroglyphs. They are petroglyphs dated to be around 500 years old written in lava. They are about a .7mile hike off the chain of craters road

In addition to the petroglyphs I would've also like to have seen the Holei Sea arch- this is an arch made of lava that arches over the pacific ocean. This looked very interesting. 

Overall

Overall we really enjoyed visiting this park- we found hiking through the crater to be an amazing experience and we loved seeing the steam vents and active lava. This can definitely be a family friendly park if you want it to be and I would highly recommend visiting the park if you are planning a vacation to the big island of Hawaii!