Hawaii VolcanoesSo What else is there to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
If you make it to the Big Island and don't want to hike or fly out to the lava flow but still want to explore the volcano, head to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There is much more to do than just look at the new lava in this large park. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is at about the 28 mile marker on Highway 11. From Hilo this is a 30 minute drive, from Kona it is about an hour and a half. The National Park is at about 4500 feet above sea level. This can make it cold and the weather is rainy sometimes (but rain showers in Hawaii normally pass quickly). I would suggest bringing a sweater or a windbreaker or some long pants if you are going to be there early or late. Just so you know, by cold I mean about 55 or 60, but if it is windy it feels colder. There are a few sights you may want to check out before you enter the park also. Just Hilo side of the National Park on the mauka (mountain) side of the road is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sign that many people take pictures with. About a half mile Hilo side of that sign is the small town of Volcano. To get into Volcano you will want to enter off the highway from Wright road, Haunani Rd, or Old Volcano Highway. You will find two gas stations, an art store, and a couple of small cafes. Just Kona side of the National Park is Namakani Paio campgrounds and the bird park and tree molds area and a trail-head for hiking. If you aren't going to camp out just ignore the campgrounds and check out the bird park and tree molds area. Bird park is good for picnicing and hiking and the tree molds are perfectly cylindrical holes in the ground from lava covering still-alive trees ... kinda interesting. And don't worry,there are signs on the highway for all this. Ok, if you are ready to go into the park the entrance will be on your right if you are coming from Kona direction. It costs $10.00 per car for a 7 day pass. When you pay at the entrance station you should receive a map of the park. Take your map and head straight in to the first parking lot on your right. This is the visitors center. you've gotta stop there because they tell you the must up-to-date- park information and lava viewing quality. Plus, they have a couple of neat exhibits and books and they show you a movie. When you are done at the visitors center walk behind past the restrooms to the grass and you will see the Volcano Art center back a little ways in a log-type building. Go walk through there just to see what they have. They always have great local art and inexpensive gifts plus some really neat photographs of the lava. At this point you could do two things; you could walk across the street to the Volcano House or you could continue on your way and come back to the Volcano House for lunch. I vote for coming back for lunch. So, get back in the car and drive down to the sulphur vents which will be the next right. Don't plan on staying long here, it smells awful - but the large green mounds of sulphur are interesting to look at once. Get out of there fast and keep heading the same way down the road to the steam vents, The vents are all around you on both sides, so if it is cold while you are driving up there the puffs of steam rising from the ground on both sides of you might make you feel like you are in the middle of a dinosaur movie. The steam vents that are easily accessible are on your left. There will be a small parking area, pull in there and get out of your car. If there is a tour bus there I would suggest waiting till those people are gone ... don't worry, they don't stay long. What you will see is two holes in the ground with hot steam emanating up from them. This is the same geothermic activity that heats the ponds in Kapoho. If you want, you can now walk the paths directly behind the vents to the edge of the caldera. This is a pretty spectacular view but if you don't feel like walking don't worry, you'll see the view from the opposite end if you go to the Jagger museum. If you do walk it, rein in small children, the edge does drop off a few hundred feet. Now, get back in your car and continue on the same way as you were going on Crater Rim Drive (turn left). About 200 feet up the road on your right will be Kilauea Military Camp, you will know it by the large front lawn with the flag pole. If you are military you may want to stop in and look around, buy something at the PX (very small), or stop in at the Front desk to check out the stained glass window, the guestbook signed by President Eisenhower, or the letters and rocks returned by visitors who have learned of "pele's curse". Past KMC you will go around a curve and up a hill. On your left will be the Jagger museum - this is a definite stop. The Jagger museum not only has a great view of the caldera floor and the Halema'uma'u crater (with wisps of steam coming up) but it also has tons of great Kilauea Volcano and volcanology information and history. There are large murals and depictions of the ancient Hawaiians dealings with the volcano, pictures of volcanologists gathering lava samples, maps of the climates of the Big Island and a lot more. When you leave Jaggar Museum, continue the same way around Crater Rim Dr., you will see many smaller sights you can stop to see on this drive around the crater, like the rift zones, Halema'uma'u crater up close, and Keanakako'i Crater. This drive from Jagger Museum to this point has been nothing but hot black lava that looks like the barren surface of Mars but when you pass Keanakako'i Overlook you will enter a lush tropical rainforest that is the exact opposite of that wasteland. Chain of Craters Road (the road that leads to the ocean and the lava flow) will come up on your right but I would suggest you skip that for now and come back after lunch or at least a snack and a bathroom break. Instead, take a left to the Devastation Trail parking area and decide what hikes you want to take. You could do the Devastation Trail (a trail that takes you past a cinder cone, burnt trees and old lava, it is very interesting), go to the Pu'u Pua'i Overlook or Byrons Ledge to look at various old eruption evidence and local flora and fauna. After that, or if you skip that head on to the Thurston Lava Tube .. this is another must-stop! It will be on your right about a mile up and parking is on your left. You will enter the trail and follow it to your right up a small hill and down some stairs through a lush fern forest to the small bridge and the entrance to the lava tube. This is a large tube that hot lava used to flow through on its way to the ocean. It is big enough to walk through - very much like a cave. After the lava tube you could decide to take one more short hike along the floor of Kilauea Iki crater and then head up to the Volcano House or just head straight to the Volcano House. You have just made a complete circle around Crater Rim Drive - Remember the Volcano House is across from the Visitors Center. You can buy souvenirs, use the restroom and eat lunch here all on the very edge of the large Kilauea Crater - the view from the eating area is spectacular. If you feel up to it and have the afternoon available you may want to head back the way you came to to the Chain of Craters Road that you passed earlier. Before you go down make sure you have water and gas though, if you go all the way to the bottom it takes at least an hour ... and there is no food or gas available. You'll have plenty of sights like craters and rift zones to check out along the way to the ocean. There will be a picnic area on your right with a spectacular view of the ocean and a pullout area on the left with a great view of the steam plume if there is one. When you were up at the Visitors center you should have gotten information on the current status of the lava flow so you can decide how or if you are going to view it - here is the National Park's page on current viewing options . Just some extra safety words ... pregnant women or people with respiratory problems may want to research with the National Park what viewing and activities are safe for you .. lava and craters sometimes emit fumes and plumes and gases that are dangerous. So, have a great time, there is enough to fill up a full day or just a few hours of your trip - whatever you choose the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a unique experience you will never forget. |
Home Best Hawaii Hotels Vacation Packages Hawaii Entertainment Book Ask a question Maui Oahu Big Island Kauai Lanai and Molokai General Hawaii Info Hawaii on a Budget Hawaii Coupons Hawaiian Gifts and Products |
