Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where tropical rainforests meet barren lava rock landscapes. On the Big Island of Hawaii, we get an up close and personal view of one of the most active volcanoes in the world: Kilauea.

Right here in the heart of the National Park you can view the lava flow from Kilauea’s eruptions.

The Big Island is the only island out of all the Hawaiian islands that has active volcanoes. This makes the National Park one of the most popular and special places to visit in Hawaii.

It is only a 45 minute drive from Hilo, one of the Big Island’s main towns.

Most people looking to visit the park will stay in Hilo for easier access. If you’re coming in from the other major city of Kona, expect at least a 2 hour drive.

In this post I am going to be outlining all the essential sights to see and trails to hike in the park. As well as other crucial information about the lava flow and what to expect in this beautiful and sacred part of the Big Island. 

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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Fees

Since this is a National Park, there is an entrance fee of $30 per vehicle. This is valid the entire day you visit. 

You can use an America the Beautiful Pass or any other lifetime passes offered by the NPS for free admission. 

Prepare for Wet & Chilly Weather

I have visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park a handful of times, and I’ve only ever once seen it on a clear and sunny day. 

The Park is Mostly Composed of Rainforests

It’s important to know that this park is more than just a volcano and lava. Many people think that a visit here will consist of warm, sunny weather (since it’s Hawaii) and viewing active lava flows. This could not be further from the truth.

The majority of the park is full of dense rainforests and is no stranger to rain showers throughout the day. You might come across fog during your time in the park as well.

If you’re lucky you’ll get a sunny day but it was overcast most times I visited.

Winter does tend to be more rainy than summer, so keep that in mind.

Hawaii Volcanoes NP Sits at a Higher Elevation

Kilauea and its surrounding area sits at about 4,000 feet in elevation which is thousands of feet higher than all the major towns on the Big Island. This makes temperatures here much cooler than other parts of the island.

For your trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park you will want to bring layers of clothing, a rain jacket, closed toed shoes, and maybe even an umbrella just in case.

You can get chilly temperatures and rain at any time of year.

Drive the Chain of Craters Road

Chain of Craters Road is the only other main road in the park, besides Crater Rim Drive.

Chain of Craters Road is more like the scenic drive of the National Park. You will drive down a 18 mile road that goes through two different distinct landscapes of the park.

The Chain of Craters Road begins in the heart of the park near the Kilauea Crater and takes you all the way down to the very edge of the island’s east coast.

As its name suggests, this drive takes you along a chain of craters in the Earth created by past volcanic eruptions of Kilauea. 

Along the drive, you’ll be able to park at the pull offs to view all of the pit craters. There will be signs located at each one that show you the name of the crater and sometimes even which eruption it was created by and when. 

Most of the craters look the same, some are larger than others, but all of them are essentially just big holes in the ground.

Chain of Craters to the Coast

Once you drive about two thirds of the way down on Chain of Craters Road, there will be no more plentiful craters and you’ll descend a few thousand feet of elevation with the vast Pacific Ocean out ahead of you.

This section of the park is incredibly different from where you started. There’s no more rainforests but instead you are entering a coastal plain area with gorgeous ocean views.

Shown above is the mountain you drove down from on Chain of Craters Road. The Kilauea Crater is on the other side of that mountain.

This area is so cool because as you’re driving towards the coast, all around you you can see where lava from Kilauea has flowed down the mountain and towards the ocean.

All those black areas in the grass is where molten lava was once flowing before it solidified to rock. These are the remains of more recent eruptions.

This is also how all of the land of the Hawaiian islands were made. When lava runs down the volcano, it cools and hardens when it hits the ocean water. The Big Island continues to grow when it’s volcanoes erupt and lava flows to the ocean. This is the beginning of new land.

Visit the Kilauea Crater During the Day & Night

There is a trail called the Crater Rim Trail that goes around about half the crater. You will get exceptional views of the smoking Kilauea Caldera at several points along this trail, but there is one main overlook that is easy to get to by car. It is called the Kilauea Overlook.

The Kilauea Overlook is a wonderful place to view the crater and it’s very accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

When you visit during the day, when Kilauea is erupting, all you will see in crater will be steam. This is still cool to see, but you will not see the orange lava that comes to mind when you think of volcanoes.

Even when there isn’t an eruption happening, you can always see the crater steaming during the day. This is due to magma underground heating up groundwater which produces steam.

But if you are lucky enough to visit the Big Island during an eruption, you will have to be at the park at night to see the orange glowing lava.

Best Place for Lava Viewing at Night

You can view the lava glow at night from the Kilauea Overlook or at a few places on the Crater Rim Trail. These are good places to see the lava, but they don’t give you the best view. Plus, they will likely be pretty crowded.

My favorite place to view the lava flow at night, is at the Keanakako’i Overlook.

You can reach this overlook by driving to the south end of Crater Rim Drive. At the end of the road, you can either turn left onto Chain of Craters Road or turn right into a trailhead parking area for the Devastation Trail.

Ahead of you at the intersection, you will see that Crater Rim Drive continues on but there are gates and signs preventing you from driving straight down the road. 

We are no longer able to drive further down Crater Rim Drive because of road damage from an earthquake during a recent eruption.

However, you can still walk on this section of the road which leads you to the Keanakako’i Overlook.

You can park at the Devastation Trailhead and walk the rest of Crater Rim Drive to get to the overlook. It is about a 15-20 minute walk.

You will also need some kind of light source walking to the overlook because it will be very dark. There will be signs showing you where to go for the lava viewing and signaling where the overlook is. So it won’t be too hard to find.

On your walk up to the overlook, you might see red smoke/ clouds glowing in the sky. As you get closer to the overlook of the crater, the brighter they will get.

At the Keanakako’i Overlook you get a little bit more of a closer view of the lava than you do at the Kilauea Overlook. Plus, there’s much less crowds here.

You can easily type in “Devastation Trail” into your Apple or Google Maps to find where to park to access this overlook.

I’d also recommend bringing binoculars with you so you can look at the crater up close. I remember seeing bubbles of lava coming out from the Earth!

This picture was taken in January 2023 when Kilauea had recently erupted.

Something else nice to know is that the park doesn’t charge for admission at night! So if you’re not staying inside the National Park and want to visit at night for the lava viewing, you will not have to pay to get in at the entrance booth. 

When to See Lava Flows

The crater and lava flow is bound to look different whenever you visit. You are only guaranteed to see lava at night if there has been a recent eruption. If there hasn’t been any volcanic activity, then you likely won’t see anything at night.

If you’re not sure of Kilauea’s current eruption status when you visit, you can check this page on the National Park’s website. 

View the Steam Vents & Sulfur Banks

The steam vents and sulfur banks are other popular attractions in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Steam vents are created when groundwater seeps down to underground rocks that are heated by magma deep within the Earth. The rocks are so hot that it vaporizes the water and it returns to the surface as steam.

Sulfur banks are the product of volcanic gasses seeping out of the ground. 

Some steam vents run along the Crater Rim Trail, but you can also park in a small parking area where you can walk right up to them. This is located just a short ways down from the Visitor Center.

The sulfur banks can be accessed via the Sulfur Banks Trail beginning at the Visitor Center. It is only about a third of a mile before you’ll come upon the sulfur banks. You might smell them before you see them!

You are easily able to take the Sulfur Banks Trail to the Crater Rim Trail to hit both the steam vents and the sulfur banks. They are pretty close to each other.

Hikes Not to Miss at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

These 6 trails are my most memorable and favorite trails in the park. Each one offers a unique aspect to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. 

If you only have a day or two to explore the park, these are the hikes you don’t want to miss. These trails are all relatively short and have an easy-moderate level. You might even be able to do them all in one day if you get an early start and have enough endurance!

1. Devastation Trail – 1 mile round trip

The Devastation Trail is a unique trail that takes you through some very desolate landscapes in the park. This trail is flat and paved making it easily accessible for all.

This trail ends at the Pu’upua’i Overlook which overlooks the barren Kilauea Iki Trail, seen below.

2. Kilauea Iki Trail + Crater Rim Loop – 3.2 miles round trip

The Kilauea Iki Trail crosses a large crater (called Kilauea Iki) that once used to be a “lake of lava”. Before this area solidified to rock, it was a large pool of lava which came from an eruption of Kilauea.

Before you get to the crater, you’ll descend down to it through a rainforest. It’s such a beautiful and interesting hike. The rainforest and fields of lava rock make this hike a great representation of the National Park.

The trail itself is rocky and muddy in sections. There are a couple steep inclines and declines on this trail so I would rate it as more of a moderate level hike. 

Here is the hike on AllTrails for reference. It will be easiest to have this map with you while hiking so you can easily find your way.

3. Thurston Lava Tube Trail – 0.5 miles round trip

There is one lava tube open to visitors in the park, and it’s named Nahuku. Also known as the Thurston Lava Tube. This is one of the most popular places to visit in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

A lava tube is formed when the top surface of a flowing lava river solidifies due to the cooler air temperatures above. Even as the top hardens, lava continues to flow underneath. The top becomes the ceiling of the lava tube. Overtime, as the eruption and lava flow ceases, the lava within the tube drains out and solidifies, leaving behind the hollow tube we can walk inside today. 

Nahuku is said to have formed 500 years ago!

Today, we can walk through the tube on a paved trail with lighting and handrails inside for convenience. So it’s an easy walk that is easily accessible for all.

Parking for the lava tube is very limited so if you get to the park early, I’d recommend making this your first spot of the day to avoid huge crowds. 

The Kilauea Iki + Crater Rim Loop Trail that I mentioned above, goes right by the parking lot for the lava tube so you could visit the tube while on your hike and do both at once.

4. Pu’uloa Petroglyphs Trail – 1.3 miles

The Pu’uloa Petroglyphs Trail takes you through a lava rock field and to a Native Hawaiian petroglyph site that is said to have been created 550 years ago.

It’s mostly flat but you are walking on uneven lava rock so good hiking shoes are recommended. 

You will come upon a wooden boardwalk area which is the main site of the Petroglyphs. You’ll see all kinds of shapes and symbols carved right into the lava rock on the ground.

You will really have to look closely at the rock surrounding the boardwalk because some of them are hard to spot!

There are over 23,000 images carved into the rock here making it Hawaii’s largest petroglyph site. However, only a fraction of them are viewable to us. This is still a cool hike though especially if you’re interested in human history.

5. Holei Sea Arch Viewpoint Trail – 0.4 miles round trip

The Holei Sea Arch Viewpoint Trail is located along the coastline at the very end of Crater Rim Drive.

This trail is completely flat and paved. It leads you to a nice overlook of the coast where you’ll see a delicate sea arch formed in the lava rock.

It’s kind of far away so it’s hard to see in the photo, but if you look closely in the middle of the picture there is an arch-like shape made from rock on the coastline.

A sea arch is formed by erosion of the waves hitting specific areas on the rock. As the rock continues to erode away it can form a sea cave. The waves will continue to hit the same spot in the sea cave until eventually all that’s left is an arch.

Sea arches are never around forever. At some point this rock will be too weak to support the roof of the arch and it will collapse into the water.

6. Pu’u Huluhulu via Napau Crater Trail – 2.5 miles roundtrip

The Napau Crater Trail takes you across a lava rock field with the native Ohia Lehua Trees plentiful around you.

It’s important to wear sturdy hiking boots with you because the lava rock is very uneven and jagged in spots. As you hike you will steadily be increasing elevation.

Once you hit the first mile marker, you will begin ascending to the Pu’u Huluhulu Overlook.

This viewpoint gives you a nice elevated view of the Mauna Ulu Crater. You will also get expansive views of all the greenery surrounding you.

On a clear day, you can get amazing views from this overlook. That was not the case for me as you can see.

This hike is definitely not as popular as the Devastation Trail or the Kilauea Iki Trail. It’s located further down Chain of Craters Road and away from all the main attractions in the park.

So if you’re looking for an amazing trail at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park without the crowds, then this is it!

That will conclude my complete guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island! This is one very special place to visit, and I’m grateful I was able to explore it when I was living in Hawaii. I hope this article helped you in planning your trip to this park, thank you for reading!