Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The heart of the park is Kilauea, a broad, restless volcano whose summit holds a great collapsed pit called a caldera. Inside that caldera sits Halemaumau, a deep crater that has held bubbling lava lakes and huge plumes of steam at different times in its life. Kilauea does not tower over the island the way you might picture a volcano. Instead it spreads out low and wide, and much of its power plays out in cracks, vents, and slow-moving flows rather than in a single towering peak. When an eruption is active, the caldera can glow at night with a light that no photograph really captures.

Rising behind Kilauea is Mauna Loa, one of the largest volcanoes on the planet by sheer bulk. It climbs to well over 13,000 feet above the sea, and if you measured it from its base far below the ocean surface, it would stand taller than Mount Everest. Mauna Loa erupts less often than its neighbor, but when it wakes it can send lava for miles. Between these two mountains, the park is a living lesson in how the Hawaiian islands were built, one lava flow at a time, out of the middle of the Pacific.

Away from the summit, the park unfolds into a surprising range of worlds. There are fern-draped rainforests fed by mist, wide fields of black hardened lava that look almost like the surface of the moon, steam vents hissing along the caldera rim, and a long road that drops thousands of feet down to sea cliffs where old lava flows meet the crashing waves. You can walk through a cool, dripping lava tube in the morning and stand on a bare, sun-baked lava field the same afternoon. Few parks pack so many different landscapes into one place.

• Main Entrance, off HI-11, the Hawaii Belt Road, near the small town of Volcano, is the primary way into the park and is open year-round. It leads to the Kilauea Visitor Center and the summit area, where most of the famous overlooks and short walks begin.
• From Hilo, on the east side of the Big Island, the park is roughly 30 miles southwest on HI-11, about a 45-minute drive. From Kailua-Kona, on the west side, it is a longer trip of about two hours, coming around the south end of the island on the same Belt Road. There is no single street address for the whole park, so aim for the Kilauea Visitor Center just inside the entrance.

• Drive Crater Rim Drive, the road that loops partway around the Kilauea caldera and links many of the park's best overlooks, steam vents, and trailheads. Parts of the loop have been closed or rerouted after past eruptions and earthquakes, so it is worth checking which sections are open when you arrive.
• Walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, known by its Hawaiian name Nahuku, a tall, cool tunnel left behind when the outside of a lava river hardened while the molten center kept flowing and drained away. A short rainforest path leads to it, and the walk through feels like stepping inside the mountain.
• Take Chain of Craters Road, which winds nearly 20 miles down the flank of the volcano, dropping thousands of feet as it passes old craters and vast lava fields before ending at the sea, where a wall of hardened lava buried the road years ago.
• Peer into Halemaumau, the deep crater within the summit caldera, from the marked overlooks near the visitor center. When an eruption is underway, this is often where the glow of molten lava can be seen, especially after dark.
• Hike across the Kilauea Iki crater floor, a moderate loop that drops through rainforest and then crosses the flat, still-steaming bed of a crater that held a churning lava lake during a dramatic 1959 eruption.

For Native Hawaiians, this is sacred ground. Kilauea is understood to be the home of Pele, the deity of volcanoes and fire, whose presence is felt in the eruptions, the flowing lava, and the very shaping of the land. To this day, people leave offerings and chants at the crater's edge, and the volcano's activity is woven deep into Hawaiian tradition, story, and song. Long before the area was ever called a park, generations of Hawaiians lived alongside these volcanoes, read their moods, and honored them. Visitors are asked to treat the place with the same care and respect, taking nothing, including the rocks, and standing back where the land is fragile or sacred.

Outsiders began arriving in the 1800s, drawn by reports of a fiery lake glowing at the summit. Missionaries, scientists, and curious travelers made the difficult journey up the volcano, and by the late 1800s a small lodging had grown up on the caldera rim to serve them. The famous author Mark Twain visited and wrote of the astonishing sight of the lava lake at night. As interest grew, so did the wish to protect the place for everyone.

In 1916 the land was set aside as Hawaii National Park, only a handful of years after the National Park Service itself was created. At the start the park also protected Haleakala, the great volcano on Maui, but in 1961 that piece became its own separate park, and this Big Island portion was renamed Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A scientist named Thomas Jaggar founded a volcano observatory on the rim of Kilauea in 1912, beginning more than a century of careful study, which is part of why these volcanoes are among the best understood on Earth.

The park has never stopped changing. In 2018, a major eruption of Kilauea drained the summit lava lake and caused the caldera floor to collapse and drop, reshaping the summit and closing large areas for a time. Roads, trails, and overlooks have been rebuilt and rerouted more than once as the volcanoes remade the ground. That is the nature of the place: it is both an ancient landscape and one of the youngest on the planet, still being written.

• Mauna Loa is one of the largest volcanoes on Earth. Measured from its base on the deep ocean floor to its summit, it stands taller than Mount Everest, though most of that height is hidden beneath the sea.
• Kilauea is often called one of the world's most active volcanoes. For decades it erupted so steadily that fresh lava was reaching the ground somewhere in the park nearly all the time, though eruptions still come and go.
• The Thurston Lava Tube, or Nahuku, formed when the surface of a lava river cooled and hardened into a crust while the hot lava inside kept flowing and eventually drained out, leaving a hollow tunnel behind.
• Two very different kinds of lava cover the park, and Hawaiian words for them are used by scientists worldwide: smooth, ropey pahoehoe and rough, jagged aa that is painful to walk on.
• One of the oldest scientific volcano observatories in the country was founded on Kilauea's rim in 1912, and researchers have watched these volcanoes almost continuously ever since.
• The park is home to rare native creatures found nowhere else, including the nene, a Hawaiian goose that is the state bird, which walks the lava fields and roadsides and once nearly vanished entirely.
• In its early days the park included the volcano Haleakala on the island of Maui. That section became its own separate national park in 1961.
• New land is quite literally created here. Where lava flows have reached the ocean in past eruptions, cooling rock has added fresh acres of black coastline to the island.

• An entrance fee applies, good for several days per vehicle, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the National Park Service website for the current rate before you go.
• The park is open every day of the year, around the clock, though individual roads, trails, and overlooks may close on short notice because of eruptions, unstable ground, or high levels of volcanic gas.
• Because eruptions come and go, check the park's current eruption and air-quality status before your visit so you know what you might see and where it is safe to be.
• The Kilauea Visitor Center just inside the main entrance is the place to start, with rangers who can tell you what is active, which areas are open, and where the safe overlooks are that day.
• Bring layers, water, and sturdy shoes. The summit sits around 4,000 feet and can be cool, wet, and misty, while the lava fields lower down are hot and shadeless, so conditions can change fast as you move around the park.

Sometimes. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, but its eruptions come and go. During an active eruption the summit crater can glow, and molten lava may be visible from marked overlooks, especially after dark. At other times the volcano is quiet and there is no visible lava at all. There is no way to promise it in advance, so always check the park's current eruption status before you go and let it shape your expectations.

The park is set up for visitors, but it carries real hazards you should respect. Volcanoes release a haze of volcanic gas, sometimes called vog, that can be hard on breathing, especially for people with heart or lung conditions, young children, and pregnant travelers. The ground near craters can be unstable, and cliff edges and old lava benches can collapse without warning. Areas close during eruptions and when gas levels are high. Stay on marked trails and overlooks, obey all closures and warning signs, and check current conditions with rangers before setting out.

Most first visits center on the summit of Kilauea, where the visitor center, the Halemaumau crater overlooks, and steam vents are within easy reach. From there, Crater Rim Drive links many of the best viewpoints and short walks, the Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku) offers a walk through a cool lava tunnel, and Chain of Craters Road winds nearly 20 miles down the volcano's side to the sea. If you have the time and energy, the Kilauea Iki hike across a former lava lake is a favorite.

Yes, the park is open around the clock, and when an eruption is active, night is often the best time to see the glow of lava reflecting off the clouds above the crater. If you go after dark, use the marked overlooks, bring a flashlight and warm layers, and stay well back from the edge. When the volcano is quiet there will be no glow, so check the current eruption status first so you know what to expect.

The park is open every day of the year, day and night. However, because it sits on live volcanoes, individual roads, trails, and overlooks can close on short notice due to eruptions, earthquakes, unstable ground, or high volcanic gas. Sections of Crater Rim Drive have been rerouted or closed after past eruptions. Check the park website and ask rangers what is open the day you arrive.

Yes, there is a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for several days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the National Park Service website for the current rate. The park does not usually require a timed-entry reservation to get in, but that can change, so it is worth confirming before you travel.

You can take in the summit overlooks, steam vents, and a lava tube in a half day. To also drive Chain of Craters Road down to the coast, walk a trail or two, and not feel rushed, give it a full day. Volcano fans often stay overnight nearby so they can return after dark to look for the glow when an eruption is active.

The park is worth a visit in any season, since the tropical setting means there is no snowed-in off-season the way there is in mountain parks. The summit is often cool and misty, and lower elevations are warmer and drier. Weekday mornings tend to be quieter. What matters far more than the calendar is whether the volcano is active, so plan around the current eruption status rather than the season.

Pets are allowed in parking areas, along paved roads, and in developed spots, but not on most trails, in the backcountry, or inside the lava tube. Volcanic gas and heat can be hard on animals, so bring water, keep them leashed, and never leave a pet in a vehicle. Check the park website for the current pet rules before you go.

There is a historic lodge on the Kilauea caldera rim inside the park, along with a drive-in campground, though availability and openings can shift with volcanic activity, so reserve ahead. Just outside the entrance, the small town of Volcano offers more places to stay, and the city of Hilo is roughly 30 miles northeast for a wider choice.

Kilauea releases volcanic gases, and when they mix with sunlight and moisture they form a haze called vog that can irritate the eyes, throat, and lungs. Levels rise and fall with the eruption and the wind, and some overlooks close when the gas is heavy. People with asthma or heart conditions, older adults, young children, and pregnant travelers should be especially cautious, follow all posted warnings, and check the park's current air-quality information before visiting.