volcano visit in hawaii

Tips for visiting Volcanoes National Park

My wife and I are old enough to easily remember the 1959 release of the movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth." Based on a Jules Verne novel, it was the fictional tale of four adventurers who went into the bowels of the earth to find its center. While such a fantasy belongs solely in the realm of our imagination, the idea of seeing and experiencing some of this volatile subterranean furnace is intriguing, to say the least.

That's why Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was on our must-see list as we navigated through the Hawaiian Islands on our first visit to the Rainbow State . We considered this national park to be like an interactive peek to another world below: our own journey to see what flows from the center of the earth.

Volcanoes National Park basics

While the National Park Service is technically in charge of Volcanoes National Park, Pele, the legendary Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, has the first and last word on all activities there. If the old Yankee Stadium was "the house that Ruth built," then Volcanoes National Park -- and, in fact, the entire island of the Big Island of Hawaii -- is surely the land that Pele built. Pele, "she who shapes the sacred land," supposedly lives in the Halema'uma'u Crater within the park.

Related: Points and miles guide to visiting Hawaii

How to get there

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is in the southeast corner of the Big Island of Hawaii and occupies about 12% of the island's land mass. Highways circle the perimeter of the island, so there is easy access to the park from the major airports at Kona and Hilo. Many tourists drive a rental car to the park, but you can also go as part of a group tour. Look for tour operators at Viator.com , or search Google for "Hilo" and "Volcanoes National Park" and you'll find options from companies like Roberts Hawaii and others.

When is the park open?

The park is open 24 hours a day, with its busiest time being between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Despite the 500 square miles of park space, our observation is that most visitors stay within a few miles of the park entrance.

How much does it cost?

Entrance to the park costs $25 per noncommercial vehicle. This fee is good for seven days and covers all the occupants in the vehicle. Individuals that come by bus, bike, motorcycle or on foot will pay fee of $12, which also covers seven days. Of course, national park passes are valid and welcome. Our lifetime senior citizen national parks pass worked perfectly for our group of five.

What's the park like?

Since the Big Island first poked its head above the blue Pacific waters some 500,000 years ago, volcanoes have shaped and molded the diverse topographical and environmental landscape of the island on an almost continual basis. Elevation changes from sea level to 13,500 feet have transformed the island into a climatic and vegetative cornucopia, with landscapes ranging from almost desert dry to rainforest to arctic in a span of less than 50 miles.

Upon arriving, your first stop will undoubtedly be the visitor center where, depending on your time and level of interest and curiosity, you can get either Volcanoes National Park 101 or glean enough information for a thesis toward a master's degree in volcanology. The center is well staffed with park rangers and well supplied with park souvenirs and basic provisions for your visit. You can also learn about the ranger-led walks and talks that happen several times a day and that go to multiple destinations.

The Volcano House awaits you about 100 yards from the visitor center. Virtually the entire south side of the building is glass to allow your first view of the Kilauea Caldera and the Halema'uma'u Crater. Head through the door to the viewing platform to get an even better look at one of the main reasons you came to the park.

Impact of the 2018 Kilauea eruption

Kilauea, the most active volcano on the planet, had been alive and erupting almost nonstop since 1983. But in May of 2018, a series of earthquakes preceded a new and more vigorous lava flow that created fissures through which gushed rivers of 2,000-degree lava, which made its way relentlessly down the shield volcano and toward the sea. More than 700 houses were lost in neighborhoods that were in its path and Volcanoes National Park was closed for months due to the dangers and damage.

The consistent volume of lava flowing would have filled 40,000 dump trucks per hour. The total amount of lava released would fill about 300,000 Olympic swimming pools and cover the entire island of Manhattan with 27 feet of lava. An additional 875 acres of new land was created by the lava as it interacted with the ocean waters. The Halema'uma'u Crater has almost doubled its size since May of 2018, and has gotten about 1,500 feet deeper.

Damage to the infrastructure of the park has resulted in both short term and long-term closures. The Jaggar Museum and crater lookout was the most popular attraction in VNP, and it was damaged significantly by last year's activity. The ledge that it sits on has now been declared unsteady and it is highly likely the site will never reopen. The Thurston Lava Tube has been closed to the public for the past 16 months, but progress is being made toward its reopening later this year. (A lava tube is like a self-created subway tunnel for lava.) The highly traveled Crater Rim Trail and Crater Rim Drive are both only partially available to the public at this time.

Another significant post-2018 eruption development is that Kilauea is now sleeping. After 38 straight years of lava flowing and lava glowing, right now there is nada lava. No flow, no glow.

The lava lake in the Halema'uma'u Crater has been replaced for the first time in known history with water. Experts are a little wary of this new situation, as they are concerned that when Pele turns the hot lava faucet back on, that mixture of lava and water could lend itself to a more explosive reaction.

Things to do at Volcanoes National Park

To appreciate and experience the offerings of the park, we visited the steam vents, drove the Chain of Craters Road and hiked the Devastation and Halema'uma'u Crater trails.

The 38-mile round-trip Chain of Craters Road is like a geological history map of recent and long-ago volcanic activity. The road follows and bisects several massive lava flow fields that stretch for miles until they disappear into the ocean's edge.

The road has a significant elevation drop of 3,700 feet, and it is therefore easy to figure out which way the lava is wont to go. We found unexpected beauty on our excursions onto the lava beds in the color variance of the lava itself, the artistic qualities of the random flow patterns and in the vegetation now calling the lava home.

Following the road to its conclusion will lead you past the petroglyph fields to the Holei Sea Arch.

Just a short drive from the Visitor Center on the part of the Crater Rim Drive that is open, you will find Devastation Trail. This short hike gives you a graphic illustration of the dramatic environmental changes associated with this volatile area. A dense rainforest occupied this landscape prior to a 1959 eruption that left the area burned, barren and covered in a lava/cinder mix. As time has passed, nature has started its never-ending cycle to reclaim what was lost. Life is returning and, given enough time, will surely recreate its former self until ... it starts all over again.

The Halema'uma'u Trail is another interesting, moderate hike that quickly takes you through some of the extremely diverse vegetative zones seen in this national park. The walk starts near the Volcano House and descends through an almost jungle environment that is wet, warm and very conducive to prolific plant growth. The forest trail is closely lined and canopied by huge healthy ferns and native trees and plants.

The hike takes you down about 500 feet in less than a mile as you essentially go down the sidewalls of the Kilauea Crater until you reach its caldera. Goodbye greenhouse, hello Mars.

The hike used to continue to near the edge of the Halema'uma'u Crater, but the recent volcanic activity has restricted this access.

After the immersion in the contrasting temperature, exposure and landscape at the crater, you return up the tropical hillside. Our party of four ranged from a 4-year-old to a 70-year-old and all made the trek OK. A few strategic resting stops await those wishing for a quick break to either catch a breath or to linger a moment longer to absorb the surroundings.

Where to stay at Volcanoes National Park

Lodging in the park is limited. The historic Volcano House has 33 guest rooms and sits adjacent to Halema'uma'u Crater on the Kilauea Caldera. Rates vary depending on date and type of accommodation, but average in the $250 to $350 per night range.

Ten rustic (read: basic) camper cabins are located nearby in the Namakanipaio Campground for $80 a night. Our one overnight stay was in one of these cabins. It proved to be quite adequate and a nice balance to the nicer resorts and hotels we experienced on the rest of our trip.

A limited number of campsites are also available in the park for $15 each. Additional lodging can be found 10 minutes away by car in Volcano Village, or 30 miles away in Hilo, where a wide array of options are located, such as the Hilton Naniloa in Hilo where we stayed using Hilton points the night after we finished exploring Volcanos National Park.

Where to eat

Pick up some fresh pastries at Punalu'u Bake Shop on your way into the park (if coming from the Kona side) and save those for snacks as there aren't a ton of dining options within the park. Volcano House does serve sit-down meals, but it can take a while and the cost of sit-down meals adds up.

There are a few other restaurants in the immediate vicinity, such as the Lava Rock Cafe, where we enjoyed chili and stir-fry one night, as well as a well-reviewed Tuk Tuk Thai Food Truck we missed on this trip.

Surprises within the park

One of the bigger surprises that we learned was that the park is the 15th most-visited national park, with about 2.5 million annual visitors. We were amazed at this statistic because you do not just casually drop by the park to check out the lava. It is not like being at the Grand Canyon in Arizona when, on a spontaneous whim, you decide to head north to Utah to scout out the hoodoos in Bryce or The Narrows in Zion -- this one is over 2,300 miles of ocean away.

One jaw-dropping and smile-inducing experience we shared in the park was the perceived closeness and intensity of the stars. The Big Dipper was directly overhead, but its name truly did not do it justice. Maybe the Extra Large, Bigger, Badder, Bolder, Brighter Dipper would have been more appropriate. Each of the seven stars shined so brightly and so clearly that the stellar array seemed to be sitting just above the treetops. It was as if 5 watt bulbs had been replaced by 100 watters. We wished the opportunity to view the stars atop the nearby 13,500 foot Mauna Kea had presented itself on this trip. Mauna Kea is recognized as the top astronomical observation area in the Northern Hemisphere due to its elevation, clean air, cloud-free skies and dark nights. Next time, for sure.

Bottom line

We hope to return to Volcanoes National Park someday. We really want to see those stars again and hope to see the lava lake in the Halema'uma'u Crater glowing like a cauldron with orangish-red lava streams flowing gently (and safely) to the sea. Pele, are you listening?

Where to See Active Volcanoes in Hawaii

Volcano hunters descend upon Hawaii for its active lava flows. In fact, The Big Island’s most active volcano -- Kilauea -- flows with such power that it grows the island by 40 acres per year. And it’s an odd thing to watch the flow. It kills everything in its path before pouring into the ocean to give birth to more land.

It’s this beautiful ability to both create and destroy that entrances visitors. The destructive nature of lava can be felt yards away from the flow. The heat is simply too unbearable to get close to the molten rock, so don’t count on that lava selfie, but the unbelievable power of it all makes for an attraction not to be missed.

The easiest, most accessible and reliable volcano to visit is Kilauea inside Volcanoes National Park on The Big Island, but Hawaii has five other active volcanoes. So, you can choose to take the path less traveled to get your volcano fix during your Hawaiian vacation if the timing is right. But, no matter which volcano you choose to chase, it makes for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Kilauea -- Hawaii’s Youngest, Strongest and Most Active Volcano --Inside Volcanoes National Park

Halema’uma’u Crater, inside of Volcanoes National Park, was perceptually filled with a lake of lava. You were allowed to watch the bubbling molten rock from a safe distance at a viewing center, and the center even opened its doors after dark to give you a spectacular glowing show.

Flows of lava were commonly seen pouring out of Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater inside the park, as well. These two craters were the most reliable viewpoints for flowing lava in all of Hawaii. Unfortunately, in May of 2018, eruptions changed the landscape of the park and drained the craters. Currently, there is no more lava flowing in Volcanoes National Park. 

But Park Rangers and other officials remain optimistic because this isn’t the first time that the craters have drained. A similar eruption completely drained Halema’uma’u Crater back in 1929, and the lava returned a short period later.

Keep up to date with this website to get more information about the flows of lava inside Volcanoes National Park. But, even if there is no lava flowing inside the park, the Volcano is a great place to visit. It contains massive volcanic craters that are now stable, so you can hike down inside of them. Essentially, you’ll be walking around the very top of a long-dead volcano. And the trails all have interesting names, like “Devastation Trail.” It’s a great way to see the fresh earthen scars left by the power of mother nature.

The visitors center is also a great place to learn about volcanic activity on the islands. You’ll learn a lot, and you can always ask the Park Rangers inside about the flow of lava on the island. Kilauea has stopped its activity inside the park, but it hasn’t stopped activity altogether. That means lava is flowing somewhere on the island, and the Park Rangers will have all that information on hand. And if you’re lucky, you can hike up to the new lava flow.

Kilauea Lava Flow

You can see that lava flow in one of three ways. First, you can find the flow yourself and hike up to it. Secondly, you can hire a tour guide to be taken to the lava flow. Or, thirdly, you can jump on a boat that takes you up to the lava flow as it pours into the ocean somewhere on the southeast coast.

Seeing Kilauea’s Flows Yourself

The Lower East Rift Zone is a vast field of sharp volcanic rock. There’s a road carved into this volcanic rock that takes you past some houses built into the inhospitable area. Some of the houses have been destroyed, but the entirety of the road is not open to the public. You’ll have to park your car and continue on foot, but you can usually find a vendor renting off-road bikes.

From here, you’ll have to hump yourself down to the lava flow. It’s black as far as the eye can see, and the tropical sun reflects heavily off the glassy rock, so make sure to pack sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water. But, sooner or later, your hard work will pay off. You’ll run into the flow of lava as it makes its way down to the ocean.

If you’re lucky, the lava flow will be like a river on the surface, but most of the time the lava flows underneath the surface. You’ll only be able to see it through cracks in the surface rock. But don’t worry about walking over the lava flow. The volcanic rock field is cordoned off to keep visitors safe.

You’ll also have to be very careful near the ocean. The lava creates a hissing cloud of steam and glass that is toxic to inhale. Again, state officials are very good at regulating foot traffic around the lava, but you should still be careful to keep your distance from the plume. 

State officials are working hard to create a more permanent lava viewing platform after the most recent eruption changed the Big Island’s landscape. Stay tuned to this site for more information about Kilauea lava viewing as it becomes available.

Kilauea Tour Guide

After all, the flows are constantly changing. So, no matter how well you plan ahead of time, you’ll have to do research the day you want to go see the lava. Relying on an expert will save you that research time, and time is the most valuable resource you have on the Hawaiian islands.

An expert will also be able to take you right to the hot spot. Pun intended. You won’t have to go venturing off into a volcano field on foot to find it yourself. So, a guide can save you time and effort. And it’s really hot out there on the black rocks.

Kilauea By Boat

You don’t have to worry about getting too close or inhaling the toxic fumes because you are under the guidance of an experienced tour guide. That means you’ll get as close as humanly possible to the lava itself which makes for a stunning social media pic. A boat also takes all the guesswork and effort out of the equation. You just sit back and enjoy the destructive yet life-giving molten rock.

Hawaii’s Five Other Active Volcanoes

All of the Hawaiian islands have been formed by this activity, but most of the island’s volcanoes have become dormant. There is no volcanic activity on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai or Lanai. That means these islands, like many before them, are now eroding into the ocean. And, one day, they will perish altogether.

Hawaii’s four other active volcanoes are all on the Big Island. It’s fitting as the Big Island continues to grow by 40 acres per year, and a visit to Hawaii will illustrate the youth of the island. Nearly the entire western side of the island is a lava rock field where vegetation is yet to grow, and many of the island’s beaches are black sand. That means the lava rock has been pummeled by the ocean into sharp little pieces, but the beach has not yet had time to accumulate soft white sand.

The Big Island’s volcanoes include Mauna Kea , Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Loihi. The massive mountains that mark the Big Island are still active volcanoes, though the activity is fairly rare. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984, and the eruption lasted for 22 days. Mauna Kea has erupted about every six years and is the largest volcano on earth. Predicting lava flow from these 13,000-foot peaks is near impossible, so planning a visit around their eruptions would have to be last-minute.

Hualalai is to Mauna Loa’s northwest. It’s technically still active, but its slopes have been covered by Mauna Loa’s eruptions over the centuries, and it last erupted in 1801. And lonely Loihi can be found just south of Kilauea. Unfortunately, the volcano is completely underwater.

Haleakala National Park

The crater at the top of the mountain is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s still technically active as a volcano. But don’t worry about an eruption. The last one took place between 1480 and 1600.

Haleakala is not a reliable place to catch a glimpse of molten rock, but it is a stunningly beautiful place nonetheless. The sleepy crater is a moonscape of colorful volcanic rock where oranges, purples, and reds glow at sunset or sunrise. And, during your visit, you walk around inside what is still technically an active volcano which is quite a brag-worthy experience.

As an added bonus, you can join a tour up to the crater. After enjoying the otherworldly landscape, you’ll be put on a bike to cruise down the long, slow slopes of the mountain back to town. It’s a refreshing, beautiful and exhilarating experience.

Can You Visit During An Eruption?

The main hazards during an eruption are the newly formed lava flows, which can tear through small towns, and air pollution. The air pollution is called volcanic fog, or “vog.” This vog can significantly affect the air quality on all of the Hawaiian islands.

Vog has a very peculiar look. It appears to be smog, but it carries a distinctive red hue. This shade of red can make the sun appear to be red, as well. And, of course, it carries a burned smell on the humid air.

Vog will carry downwind from the eruption, and the Big Island has distinctive east to northeast wind patterns. So the foggiest areas on the island will be to the south or southwest of the eruption site.

This air pollution can make it difficult or impossible for planes to land or take off from The Big Island if the eruption is large enough. Although, these vog groundings are rare. Kilauea’s last eruption, in May of 2018, put airlines on “red alert” but did not disrupt air traffic. You have to look all the way back to 2010 when a volcano erupted in Iceland which grounded planes throughout Europe for two weeks to see the last time vog affected air traffic.

However, the air pollution caused by volcanic eruption can cause some health problems. Older adults, young children, expectant mothers, people with asthma and cardiovascular disease are cautioned to stay away from voggy areas. The vog can increase your chances of respiratory ailments while causing a scratchy throat, eye, nose and skin irritation, coughing, phlegm, chest tightness, shortness of breath, fatigue, and dizziness. 

But the Big Island is big. You’ll be able to avoid the affected areas quite easily while enjoying some clean air. The eruption will just make some of the island off-limits during your stay.

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Exploring the Depths of Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park

L ush rainforest and land transformed for millions of years by volcanic activity, all spread across 520 square miles of protected space. Welcome to Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park !

Visitors flock to Hawaii ’s Big Island and this jewel of the United States’ national parks system thanks to the natural wonders it holds. However, it is important to understand the history of the region, its peoples, and how to visit the land respectfully and responsibly.

Let’s take a look at how Volcanoes National Park came to be and how you can make the most of your visit to Hawaii ’s Big Island.

How Volcanoes National Park Came to Be: A Short History of Hawai’i

The history of the state did not start with the arrival of Europeans; that happened very recently, historically speaking. The islands that make up Hawai’i were settled by voyagers from the Marquesas Islands nearly a millennium ago. These Polynesian seafarers traveled across the Pacific in search of a new home and arrived on the shores of Hawai’i 2,400 miles later.

Over the years, more settlers came from the Society Islands and, together, built a society that lasted for hundreds of years until the arrival of Captain James Cook in the late 18th century. The culture and society in Hawai’i was markedly different from that of the Polynesian islands from which the settlers arrived; it was now the Kingdom of Hawai’i, ruled by Kalani’opu’u. Until Captain Cook’s arrival, Hawai’i was generally isolated from what we call the “western world.”

Recorded history tells us that what happened in the next two hundred years or so happened quickly. Captain Cook was killed after attempting to kidnap the Hawai’ian king for ransom following a dispute. In the next hundred years, Hawai’i’s monarchs grew closer to the United States and its many industries. A push for a constitution and reciprocity treaty which favored the United States resulted in the eventual annexation of the territory, which became the 50th state in the Union in the mid-20th century. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park was established two years later, in 1961.

Telling the story of Hawai’i and its major island is a small way of contributing to the tradition of mo’olelo. This important cultural tradition is the telling of stories and myths. When visiting Volcanoes National Park , remember the story of Pelehonuamea, the Hawaiian Goddess who created the chain of islands that make up Hawai’i.

Pele’s story is one of duality: destruction and creation. Much like the Polynesians who settled these islands, she arrived from Kahiki while in search of a new home. The volcanic landscape was formed in the shape of her path. The sacred land of the Big Island is where she resides, in the Halema’uma’u Crater on Kilauea in Volcanoes National Park .

As is tradition, remember to be respectful of Pele and ask for her permission to cross her land. Keep in mind that the resorts and natural parks you visit on your vacation are on sacred land.

What to Do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

The national park is open twenty-four hours a day — perfect for campers and stargazers! The entrance to the park can be reached via the Hawaii Belt Road, which circles the Big Island, and the fee to enter is $30 per non-commercial vehicle.

You’re likely coming to Volcanoes National Park to see, well, volcanoes. There are two active volcanoes within its boundary: Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Start your visit at the Kilauea Visitor Center, open 9 am to 5 pm all year round, for important information on daily park conditions and hiking trails before you venture too far.

Drivers will enjoy the scenic route known as Crater Rim Drive, which takes visitors on a 10-mile journey around the Kilaeua Caldera. From this road, you can visit the area’s steam vents, Nahuku lava tube, and the Kilauea Overlook.

Mauna Loa hasn’t erupted since 1984, which means it is overdue for some rumbling. The volcano stands at an impressive 13,678 feet above sea level. You can follow one of two trailheads to its summit and both take a lot of effort. The climb can be grueling; you will hike over uneven hardened lava over the course of two days in most cases.

If you decide to make the journey and want to camp along the way, check with a Park Ranger or visitor center staff to determine whether or not you will need a permit. Along the way to the summit, you will come across the Mauna Loa Cabin, which is available to hikers on demand.

Kilauea is a much more accessible volcano to see. The more active of the two, Kilauea erupted in 2018 and covered the surrounding area in lava. The eruption caused its caldera to collapse and increased the size of the Halema’uma’u Crater.

Two trails run through dense rainforest and lead to the crater from Crater Rim Trailhead. The Kilauea Caldera can be reached in a 1.6-mile loop while the Byron Ledge will take 2.6 miles to reach.

If you manage to reach the summit of Kilauea, be sure to look for the Sulphur Banks. You might smell them before you see them, so follow your nose! Also known as Wahinekapu, the rotten egg smelling volcanic gas appears in the form of steam from the soil.

Some easily accessible evidence of the Big Island’s inhabitants can be found at the Pu’u Loa Petroglyph Field. These petroglyphs are the largest collection that has been discovered in Polynesia, though most only date back to the 16th century.

Keep in mind that Volcanoes National Park is more than just the two active volcanoes; there is also an entire shoreline to explore. Take a short drive to the Holei Sea Arch, a rock formation that has been pounded by waves for hundreds of years off Hawai’i’s coast. While a trip to Volcanoes National Park won’t include a stay on the beach, the area is chock-full of volcanic landscapes, rainforests, and all manner of wildlife.

Tread Responsibly

Your visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park will undoubtedly be a memorable one. There is no place like it in the entire United States and, quite possibly, the world. Remember to follow some basic rules when visiting such as keeping aware of park conditions, leaving no trace, and respecting the sacred land on which you are a guest.

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Hawaii Volcanoes at Night: Best Lava Glow and Starry Skies

By: Author Rob Taylor

Posted on September 25, 2023

One of the highlights of visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is experiencing the lava glow at night. But how does a normal person without fancy equipment photograph it? Well, we’ve got the answers for how to capture the lava glow and how to have the best experience at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night! Remember, before we even get into this, that Hawaii lava activity can vary, but we’ll help you know what’s erupting on the Big Island.

Be sure to check out our guide to Hawaii Volcanoes NP as well, because we have ideas for hiking, viewpoints and enjoying the scenic drives in the National Park too. This park is great for every age and interest, so be sure to enjoy it to the fullest! If you have any questions about seeing the lava glow and exploring the park at night, visiting the Kīlauea Volcano or want to make your own suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note . We’re always happy to share more!

Why Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at Night?

Most of the beauty of the Big Island of Hawaii is thought of to be along the beaches and hiking at waterfalls, but Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night is remarkable. It’s truly a unique experience, both as a Hawaiian activity and a National Park sight to see. Lava flowing and glowing from the Kīlauea volcano under a perfect night sky: it’s a one of a kind experience.

Don’t’ want to plan it all yourself? Book a guided HVNP nighttime tour!

Do I need a National Park Pass to visit Hawaii Volcanoes NP at Night?

Depending on what time you arrive at Hawaiian Volcanoes for nighttime things to do, you may need a National Parks pass or to pay the entry fee. The toll booth and visitor center are manned until the early night hours and you will be required to pay the entrance fee. If you’re visiting after 9:00 pm chances are the toll booths have closed, but that’s not a guarantee, especially if there is a lot of lava flowing and many people are visiting for nighttime lava viewing.

Get your National Parks Pass here!

Tip: if you’re not sure what’s erupting right now or where to see lava in Hawaii, you can check with the National Park Service before you even drive up the volcano. They publish activity daily, including where it’s best to see Hawaii lava!

Where to Go in Hawaii Volcanoes NP in the Dark

Of course it goes without saying that not every site you might visit in the daytime is going to be optimal at night. The lava flowing from the Kilauea Volcano (and rarely Mauna Loa) is not visible everywhere, and not even every viewpoint you’d visit during the day for geothermal activity is good at night. Here are our picks for where to go in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to see lava glow, ordered by how WE have approached it and would approach seeing lava at night again.

• Start at the Kilauea Visitors Center to check in with Park Rangers and get any fresh reports of extra lava activity or closures (it’s a very seismically active area)
• Visit Volcano House / The Rim Restaurant for a meal or drink and to get the vibe of what the lava glow is doing during your visit. This is also YOUR FIRST view of the lava glow and the best way to start you visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night
• Head north on Crater Rim Drive to the end of the road at Uēkahuna Overlook. This is the furthest point from civilization lights on Crater Rim Drive.
• Park at Kīlauea Overlook (visitors center is closed, 2022) and walk the dimly lit Rim Trail to the various viewpoints, getting slightly different looks into the Kilauea crater.
• Continue onto the big lava glow and flow finale: Keanakako’i Overlook. Park at the Devastation Trail parking area. This is a one mile walk in the dark… More information below.

What Hawaii Volcano Eruption is Best for Lava?

So where is the best Hawaii volcano eruption at night? Well, Kīlauea is the most commonly erupting and the easiest to access, but from time to time (2022 for example), Mauna Loa may erupt. The Kīlauea Volcano is the best Hawaii lava to see because there are so many viewpoint and it’s pretty consistent, but if Mauna Loa starts erupting again, you can head up the Saddle Road to see potential flows. Lava in Hawaii varies in flow and location, but 99% of the time it’ll be at Kīlauea.

Where is the Best Lava Glow at the Kīlauea Crater?

Undoubtedly, the best place to see nighttime lava glow in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is at the Keanakako’i Overlook. This area is at the end of the now closed portion of Crater Rim Drive. Seismic activity closed the road and now it’s been turned into a pedestrian walkway to the overlook. This is the closest that non-geologists, non-rangers can go to see the lava.

You can visit Keanakako’i Overlook during the daytime as well as at night, but in the day the glow will now be as strong. It is still a very direct view of the currently most active part of the Kilauea crater lava lake, but sunlight hides the amazing red glow.

TIP: check the USGS website for current eruption information, including flow direction, which will give you a good idea about the best places to see lava glow at night in Hawaii Volcanoes NP.

Should I Hike to the Kamokuna Flow to Sea?

If you have the time and energy, hiking the Kamokuna Flow to Sea trail is an unusual adventure. This is NOT an accessible thing to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but it’s a bucket list activity for sure. This trail starts at the Holei Sea Arch parking area at the end of the Chain of Craters Road and it leads to where the lava flow meets the sea.

But here’s the scoop: molten lava is not perpetually flowing here. While historically this is THE place to watch the red hot lava flow into the ocean, ever expanding the Big Island of Hawaii, it is not always active. There needs to be a major volcanic event happening to generate enough flowing lava to make it to the Kamokuna Flow to Sea area.

Note: as of September 2023 the Kamokuna Flow to Sea is not experiencing a lave flow making it all the way to the ocean. While this would be amazing to see if you’re visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night, it’s very rare in general, let alone a good nighttime hike.

Here’s a great article about the hike, what to expect and some how to plan for the hike.

Photographing Lava Glow

So how do you actually photograph the lava glow as it flows at night in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Great question. The Kīlauea Volcano can really put on a show sometimes, but unless you’re ready and patient, you might not get the best photos of lava.

The biggest thing to remember as you visit at night and try to capture photos is that your eyes are collecting the memory and full experience of what you’re doing. There is much more to being in the National Park at night than the photos you’ll walk away with, but I totally get it that getting good pics is a goal. With that, here’s how you can do it (and hopefully meet your glowing lava goals!).

Tips for the Best Lava Pictures

I love taking pictures at night. We live in St Augustine, Florida and have a beautiful historic downtown and the Castillo de San Marcos , both which are awesome to photograph at night. With such great, readily available subjects, I get to practice nighttime photography often. Visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night allowed me the opportunity to test all of the nighttime photography skills I’ve been working on.

To start, be sure that you have a tripod to set up your camera. No matter how still you think you hold yourself, a tripod with 99 out of 100 times prove to be more stable and provide the best photography situation. If you are using a phone, either a tripod or a stable phone case with a built in stand should be sufficient.

Once you’re set up, try a few different settings on your camera. For the glow and how it illuminates the area around the crater, a really long exposure, such as an astrophotography setting, is good. This will capture the details of the many layers of cliffs around the Kilauea crater as well as the glow on the rising steam. Depending on your camera (or phone) you will most likely also capture starlight adding an extra beautiful element to your photos.

For the lava itself, a shorter exposure that can capture a lot of light quickly is better. Try a few things! I found that when at the Keanakako’i Overlook where the flowing Hawaii lava itself is the most visible, the shorter exposures gave MUCH BETTER definition of the lava streams, while the very long astrophotography created images capturing the flow area more. Find what you like!

Tip: after you’ve taken a few nighttime lava glow photographs, REVIEW THEM. Look and see which techniques are creating the better images and see what happens when you change your zoom or exposure settings.

If you’re photographing the Kīlauea Volcano and lava flowing at night here are the basic concepts for the best nighttime lava pictures:

• Be steady, using a tripod for the best, most clear photos
• Longer exposure shows better glow on the steam clouds, but blurry lava lines
• Shorter exposure is best for zoomed in photos capturing only the Hawaii lava flowing

Like I said, review the photos you’ve got after you’ve taken a few and you’ll be able to see the difference in technique and how it capture’s Kīlauea’s lava at night.

Night Sky Photography in Hawaii Volcanoes NP

The other wonderful bonus is the night sky over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. With hardly any light pollution and very little humidity in the air, the stars over the Big Island of Hawaii are really clear and vibrant. Between catching a bit of lava glow at the bottom of your images or including the silhouettes of the volcanic forest, you can photograph very unusual night sky images.

Again, a tripod is your best friend for photography at night in Hawaii Volcanoes NP. If you would like to specifically get the stars but NOT the lava glow, there are two ideal places to do so:

• The tree-lined road you walk on to the Keanakako’i Overlook
• Any one of the pull-outs along the Chain of Craters Road, all the way down to the Holei Sea Arch.

There are no street lights or structures anywhere in these two areas and there is plenty of space to set up a tripod and photograph the night away.

What to Bring into Hawaii Volcanoes NP at Night

I think the most important thing to bring into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night is warm clothing. It gets so very cold up on the volcano and the wind picks up quite a bit at night. Even though it’s Hawaii, you’re pretty high up and you’re out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so yeah, it gets cold. We wore sweatshirts, coats, hoods and hats for visiting Hawaii Volcanoes NP at night and were still cold.

Other things to bring, I feel like we already addressed, are a tripod and your camera or phone. You do not need to bring flashlights and headlamps into the park, as they are simply disruptive to other visitors, create light pollution and ruin other people’s experience. If you are concerned about walking in the dark, a very dim light is all that you’ll need and it ONLY needs to be shown directly on the path you’re walking.

What is the Best Non-Photographer Gear for Nighttime at Hawaii Volcanoes?

If you are trying to decide on the best way to get good pictures of lava glow at night in Hawaii Volcanoes NP, but you don’t want to invest in a crazy professional mirrorless camera, I have a sassy and very much justified and accurate suggestion: the Google Pixel, and specifically the Google Pixel 6 Pro. This is the best camera phone camera on the market (yes, it’s better than the iPhone 12) both for standard daytime photos and for sure nighttime photography.

We brought several cameras into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the only ones that rendered usable pictures were the Pixel 6 Pro and the GoPro Hero 11 Black. Of these two, the Pixel still outperformed the GoPro Hero 11. The Night Sight setting on the Pixel was PERFECT for capturing lava streams, and the Astrophotography setting (part of Night Sight) did a phenomenal job capturing the lava glow with starlight.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black did fine, but off all the images and video we took, very few were usable in comparison to what we got from the Pixel. The GoPro starry night setting was the most effective option with the Hero and it just didn’t do the lava glow / flow justice. (pictured below)

Best Way to Make a Video of Lava Glow

It’s very difficult to get good video footage of the glowing, flowing lava, but there are a few ways to do it. If you are using a mirrorless or standard DSLR camera, set it up on a VERY stable tripod that will not shake in the wind, focus on your subject (the lava flow) and then start recording. Do not try to take panning shots unless you’re using a professional video camera with the right capabilities, otherwise you’ll just be wasting your time for a low quality video.

For regular people like you and I, what I found works best for creating a lava video is to take the individual images and collate them into a slideshow in sequence of the steam progress or changing flow. With my Google Pixel, it actually creates a short 1 second video of each Astrophotography capture, which when put together make a wonderful video. See below!

Where to Stay for Visiting Hawaii Volcanoes at Night

It’s easiest to plan a trip into the National Park if you’re staying in Hilo, but you can add it to your trip if you’re staying on the Kona Coast also. Keep in mind that the drive out of the park and back to your home base will be in the dark on winding roads, so plan appropriately. The beautiful sights of the Kona Coast and south shore aren’t visible at night and it’s a long two hour drive back to Kailua-Kona, so staying in Hilo is highly recommended.

We did our first visit to the National Park on our way from the Club Wyndham Kona Hawaiian in Kailua-Kona (west coast) to Hilo (east coast). When we visited the park at night, it was an easy drive (40 minutes) from our Hilo hotel, the SCP Hilo , to our first stop.

Check out our Hilo Travel Guide!

Staying at Volcano House National Park Lodge

If you can swing it and score a reservation, staying at Volcano House within the park is the most ideal option for enjoying Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night. The lodge itself is located on the rim of the Kilauea crater, so stepping outside and taking in the lava glow from the property is so easy and such a unique stay.

When considering a stay at Volcano House, know that there are either Standard or Crater View rooms. Just as their description sounds, one faces the crate with the lava and one doesn’t. If you want to be able to see it from your room, book accordingly.

Clearly visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night is awesome and totally worth braving the cold during a trip to the Big Island. While it’s not always a perfectly clear night around the Kilauea crater, if you visit and there are clouds or too much steam, just be patient and let it pass. You’ll be so glad you persevered and experienced the magic of the lava glow.

If you have any questions or additional thoughts on visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night, please leave a comment or send us a note . Happy traveling!

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Volcano Watch — Using acoustic signals to identify the start of 2022 Mauna Loa eruption

The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa occurred late in the evening of November 27th. The eruption was preceded by intense earthquake activity about half an hour prior to glowing lava seen on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) webcams. How does HVO narrow down the precise time that the eruption started? 

Volcano Watch  is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. 

Remote cameras are critical to confirm eruptive activity but, in many cases, worldwide, views of the activity can be obscured. Clouds, fog or volcanic gas can block views. Or cameras may not cover the eruption site.  Hence, HVO and other global observatories establish numerous methods to attempt to identify eruption activity even if the volcano cannot be clearly seen. 

One way to monitor volcanoes is by measuring the sounds of an eruption.  These sounds can rapidly travel away from the eruption vent in the same way that a rock thrown into calm water can make ripples that move away from the “plop point.” 

The global volcano monitoring community routinely installs clusters of acoustic sensors (called arrays) on the flanks of volcanoes that can measure both the audible noise (sounds we can hear) and the inaudible noise which have frequencies that human ears can’t sense (infrasound). Computer processing is then used to look for signals that come from a distinct direction, similar to the way humans train their ears and brains to determine where sounds come from.   

HVO currently monitors our volcanoes using rapidly processed ‘near real-time’ data from acoustic arrays which measure pressure changes around our most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa (figure panel B). The grouped sensor arrays are deployed in the field to allow computers to look for correlations in acoustic energy from Hawaii’s likely eruption centers. 

The processing compares all waveforms of the array and looks at consistency (called coherency) of the waves under a range of conditions.  In the plots (figure panels C and D) strong waveform coherency are marked by red and orange dots and incoherent waves are marked by light and dark blue.  As an analogy, incoherent sounds are like the sounds you hear in the middle of a forest on a windy day and more coherent sound would be from a car honking on the road. 

Coherent acoustic signals often have characteristics that allow them to be distinguished by the processing of array data, and two good indicators of coherency come from the wave speed and wave direction across the array.  For example, near the surface of the Earth the sounds usually travel at speeds of about 0.3-0.4 km/s (~300-400 yards per second) (figure panel C).  HVO's ‘Āinapō infrasound array is located in the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and has a compass direction of  about 300 degrees (figure panel D) pointing back to Mauna Loa summit.  Automated detection can use these characteristics (coherency, wave speed and direction) to improve our ability to rapidly understand when an eruption is occurring at Mauna Loa summit. 

Panel D of the figure shows that the compass back direction becomes very stable at about 11:25 p.m. HST which indicates that mild eruptive activity had started.  Its timing was probably approximately two minutes earlier, at about 11:23 p.m. HST, given that it takes about 2 minutes for sound to travel from the summit of Mauna Loa to the ‘Āinapō array (shown as a black vertical line in figure panels C and D.)  Indeed, panel A of the figure shows that by 11:36 p.m. HST, lava flows being generated by the new eruption were rapidly expanding across Mokuʻāweoweo, Mauna Loa summit caldera (grey vertical line in C and D).  The progression and expansion of the lava is followed by a strong intensification of that activity around 11:40 p.m. HST (C and D).  This shows the value of using multiple lines of information to evaluate eruptive activity. 

In addition to acoustic methods, staff at HVO utilize a full range of volcano monitoring methods including seismic, deformation, gas, and webcam imagery. The data collected improve our situational awareness; evaluating the different datasets together can help scientists to understand the volcanic processes happening at any one time.  This, in turn, helps HVO to keep the public well-informed about our active volcanoes.

Volcano Activity Updates

Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY. 

Disbursed seismicity continues below Kīlauea's summit and along the Koa‘e fault system southwest of the caldera. Average earthquake counts in this region over the past week have remained below 40 detected events per day, well below the amount detected during the January–February intrusion or prior to recent summit eruptions. Tiltmeters near Sand Hill and Uēkahuna bluff continued to record modest inflationary trends over the past week. No unusual activity has been noted along the rift zones. 

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL. 

Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity has remained at low levels over the past month. Ground  deformation  indicates continuing slow inflation as  magma  replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO 2   emission rates are at background levels. 

Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) ENE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on March 23 at 9:06 p.m. HST and a M3.1 earthquake 2 km (1 mi) SSW of Pāhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on March 22 at 9:45 p.m. HST.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to  [email protected] .

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Volcano Watch: Using acoustic signals to identify the start of 2022 Mauna Loa eruption

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Panel A is a thermal image showing first observation of strong ‘lava glowing’ at Mauna Loa, time-stamped 11:36 p.m. HST on November 27, 2022. An example waveform from the array of sensors at the ‘Ainapo (AIND) field station is shown in panel B. Coherency plots of wave velocities are shown in panel C and the direction of the computed eruption source compass direction, relative to the ‘Ainapo array, is shown in panel D. The colored dots in panels C and D represent incoherent signals (shown in light and dark blue) and coherent signals (shown in red, orange and yellow). Times for panel B, C and D are expressed in Hawaii Standard Time (HST). The black vertical line in panels C and D marks the early onset of the eruption at 11:23 p.m. HST. The grey vertical line shows the time when the thermal image in panel A was taken. Both of the vertical lines mark times before changes in the acoustic processing because it takes about 2 minutes for sound to travel from the eruption vent to the ‘Ainapo array. (courtesy/image)

The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa occurred late in the evening of November 27. The eruption was preceded by intense earthquake activity about half an hour prior to glowing lava seen on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) webcams. How does HVO narrow down the precise time that the eruption started?

Remote cameras are critical to confirm eruptive activity but, in many cases, worldwide, views of the activity can be obscured. Clouds, fog or volcanic gas can block views. Or cameras may not cover the eruption site. Hence, HVO and other global observatories establish numerous methods to attempt to identify eruption activity even if the volcano cannot be clearly seen.

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One way to monitor volcanoes is by measuring the sounds of an eruption. These sounds can rapidly travel away from the eruption vent in the same way that a rock thrown into calm water can make ripples that move away from the “plop point.”

The global volcano monitoring community routinely installs clusters of acoustic sensors (called arrays) on the flanks of volcanoes that can measure both the audible noise (sounds we can hear) and the inaudible noise which have frequencies that human ears can’t sense (infrasound). Computer processing is then used to look for signals that come from a distinct direction, similar to the way humans train their ears and brains to determine where sounds come from.

HVO currently monitors our volcanoes using rapidly processed “near real-time” data from acoustic arrays which measure pressure changes around our most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa (figure panel B). The grouped sensor arrays are deployed in the field to allow computers to look for correlations in acoustic energy from Hawaii’s likely eruption centers.

The processing compares all waveforms of the array and looks at consistency (called coherency) of the waves under a range of conditions. In the plots (figure panels C and D) strong waveform coherency are marked by red and orange dots and incoherent waves are marked by light and dark blue. As an analogy, incoherent sounds are like the sounds you hear in the middle of a forest on a windy day and more coherent sound would be from a car honking on the road.

Coherent acoustic signals often have characteristics that allow them to be distinguished by the processing of array data, and two good indicators of coherency come from the wave speed and wave direction across the array. For example, near the surface of the Earth the sounds usually travel at speeds of about 0.3-0.4 km/s (~300-400 yards per second) (figure panel C). HVO’s ‘Ainapo infrasound array is located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and has a compass direction of about 300 degrees (figure panel D) pointing back to Mauna Loa summit. Automated detection can use these characteristics (coherency, wave speed and direction) to improve our ability to rapidly understand when an eruption is occurring at Mauna Loa summit.

Panel D of the figure shows that the compass back direction becomes very stable at about 11:25 p.m. HST which indicates that mild eruptive activity had started. Its timing was probably approximately two minutes earlier, at about 11:23 p.m. HST, given that it takes about 2 minutes for sound to travel from the summit of Mauna Loa to the ‘Ainapo array (shown as a black vertical line in figure panels C and D.) Indeed, panel A of the figure shows that by 11:36 p.m. HST, lava flows being generated by the new eruption were rapidly expanding across Moku‘aweoweo, Mauna Loa summit caldera (grey vertical line in C and D). The progression and expansion of the lava is followed by a strong intensification of that activity around 11:40 p.m. HST (C and D). This shows the value of using multiple lines of information to evaluate eruptive activity.

In addition to acoustic methods, staff at HVO utilize a full range of volcano monitoring methods including seismic, deformation, gas, and webcam imagery. The data collected improve our situational awareness; evaluating the different datasets together can help scientists to understand the volcanic processes happening at any one time. This, in turn, helps HVO to keep the public well-informed about our active volcanoes.

Volcano activity updates

Kilauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY. Disbursed seismicity continues below Kilauea’s summit and along the Koa‘e fault system southwest of the caldera. Average earthquake counts in this region over the past week have remained below 40 detected events per day, well below the amount detected during the January–February intrusion or prior to recent summit eruptions. Tiltmeters near Sand Hill and Uekahuna bluff continued to record modest inflationary trends over the past week. No unusual activity has been noted along the rift zones.

Mauna Loa is not erupting.

Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity has remained at low levels over the past month. Ground deformation indicates continuing slow inflation as magma replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO2 emission rates are at background levels.

Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) ENE of Pahala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on March 23 at 9:06 p.m. HST and a M3.1 earthquake 2 km (1 mi) SSW of Pahala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on March 22 at 9:45 p.m. HST.

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