Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park
About Hawaii Volcanoes
Visited – March 2021 and Dec 2022 (#45 of 63)
Established (as NP) August 1916
217K acres (about 10% the size of Yellowstone)
Where is Hawaii Volcanoes NP: On the Big Island of Hawaii.
Recommendations
Don’t miss: Drive the Craters of the Moon Road and take one of the hikes through old lava flows. You’ll likely spend time along the Crater Rim Trail in pursuit of lava views. Outside the park, Akaka Falls is a nice side trip.
When to visit: During an eruption! If only you could predict that. Any time you can get to Hawaii is a good time.
How long to stay: Two days for the park, but make it a week or more and enjoy Kona and Hilo.
Check out the Photo Gallery of our best pictures.
Photo Gallery
Witnessing a volcano in real life is pretty amazing. We got to experience the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption which only lasted a few weeks. The rest of the park was pretty cool too. Enjoy our captures of Pele’s magnificence.
Link to NPS Info
Click to visit the park’s website with maps, history, and lots of great info on things to do and places to see.
Trip Report
Read about our adventure to Hawaii Volcanoes…
Staying at the caldera edge, hiking long past lava flows, and witnessing an actual eruption makes for a great adventure. Hanging with locals to give thanks to Pele was the cherry on top. Aloha!
Hawaii Volcanoes Blog Posts
Hawaii Volcanoes Report
The big island of Hawaii is the youngest of the chain. It’s also the largest and hosts Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If you are lucky and time your visit right, you’ll be able to witness an active volcano. We’ve been mostly lucky on our visits and our last...