Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park: Is It Worth Visiting?

Last week, I talked about our visit to Haleakalā National Park on Maui. After that, we moved on to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi to visit Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This was our 29th National Park!

We spent a whole day driving, hiking, and exploring the park. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is home to two active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. We spent the day checking out views of the volcanic landscape and searching for lava. We also ventured into lava tubes, checked out steam vents, and saw petroglyphs.

Sadly, the visitor center was closed, and there was construction on several of the roads. Many of the views looked pretty similar to us: desolate volcanic craters with steam rising from certain sections. It was definitely a unique landscape, but after a while, the views started to blend together.

Luckily, two of our favorite experiences were along the sections of Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road that were open.

Exploring the Thurston Lava Tube at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) was very cool, both temperature-wise and beauty-wise!

We took a short hike down to the entrance of the tube. The trail was tropical and lush, which was quite a contrast to the volcanic landscape we had been seeing all day. Then we entered this dark tunnel that lava had carved right through the earth.

Inside, the walls were smooth, the floors were damp, and the temperature was noticeably cooler. It was such a cool experience to see what lava can create.

The power of Mother Nature is AMAZING!

Can You See Lava at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?

After exploring the lava tube, Krissy decided she was done hiking for the day. I, however, wasn't quite finished exploring.

I took another hike that led me around the crater toward an area we couldn't reach by car. After a long walk along a road that was closed to vehicle traffic, I finally reached a different viewpoint of the crater.

And what did I see?

LAVA!

Okay, I had to zoom WAY in with my camera, but it was there!

I could see a little flash of reddish-orange in the distance. It wasn't quite the dramatic lava flow I had hoped for, but I saw lava, and that counts!

I had hoped to see a more impressive lava show, but apparently the volcano didn't get the memo about our vacation schedule. Of course!

I was sad that Krissy didn't get to see it herself, but luckily, I had pictures to show her. Honestly, with how far away it was, the zoomed-in pictures probably gave her just as good of a view as I had!

One thing to remember if you're visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is that seeing active lava is never guaranteed. Volcanic activity changes, and you might see glowing lava, steam, or nothing at all. Checking the park's current conditions before visiting is definitely a good idea.

Visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in One Day

We spent an entire day exploring the park, and for us, that was plenty of time. Between driving the scenic roads, visiting the lava tube, checking out the steam vents, and doing some hiking, we felt like we got a good experience of what the park had to offer.

Of course, some roads and areas were closed during our visit, so that limited what we could see.

After leaving the park, we had a hard time finding somewhere to eat in the area. My advice would be to bring food with you, especially if you plan to spend the whole day exploring.

Also, if you're in the area, don't miss the macadamia nut farm! It is definitely worth checking out.

In general, the National Park is the main attraction in the area, and rightfully so.

So, Is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Worth Visiting?

Absolutely!

Once again, this was a park that was awesome to see and experience because it was so different from anything else we had ever seen. How often do you get to explore a landscape shaped by active volcanoes, walk through a tunnel created by lava, and see steam rising from the earth?

With that said, we felt that one day was enough time to experience the park, even with some hiking. We enjoyed our visit, but we don't feel the need to return just to see the same things again.

There is, however, one BIG exception.

I would absolutely go back if we had the opportunity to see an active volcanic eruption at night!

Seeing glowing lava lighting up the darkness would take this experience to a whole different level. That would be spectacular!

The hard part, of course, is that volcanoes don't exactly operate on a tourist schedule. You never know when you're going to get lucky.

So, while Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park wasn't one of our all-time favorite National Parks, it was still an incredible experience, and I'm glad we got to see it.

That's another National Park checked off our list. 29 down, 34 to go!

Have you ever seen an active volcano? What did you think of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park?

Here's to many eruptions in your life!

Anne