Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Guide: Kīlauea, Lava Tubes and Craters

Spend at least one full day, ideally two, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Start at the Kīlauea Visitor Center for the current eruption status, walk the Steaming Bluff and Sulphur Banks trails, hike across the floor of Kīlauea Iki crater, walk through the Nāhuku lava tube early in the morning and drive Chain of Craters Road down to the sea. If Kīlauea is erupting, come back after dark to see the glow. Stay in Volcano Village or Hilo, pack a rain jacket and warm layer, and always follow closures.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects two of the most active volcanoes on Earth. Kīlauea has erupted often in recent decades, and Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on the planet by volume, last erupted in late 2022. Here, the land is still being made. You can stand on lava that cooled within living memory, walk through a tube where molten rock once flowed, and, during eruptions, watch the glow of lava against the night sky. It’s also a sacred place in Native Hawaiian culture, home of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Visiting with respect is part of visiting well.

It’s a park that changes constantly. Trails and roads close and reopen as conditions shift. Viewpoints that were famous a decade ago no longer exist. Every trip here starts the same way: checking what the volcano is doing now. Then it moves at the land’s pace: slow walks across old lava, long looks into steaming craters and, if you are lucky, a night beside a glowing caldera that you will remember for the rest of your life.

• 2Active volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa
• About 4,000 ftElevation at Kīlauea’s summit
• $30Vehicle entry, valid 7 days
• 45 minFrom Hilo to the park entrance

Check the eruption status first

Kīlauea’s activity changes, sometimes week to week. In recent years, it has had periods of summit eruptions within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, including dramatic episodes of lava fountaining since late 2024, separated by quiet pauses. At other times, there is no visible lava at all. Mauna Loa is currently quiet but closely monitored.

Before your trip, and again on the day you visit, check the National Park Service’s website for Hawaii Volcanoes and the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory updates. They tell you whether lava is visible, which viewpoints are open and whether air quality is a concern. Rangers at the visitor center have the latest information, and their eruption updates are posted daily. Don’t plan your whole trip around seeing lava. Plan around the park, and treat lava as a bonus.

Kīlauea summit: where to start

The summit area sits at about 4,000 feet, which surprises many visitors expecting tropical heat. It’s often cool, misty and rainy, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Bring a rain jacket and a warm layer.

Start at the Kīlauea Visitor Center for exhibits, eruption updates and ranger programs. Across the road, the Sulphur Banks trail follows a boardwalk past steaming ground stained yellow and orange by volcanic gases. The nearby Steaming Bluff area has vents where groundwater, heated by rock below, rises as steam, especially dramatic on cool mornings.

Viewpoints along the crater rim look into Kaluapele, the summit caldera, and Halemaʻumaʻu, the crater within it. In 2018, a major eruption and collapse transformed the summit; the caldera floor dropped hundreds of feet, and some viewpoints and roads were damaged and permanently closed. The old Jaggar Museum overlook was among them; its site is now a viewpoint called Uēkahuna. During eruptions, overlooks like Uēkahuna and Keanakākoʻi often offer the best views of the glow, though access depends on conditions.

The best hikes

Kīlauea Iki is the park’s signature hike, and one of the best day hikes in Hawaii. The trail drops about 400 feet through lush rain forest of tree ferns and ʻōhiʻa trees to the floor of a crater that held a lake of lava in 1959. Fountains at the time reached about 1,900 feet. Today, you cross the solidified crust, cracked and steaming in places, following ahu, stacked-rock cairns, across a landscape that feels like another planet. Allow two to three hours.

Nāhuku, also called Thurston Lava Tube, is a short walk through dense rain forest to a huge tube formed when the outer crust of a lava flow cooled while molten lava continued flowing inside, then drained. It’s lit and paved. Go early in the morning or late in the day; tour buses fill the small parking area at midday.

Chain of Craters Road

This 19-mile road descends about 3,700 feet from the summit to the coast, crossing lava flows from the 1960s, 1970s and later. Stop at pit craters along the upper road and at overlooks where you can see old flows spreading toward the ocean. Near the bottom, walk the boardwalk at Puʻu Loa, where Native Hawaiians carved more than 23,000 petroglyphs into the lava, including many holes for the umbilical cords of newborn children, placed to ensure long life. Stay on the boardwalk; the petroglyphs are fragile and sacred.

At the end of the road, the Hōlei Sea Arch is a lava cliff carved by waves into a natural arch. The road itself ends where lava flows covered it; there is no through route. There are no services on Chain of Craters Road. Bring water, snacks and a full tank, and allow about an hour each way with stops.

Seeing lava

When Kīlauea is erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu, you may be able to see lava or its glow from overlooks on the crater rim. The view is best after dark, when the red glow lights up the steam. Popular overlooks get crowded in the evening during active eruptions; arrive early or come back before dawn, which is often quieter and just as spectacular.

Lava flows into the ocean and accessible surface flows, once famous on the Big Island, have not been a regular feature of recent eruptions. Never leave marked trails or enter closed areas to get closer to lava. Volcanic hazards include toxic gases, unstable ground, sudden collapses and explosions. Rangers close areas for good reason.

Vog and volcanic gases

Kīlauea releases sulfur dioxide gas, which combines with moisture and sunlight to create vog, a volcanic haze that can drift across the island. Near the summit and certain vents, gas concentrations can be high. People with heart or respiratory conditions, pregnant travelers, infants and young children are most sensitive. Check air quality advisories, avoid areas with strong gas smells, and follow posted warnings. If you feel short of breath or have chest discomfort, leave the area.

Respecting Pele and the land

For Native Hawaiians, Kīlauea is the home of Pele, and the park includes sacred sites, offerings and burial places. You may see offerings of leaves, flowers or other items at crater overlooks. Don’t disturb them. Don’t take lava rocks, sand or any natural material from the park; it’s illegal, and according to local belief, unlucky. The park receives packages every year from visitors returning rocks they took. Leave everything where you found it.

A two-day plan

Day one: arrive from Hilo in the morning. Stop at the Kīlauea Visitor Center for eruption updates. Walk Sulphur Banks and Steaming Bluff. Hike Kīlauea Iki in the late morning. Lunch in Volcano Village. Drive part of Crater Rim Drive to the open overlooks. If lava is visible, return to an overlook after dark.

Day two: visit Nāhuku early, before the crowds. Drive Chain of Craters Road to the sea, stopping at craters, overlooks, Puʻu Loa petroglyphs and the Hōlei Sea Arch. Return in the afternoon and explore the Devastation Trail.

With a third day, visit the Kahuku Unit, a quieter section of the park on Mauna Loa’s southwest slope, with ranch roads and trails, or drive to Punaluʻu, a black sand beach where green sea turtles often rest, and Ka Lae, the southernmost point of the United States.

Where to stay

Volcano House, on the rim of the summit caldera, is the only lodge inside the park, with a history of hosting visitors that dates to the 1800s; the current building dates from 1941. Rooms facing the crater are worth the extra cost during eruptions. Read about it in our national park lodges guide. Volcano Village, just outside the entrance, has cozy rentals, B&Bs, cafés and a winery in a cool rain forest setting. Hilo, about 45 minutes away, has more hotels, restaurants and a farmers market. Kona, on the dry west side, is about two to two and a half hours away.

When to go

The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day. Weather at the summit is cool and often wet in any season; winter, from about November to March, is generally rainier. The coast at the end of Chain of Craters Road is warmer and drier. Crowds are larger during the US winter, spring break and summer holidays. Eruption activity, not the calendar, is the biggest factor in what you’ll see.

Getting there

Fly into Hilo International Airport, about 45 minutes from the park, or Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, about two to two and a half hours away. Most visitors rent a car; public transit to the park is very limited. If you are staying in Kona, consider spending at least one night near the park rather than driving back and forth.

What it costs

Entry is $30 per private vehicle for seven days, or covered by the annual America the Beautiful pass. Volcano House rooms often run from about $250 to $450 a night. Rentals in Volcano Village and hotels in Hilo are often cheaper. Ranger programs are free.

Packing list

• A rain jacket and a warm fleece for the cool, wet summit
• Sturdy closed-toe shoes for sharp lava rock
• A headlamp or flashlight for evening viewing
• Water and snacks; services in the park are limited
• Sun protection for Chain of Craters Road and the coast
• Binoculars for the crater and birds

With kids

Kids love the lava tube, the steam vents and the idea that the ground is still being made. Kīlauea Iki is manageable for school-age kids with breaks. The Junior Ranger program is excellent here. Watch children closely near crater edges and cracks, and be cautious about volcanic gases with infants and young kids.

Common mistakes

Expecting tropical heat. The summit is often cool and rainy. Pack layers.

Planning a trip around seeing lava. Eruptions start and stop. Enjoy the park either way.

Visiting Nāhuku at midday. Go early or late.

Taking a lava rock home. It’s illegal, disrespectful and, many say, bad luck.

Driving down Chain of Craters Road with an empty tank. There are no services.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your visit

1. Check eruption status and air quality the week you travel.
2. Book Volcano House or a rental in Volcano Village.
3. Plan Kīlauea Iki and Nāhuku for your first morning.
4. Read our best time to visit Hawaii guide to plan the rest of your trip.