Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
We were in full awe of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawai’i's Big Island. Regular lava flows from the Kilauea Caldera have turned the landscape into its own particular version of Planet Earth: Charcoal-black, undulating and seemingly endless.
But in fact, the park is made up of seven distinct ecological zones that stretch from the Mauna Loa volcano to the Pacific Ocean far below.
Since Hawaii evolved 3,000 miles from nowhere, 90% of what you’ll see here isn’t found anywhere else. It’s as unique as love itself.
HVNP warrants at least one overnight stay, more if you want to more fully explore the park by hiking.
From Kona’s airport on the island’s west coast, it’s a two-hour drive. Head south out of Kona along the Hawai’i Belt Road (11), past Pu’uhonua o Honaunau Park and Manuka State Wayside Park, then northeast through macadamia orchards and the Kau Forest Reserve.
From Hilo on the east coast, take the 11 southwest for 45 minutes.
When you arrive at the park, you’re asked to pay the princely sum of a $10 entrance fee. Once inside, welcome to another reality.
During the day:
- Visit the Kilauea Visitor Center to learn about area wildlife and the legend of Pele the volcano god
- Tour the Jaggar Museum to get the topographical lay of the crater
- Drive the 18-mile Chain of Craters Road for sweeping vistas or to access a handful of hikes
- Drive the 11-mile Crater Rim Drive Tour
Clockwise from top left: Steam vents, cooled lava flow and the Thurston Lava Tube
Along the Crater Rim Drive, don’t miss:
- walking through the Thurston Lava Tube, nestled into a lush rainforest
- active steam vents along a wheat-hued, cratered plain
- lava tundras that have cooled in ripples, lumps, waves, cracks and tiles
- native grasses dotted with reedy shoots of wild iris
- vast former lava craters that used to service a community need for human sacrifice
- five European tourists for every one American (Note: HVNP is a great place to brush up on both geology and foreign languages)
Or, be entirely alone off by yourselves, looking out over a moonscape of lava all the way to the blue Pacific.
Lava-flow to the Pacific Ocean? Yeah, they've got that.
In the late afternoon:
Go to the end of Highway 130, park, and trek about an hour to see the spectacular, glowing lava flow from the Kilauea Caldera into the Pacific Ocean. Be prepared for rocky terrain, pitch dark, thirst, and hunger; bring sturdy shoes, long pants, water, snacks, and a flashlight. Just before sunset is the best viewing time.
If you’re dressed inappropriately for the journey, any ranger you encounter will be happy to look you up and down, knit their eyebrows together, and point you back to your car. They may even throw in the oft-told tale of the Japanese tourist who walked too close to the lava/ocean miasma, slipped and fell in to her crispy, tragic death.
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is home to the southernmost point in the U.S.
In the evening:
Sleep at Hale Ohia Cottages, which just made National Geographic Traveler‘s 2009 Stay List. We loved waking up in the quiet, cozy Iiwi Cottage, romping across the sprawling, hydrangea-rimmed lawn of the faux-19th century main house, and cuddling with the friendly resident cat, Dixon.
Places to eat inside the park are slim to none. Outside the park in Volcano Village, have:
- Woodfired pizza and grilled Mediterranean specialties at the Kiawe Kitchen
- Beautiful Thai food (and hilarious Thai music videos) at Thai Thai
- A hearty breakfast amidst historic photos of lava flows at the Lava Rock Cafe
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See also
A Hui Hou, Hilo
Hawai’i in Bloom
Shipman House: Back in Time, Hawai’i Style
Dreaming of Hawaii
TWT Travel Binder: Hawaii
so – Hawaii? Good for travellers, just as much as it is for the tourists, eh? I’ve been wondering if I should make my way down there. I’ve been playing with the idea for some time now.