Why A Trip To Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Has To Be On Your Bucket List
By Megan Shute|Updated on January 29, 2022(Originally published January 23, 2022)
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
With more than 323,000 acres to explore, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the state’s largest national park – and it’s still growing! The park is also home to Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world’s most massive subaerial volcano, making Hawaii Volcanoes National Park the national park to visit in Hawaii.
While it would take days – or even weeks – to explore all this captivating state park has to offer, there are several highlights, many of which you will find along Crater Rim Drive. Luckily, we’ve rounded up the attractions you cannot miss while in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Your first stop will be at the Kilauea Visitors Center.
Here you can pick up the latest information on trails, road conditions, safety precautions and ranger-led activities. The visitors center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a great stop off before you go out and explore.
The museum, which is dedicated to all things volcanology, has got to be one of the busiest locations in the park. Displays are full of equipment used by scientists in the past to study volcanoes, working seismographs, and an exhibit that warns just what can happen when you get a little too close to the lava. It provides a fascinating, in-depth look at the science involved in monitoring these volcanoes.
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A trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park isn’t complete without a visit to the Kilauea overlook.
The road signs indicate that it is a picnic area, and while the views are similar to those you will find at the Jaggar museum, it is usually much less crowded. The caldera is approximately two miles wide and more than three miles long. It’s a fascinating place to stop and take a look.
The steam vents and steaming bluff are next on the drive.
The steam vents are located 0.8 miles past the visitors center, where ground water seeps to the hot volcanic rocks in the area and returns to the surface as steam. Just a short walk away is the steaming bluff, a grassy meadow with ground cracks and steam concentrated in fractures along the edge of the caldera. With so many things to do outside in Hawaii, we think this park is up there as one of the best.
According to the National Park Service, "volcanic gases seep out of the ground along with groundwater steam. These gases are rich in carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide – the gas that smells like rotten eggs. Some sulfur gases deposit pure crystals at Sulphur Banks. Other sulfur gases form sulfuric acid, which breaks down the lava to clay." The clay is stained brown and red with iron oxide. Pregnant women, infants, young children, and those with heart or respiratory problems should avoid this part of the journey. Skip it, and just look at the photos instead!
After the steam vents and sulfur banks, you should make your way to the Kilauea Iki Overlook, and a wildly popular hiking trail in Hawaii.
This popular 4-mile loop trail through the Kilauea Iki Crater, which was the site of a massive 1959 volcanic eruption, leads hikers through lush rainforests, near active steam and sulfur vents, and across a solidified lava lake. It was voted as the Big Island’s favorite scenic hiking trail by Hawaii Magazine. If you have extra time to complete this hike, you should definitely do it.
The 20-minute walk to Thurston Lava Tube is definitely easy as far as hiking is concerned, but the 500-foot cave-like tunnel is one of the most unique experiences you will have in Hawaii. There aren’t many places in the world you can experience something like this.
You’ve also got to drive the Chain of Craters Road.
As the name indicates, this scenic road leads drivers to the coast, past several craters from historic eruptions. Since the road was opened in 1965, several parts of the road have been buried in lava due to volcanic eruptions. The Chain of Craters Road currently measures in at 18.8 miles, and there is no food, water of fuel available along the path. Make sure you have all you need before you head out on this adventure.
Other park highlights include Pu’u Pua’I Overlook, Devastation Trail, and a hike to Keanakako’I Crater.
A former historic and private residence, the former owner and his family claimed to see an apparition of an elderly woman. She has also been seen in guest rooms, and wandering the halls. Sightings of a ghostly white dog have also been reported on the entrance road to the hotel. But it’s still a wonderful place to spend the night!
And lastly, we must remind you that this park is dangerous.
While most of the park is accessible to visitors, you should head warnings and avoid venturing off of the marked trails, or into closed areas within the park. You don’t want to fall into an active steam vent, or through a fragile layer of newly formed lava rock, do you? Keep aware, be prepared, and have a wonderful time at this incredible national park in Hawaii.
If you’ve looking for a national park to visit in Hawaii, would you go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Is there another attraction that you like more? Let us know in the comments below!
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How old are the volcanoes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Many of the volcanoes on the Hawaiian islands are over 70 million years old. In comparison, the volcanoes on the island of Hawaii are must younger, clocking just .7 million years old. When thinking of the age of the Earth it’s very young, even though it’s almost a million years old!
Are the volcanoes erupting at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Yes! These volcanoes are very young and very active. In fact, the Kilauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the entire world. Right now it’s erupting, and it does somewhat frequently. Make sure you plan ahead and look up what areas are available to be visited on your trip.
