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Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, HI

Photo: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Crater Rim Drive, Kīlauea summit · Volcano, HI

Why you should go…

Established in 1916, this park on the island of Hawaiʻi takes in two volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, and rises from sea level to 13,679 feet. Crater Rim Drive circles part of Kīlauea's summit, and Chain of Craters Road drops down the volcano's slopes to the sea. You can take short day hikes across volcanic ground, visit Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), and look for eruption viewing spots when Kīlauea is active. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • #national park
  • #volcano
  • #lava tube
  • #scenic drive
  • #hiking

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Kīlauea

    $25–$50

    See one of Earth's most active volcanoes and its summit caldera inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

    2.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Mauna Kea

    Free

    Stop at the visitor station at 9,200 feet, then take a four-wheel drive road to Hawaii's highest summit and its observatories.

    30 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

    Under $25

    Walk the Royal Grounds and a centuries-old place of refuge guarded by carved wooden kiʻi on the Kona coast.

    43 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Kealakekua Bay

    Free

    Snorkel a protected marine bay and see the white monument marking where Captain Cook was killed in 1779 on the Kona coast.

    43 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area

    Under $25

    Swim, bodysurf and picnic on one of the few white-sand beaches along the Big Island's west coast, south of Kawaihae.

    53 mi awayMore like this