10 Best Things to Do in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
From the wettest rainforests east of the Kīlauea Caldera to the driest deserts west of Uēkahuna, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and diverse National Parks in the entire country—spanning from sea level to nearly 14,000 ft (4,267 m) at the summit of Mauna Loa!
This is why I believe that, from scenic drive-up viewpoints to trails of varying lengths and difficulties, to even the simplest activities like watching some of Hawaiʻi’s rarest endemic birds fly around the ʻŌhiʻa canopy near the Kīlauea Visitor Center, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes truly has something to offer to every type of visitor!
All this to say, I highly recommend coming to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with the intention of exploring the park in all its different environments and weather, as the landscape will change drastically over very short distances, which is why it’s important to come prepared for both the wettest and driest conditions—depending on where you choose to spend your time.
What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park?
I have written a long, detailed, separate article about this subject in terms of visiting Hawaiʻi in general, but as for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park specifically, my answer is a little bit different.
By this, I mean that in most U.S. National Parks, I believe there is one best season to visit, but in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, I believe there is no best time of year—or, in other words, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is a great year-round destination!
That said, it is true that Hawaiʻi has both a wet and dry season, with winters being rainier and summers being sunnier. However, the best of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is centered around the Kīlauea Caldera, which straddles the line between the very wet windward side of Hawaiʻi Island and the very dry Kaʻū Desert to the west. This unique position often creates much more beautiful, sunny weather in the park, even if it’s raining down the hill in Hilo, and this contrast can best be seen on a satellite image in Google Maps.
On top of this, the average elevation around the Kīlauea Caldera is 4,000 ft. (1,219 m), which means that even during the hottest summer months, the temperatures around the best parts of the park and on the trails are quite comfortable!
It’s for all these reasons that I think trying to choose the best time of year to visit Hawaiʻi Volcanoes is arbitrary, and it would make much more sense to try to visit at the last second for an active eruption than to try to target a specific season.
Hiking Checklist - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Obviously, for camping, you will need general backpacking gear. For this reason, I wrote a separate post about what backpacking gear is worth the money, from my experience, and what the best alternatives are to save you money.
Read My Separate Post: Best Ultralight Backpacking Gear
In addition, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
10 Best Things to Do Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst.
That said, many of the best things to do in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park are concentrated around the Kīlauea Caldera, but I highly encourage you to explore all areas of the park, as some of the best and most beautiful adventures are found in less crowded areas, such as the Kahuku District and Mauna Loa.
On a different note, you can save time when you arrive by purchasing your National Park pass, along with your other outdoor gear, at REI before traveling to the park!
1. Kīlauea Iki Trail
Distance: 3.4 miles / 5.5 km
The Kīlauea Iki Trail is a stunning day hike that begins in one of the wettest rainforests on the island, descends into a barren and desolate volcanic crater, and ultimately climbs back into the rainforest on the far side of the crater, where it finishes by completing a loop back around to the beginning!
Needless to say, the Kīlauea Iki Trail has an incredible amount of diversity, which is why it’s one of my favorite day hikes in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park!
To learn more about the trail, I highly recommend reading my separate post, where I talk about the full trail and share my thoughts on which direction is best for hiking the full loop.
Read My Separate Post: Kīlauea Iki Trail
2. Crater Rim Trail
Distance (One Way): 7.6 miles / 12.2 km
The Crater Rim Trail is just as the name implies—a loop around the perimeter of the beautiful Halemaʻumaʻu Crater!
That said, the Crater Rim Trail has changed over the years from what was once a full loop to what is now a partial loop around Halemaʻumaʻu, as sections of the old trail have become very unstable or collapsed entirely following the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.
Today, the Crater Rim Trail follows a U-shape around the east side (wet side) of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, which, in my opinion, is the most beautiful side of the entire trail!
Now, even though the Crater Rim Trail is much shorter from its original 11.0-mile (17.7 km) distance, visitors today often only hike portions of the full trail, as a roundtrip hike would make for a very long adventure.
However, what many don’t know is that the Crater Rim Trail can be one of best one-way and all-downhill hikes in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, allowing visitors the opportunity to see the entire 7.6-mile (12.2 km) trail, while excluding the need to hike back up to Kīlauea Summit at the end!
To learn more, I encourage you to read all the details in my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Crater Rim Trail
3. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Helicopter Tour
On the Big Island, there are many different helicopter tours to consider, which I break down in more detail in my separate Hawaiʻi Island article.
However, there are a few specific helicopter tours that focus solely on Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the Kīlauea Caldera specifically, which easily makes them the best choice if you’re interested in seeing the volcano from above!
That said, a Hawaiʻi Volcanoes helicopter tour would be my number one recommendation on this list if you happen to be visiting the Big Island during an active eruption, as having the opportunity to see an eruption from the air is surely an experience you don’t want to miss!
4. Nāhuku Trail (Thurston Lava Tube)
Distance: 0.4 miles / 0.6 km
Nāhuku, formerly called the Thurston Lava Tube, is a short and stunning day hike that begins in one of the wettest rainforests in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park before descending to a large underground lava tube, where visitors walk in one entrance and out the other before looping back around to the beginning!
For all these reasons, the Nāhuku Trail is one of my favorite easy hikes in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the best part is that it is very short, making it a great adventure for people of all abilities!
Read My Separate Post: Nāhuku Trail (Thurston Lava Tube)
5. Haʻakulamanu Trail (Sulphur Banks)
Distance: 1.3 miles / 2.1 km
The Haʻakulamanu Trail, also called the Sulphur Banks Trail, is a beautiful and easy day hike along a mix of trail and boardwalks that pass a steaming plateau of thermal features, much like those found in places like the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park or Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
That said, the Haʻakulamanu Trail is most often hiked as a loop with the Crater Rim Trail, instead of out-and-back, which ultimately allows visitors the opportunity to enjoy two beautiful adventures at the same time.
Read My Separate Post: Haʻakulamanu Trail (Sulphur Banks)
6. Kīpuka Puaulu Trail
Distance: 1.2 miles / 1.9 km
The Kīpuka Puaulu Trail, also spelled Kīpukapuaulu, is a beautiful, easy loop at the base of Mauna Loa that winds its way through a native forest isolated from the surrounding landscape by younger lava flows.
This is essentially what the term Kīpuka means, and over time, this isolation has allowed Kīpuka Puaulu to evolve separately from the area that surrounds it, meaning the intact native forest within contains a number of rare and endemic native species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth!
This is all to say that Kīpuka Puaulu is mostly about experiencing what a true native Hawaiian forest is supposed to look like, and while the trail is fairly straightforward, I encourage you to check out my separate post, where I talk about a few of the native plants along the trail from the perspective of someone who formerly studied and focused on Hawaiʻi’s rare and endangered plant species at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Read My Separate Post: Kīpuka Puaulu Trail
7. Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs Trail
Distance: 1.3 miles / 2.1 km
The Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs Trail is an easy out-and-back trail off the lower elevations of Chain of Craters Road that leads across a barren lava flow to a short boardwalk, where visitors can see a number of ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs carved into the lava rock!
For this reason, I think the short Puʻu Loa Trail is truly a must-see when driving the lower elevations of Chain of Craters Road to the coast, as it really is a quick and easy stop before continuing down to the Hōlei Sea Arch, just 2.4 miles (3.9 km) away.
Read My Separate Post: Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs Trail
8. Mauna Loa Trail (Red Hill Cabin)
Distance (Roundtrip to Puʻu ʻUlaʻula): 15.0 miles / 22.5 km
The Mauna Loa Trail to Puʻu ʻUlaʻula, more commonly known as the Red Hill Cabin, is a fun and not-too-challenging backcountry adventure that gradually climbs its way to a beautiful alpine cabin located at just over 10,000 ft. (3,048 m) on the slopes of Mauna Loa!
That said, there are many overnight backcountry destinations in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but of all there is to consider, I personally think the Mauna Loa Trail to Puʻu ʻUlaʻula is the best!
To learn more about this amazing adventure, as well as how to secure a permit, I recommend reading all the details in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Mauna Loa Trail (Red Hill Cabin)
9. Halemaʻumaʻu Trail
Distance: 1.6 miles / 2.6 km
The Halemaʻumaʻu Trail is a relatively short, easy day hike near the Kīlauea Visitor Center that descends below the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater to the lower levels within the Kīlauea Caldera.
That said, the Halemaʻumaʻu Trail is the best, safest, and easiest way to hike below the rim—not to mention, hiking the trail early in the day is the best way to see Hawaiʻi’s native Honeycreepers flying around the Kīlauea Visitor Center, particularly the ʻAmakihi and the ʻApapane!
Read My Separate Post: Halemaʻumaʻu Trail
10. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Private Tour
With guided tours departing from both Hilo and Kailua-Kona, visitors have the opportunity to explore the best of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, including tours that exclusively focus on active lava flows through the expertise of a local guide!
Specifically, a private active lava tour is something that can be inquired about from the last tour on the list below (conditions permitting), which is truly the only way to get up close and see the eruption in lesser-known parts of the park, as local guides who do this work daily have knowledge of the most up-to-date information and conditions that the general public simply does not.
Bonus: Pauahi & Puhimau Crater
From the edges of the Kīlauea Rainforest to the Hōlei Sea Arch down along the coast, there are a ton of different pull-over spots off Chain of Craters Road, but of all the stops to consider, both Pauahi and Puhimau Crater are my favorites!
Google Maps Directions: Pauahi Crater / Puhimau Crater
Why am I Recommending these Viator Tours?
One of my favorite things about booking through Viator is the reserve-now-and-pay-later option. As long as you’re booking more than three days in advance, you have the option to book ahead and cancel in the future if you change your mind.
3 Things to Know Before Visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
1. Come prepared for a variety conditions.
I’m not kidding when I say that conditions in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park change very drastically over very short distances.
For example, one second the Kīlauea Iki Trail is traversing a dense tropical rainforest, but the moment the switchbacks reach the crater floor, the canopy abruptly comes to an end, opening up to an expansive volcanic landscape with very few trees.
In another example, you could easily be visiting the wetter sides of Kīlauea near the visitor center, only for the environment to get much hotter and more exposed by driving down to the Puʻu Loa Petroglyphs, or much cooler on the drive up to the Mauna Loa Trail.
This is why it’s important to be prepared for lots of rain, sun, and very cold—sometimes winter—weather, depending on what part of the park you’re trying to see.
2. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park should not be a day trip.
For many first-time visitors, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes is treated as a one-day stop when visiting the Big Island, but I believe that if just one day is all you budget, you’ll miss out on many of the best things to do, as there really is so much to see!
That said, I recommend visiting for at least two days—if not more—but I am biased in that I like to travel slower and see fewer places, but see those places well.
3. Hilo and Kona are both practical places to stay when visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes.
Hilo is definitely closer and more convenient to all the best things centered around the Kīlauea Caldera, but if you’d prefer to book your stay on the typically sunnier Kona side of Hawaiʻi Island, I don’t think it’s impractical to get an early start, spend all day in the park, and return to Kona at the end of the day.
This is especially true if you plan to visit the Kahuku District in Ocean View on the south side of the Big Island.
Native Plants in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
I wanted to include this last section on this post because this is a subject that’s personal to me.
The native plant biodiversity in Hawaiʻi is insane, and I say this because 90% of the native plants that you will see around the islands—especially in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park—are found nowhere else on Earth, which I mention for two reasons.
The first is that I ask that you please do everything you can to minimize your impact on Hawaiʻi’s trails, as many native plants across the islands at risk of extinction. The second is that if you have a personal interest in the subject or may be curious about something that you found, I wrote a separate post entirely about native Hawaiian plants, which hopefully can help to identify anything that you might be curious about!
For example, this species in the photo below can only be found on the Island of Hawaiʻi and nowhere else on Earth!
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
