Hawai means beaches, sun, volcanoes, lava, tourism, travel and more. The park’s centerpiece, Kilauea, has been active as recently as 2018, and visitors should be aware that portions of the park are closed during periods of seismic activity that might pose a threat. Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, Volcanoes National Park offers an unique, close-up look at an active volcano system where lava seeps from fissures in the earth. The surrounding landscape is shaped by cooled lava rock, both old and new, which has flowed over roads in a display of its unstoppable force. During the area’s most active periods, tourists have the chance of experiencing the thrill of feeling seismic activity, hearing the boom of gas emissions, or even seeing a pillar of ash escaping into the air. The park has many things to do and see, including the Thurston Lava Tube, the Jagger Museum, Devastation Trail, and the steaming Halema’uma’u crater. Address: 1 Crater Rim Drive, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii
Kilauea is sometimes called “the world’s only drive-in volcano.” This prolific volcano produces 250,000-650,000 cubic yards of lava per day-enough to resurface a 20-mile-long, two-lane road each day. As of January 1994, 875 acres of new land have been created on the island of Hawaii. Many locals say that Pele, the volcano goddess who lives here, is very unpredictable. The extraordinary natural diversity of the park was recognized in 1980 when it was named a World Biosphere Site by UNESCO and in 1987 when the park was honored as a World Heritage Site. Crater Rim Drive is the 10.6-mile drive that circles Kilauea Caldera. Driving around this loop will take you to the park’s main attractions: the Kilauea overlook, Devastation Trail and Kilauea Iki Crater Overlook.
Mauna Kea, which in Hawaiian means “White Mountain,” is the tallest of Hawaii’s volcanoes and in fact the tallest mountain in the world if measured from the floor of the ocean to its summit. It received its name, no doubt because snow is frequently seen on the summit even from the distant shores. The snow occasionally reaches several feet deep. The summit of Mauna Kea is home to numerous observatories. It is considered one of the best places to view the heavens from the surface of the planet. Several tour companies offer evening trips to the summit of Mauna Kea to view the sunset and then view the stars.
Get access to basic information on the islands, from weather to where to stay, for free! Each of the categories has select free sections so you get a sneak peek at what the full package will include. More at Volcano Lava Flow. “The directions are so thorough. You’ll always find the best scenic drives and hole in the wall restaurants that will make your trip unforgettable. The maps lead you straight to where you want to go with exact instructions! My trip wouldn’t have been half as good without this app.”
Kilauea is considered one of the worlds most frequently active volcanoes. If you just look at the number of Kilauea eruptions recorded since Europeans arrived, there have been 62 eruptions in 245 years, which comes out to 1 eruption every 3.95 years. However, this completely ignores the fact that some of the eruptions lasted a long time. For example, the current eruption started in January of 1983 and has been continuous ever since! Likewise, there was an active lava lake in the summit caldera from at least 1823 until 1924, while at the same time eruptions would take place elsewhere on the flanks of the volcano.