Adventures on the Big Island of Hawai'i - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Midway through our stay on the Big Island of Hawai'i we were determined to visit Volcanoes National Park. Everyone we spoke to raved about the experience. Having never seen...as Dr. Evil would say "liquid hot magma", I was stoked to witness the plot line of movies like Dante's Peak and Volcano staring Tommy Lee Jones.

We got up at the crack of down, 4:00am to be precise, to start the two hour drive to the park. We all agreed the night before that seeing the volcano at sunrise was a must. When we arrived it was a little brisk, but we were able to get a stunning view of the Kilauea Crater from the Visitor's Center along with a handful of other folks. During daytime hours, you can see the plum of smoke, but miss out on the orange glow. From there we continued to explore the park the rest of the day. We saw the Thurston Lava Tubes, or rather sulfur smoke rising above the trees, along with some really unique vegetation and mega-ferns.

In the afternoon we drove down the main road to the Holei Sea Arch. From there we ventured 8 or so miles over hot-ass lava to a viewpoint where you can observe lava from Kilauea pouring in to the sea. Because of the dangers of the lava and prior accidents, you are not allowed to get very close to this location. A pair of binoculars is highly recommended. Also, if you choose to do the hike from the Sea Arch, be warned, it's long, it's hot, there is no shade, and you will be traversing uneven hardened lava and inhaling lots of sulfur.

All that being said, I definitely recommend this hike. I have never hiked in a place so unique. If you are turned off by the above description, you should opt to rent bikes in a town near Hilo. There is a more direct gravel bike route that allows you to access the same viewpoint without having to hike. I was somewhat annoyed when we finally made it to the viewpoint to see others who were getting off bicycles and hadn't even broken a sweat...but oh well, still worth it.

Enjoy!