Volcano

Kilauea Volcano

The volcano area is a serious rain forest of 200 " a year with a 4,000' Elevation A Big Island must see, you may need: good hiking shoes, warm clothes, raincoat & flashlight. Park Service: (808)9677311 & 9677977.

Mark Twain at the Kilauea Volcano, 1866:

"Shortly the crater came into view. I have seen Vesuvius since, but it was a mere toy, a child's volcano, a soup kettle, compared to this...Here was a yawning pit upon whose floor the armies of Russia could camp, and have room to spare."

When you plan to see the volcano, and most do, you might want to consider the following: The volcano area is a serious rain forest of 150-200 inches a year and the elevation is right at 4,000'. It can be most beautiful but it can also be cold, foggy, windy and raining like you wouldn't believe. Be sure to bring along good hiking shoes, raincoat (or an emergency big clear garbage bag), flashlights, warm clothes and perhaps a change. The Park Service (808) 985-6000 will help you with general park information. Volcano eruption information can be obtained at (808)985-6000 . Or call one of the local businesses and ask about the weather that day.

The best time to see the active volcano is after dark. The road down to the volcano on the chain of craters road takes nearly an hour and the walk across the lava fields to the viewing site takes about 20 minutes. You will need a flashlight for each member of your party to be allowed on the trail by the Forestry Service.

You will find many B&Bs and Inn's around the Volcano area of which My Island and the The Country Goose you will find as two of the finest. It takes roughly 5 hours of actual driving time to drive around the Big Island, but it makes a long day to see all of the sights. Some folks stay in a dryer area like Kona and then drive the Island in a day and see the sights and finish up at the Volcano and either spend the night at Volcano or drive back to Kona in the evening, about a 2 hr.+ drive. However you do it, no trip to the Big Island is complete without a trip to the Volcano.