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Lava viewing in Hawaii Kilauea

Visit Hawaii and view lava flowing from Kilauea into the Pacific Ocean. Mt Kilauea on Hawaiis Big Island is one of worlds most easily accessible volcanoes often called the "drive by volcano" as many of the main sites are accessible by car within the Hawaii volcanoes National Park. There is a lot to see here so a couple of days is advised especially if you want to all the walks. Read on for more Mount Kilauea facts and Kilauea eruption information.

The Kilauea Summit area is currently experiencing the first eruptive activity since 1924. Visitors should check the with the visitor centre before proceeding to check access to summit area.Lava viewing is possible near the southern coast where t flows spectacularly into the sea.

Chain of craters road

The road is not affected by current activity. The 40 mile round trip down to the coast along the chain of craters road is your best opportunity to see molten lava. The road descends 3700 ft to the coast along the Eastern Rift zone(webcam). You will cross numerous lava fields and get some scale of the output of Kilauea. There is plenty to see on the way down. Lua Manu ( Bird crater),Puhimau (Ever smoking),Hi'iaka last erupted in 1973 covering the road with lava,Pauahi (Destroyed by Fire) at 520m long and 100m deep last erupted in 1973 and Mauna Ulu last active in 1973.
From the Mauna Ulu car park the 10 mile Napau Trail starts , the first mile is worth doing if you are short on time.
Further on down the road descends steeply over a stepped scarp which has lava from Mauna Ulu draped down its face.You may be able to see the steam and smoke from the ongoing eruption as you descend to the coast. The white dots are probably people!

Once near the coast it becomes obvious where to park- on the roadside with all the other cars! Here you leave the car behind and start your hike out over some of the newest land on earth. There is a national park cabin offerning advice and warning on walking to the lava flows. The trail to the lava is partly marked over pahoe hoe but is by no means a definite path and you may find yourself weaving around a bit. The ground is still hot in places but for the most part is over smooth new pahoehoe from the Pu'u' oo eruption.

The crust can give way so watch where you put your feet. If you are planning to stay past dusk then it is absolutely vital to take a torch with you. The sun sets roughly at 7pm in Hawaii but here it sets behind Kilaeua and it gets dark even quicker. The ropes are their to keep you safe as the coast line can suddenly collapse (bench collapse) or the lava explode on contact with the sea.The path has only one beacon on to guide lava hunters back to their car. What you will see at the end of the trail is dependent on current activity you might see rivers of lava cascading beautifully into the sea or you might not! So it is worth checking on activity with the Park rangers or the link below. Take a camera and plenty of water its hot work this lava watching in the tropical sun and you might be so mesmerised you stay out longer than you thought.