Stop here to ask a park ranger some questions, fill up your water bottle or use the restroom. If you didn’t bring a jacket, the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center usually has sweatshirts for sale. You might want to pick one up here as temperatures vary drastically across the park. Once you’re done, turn around and drive back the same way you came. The road to start the tour is just past the front entrance.

Note: The Visitor’s Center closes at 5:00 p.m.

Please note: Due to Covid-19,  the Visitor Center exhibits and theater are closed. However, the park bookstore, lānai, and restrooms are still open.

More of a stroll than a hike, the Mauna Ulu Fissure Hike is at the site of a 1969 eruption that spewed lava up to 200 feet in the air, destroying a Ohia -- a native Hawaiian plant -- forest in the area. As you walk you’ll see lava trees and a variety of volcanic formations. The trail is marked with stacked rocks.

One of our favorite stops on the tour, the Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs Hike tells the story of Hawaii’s past. As you walk along this trail you’ll see ancient petroglyphs, or inscribed images on stone. This hike takes about 20 minute each way and ends at a well maintained wooden boardwalk that circles many of the 23,000 petroglyphs in this area. In fact, this site is home to the largest grouping of petroglyphs in Hawaii! As you walk remember to respect the sacredness of this place.

Note: This hike can get hot and there's no shade. Remember to bring water.

This 1.2-mile hike (round trip) is actually a leisurely walk along a paved path where you’ll see more steam rising from the ground.

Here you can get a wonderful aerial view of the Kilauea Iki Crater. Continue down the road to see Thurston Lava Tube and to get to the shorter hike to Kilauea Iki Crater.

Does seeing the views of massive volcanic craters ever get old? We didn’t think so! Chain of Craters Road got its name from the handful of massive craters with viewpoints along the road. This crater was likely formed around 1500-1800 AD. It’s a gigantic pit crater and in our opinion, it’s one of the best views on the tour. What’s a pit crater you ask? It’s when an empty volcano collapses and forms a giant hole.

Take a short walk to the boardwalk where you can take an epic photo in front of Pauahi Crater -- another huge pit crater that’s roughly 360 feet deep and 1,600 feet long.

Pull over and get out of your car for a quick stop at Muliwai A Pele. In Hawaiian, Muliwai means river of lava. This lookout might just appear to me more lava rock, but from a bird’s-eye view you can actually see how the Mauna Ulu eruption flowed from this volcanic cone about 5-miles down into the ocean... truly a river of lava.



Kealakomo overlook is a platform built on top of holei pali, a steep cliff with a 2,000 foot (600 m) drop. If you brought a picnic, there are tables at the overlook that you can use. Otherwise, there is a snack shack and  a few picnic tables at the end of the road. Note it can sometimes get a little windy here at this overlook.

At the Kealakomo lookout, in addition to the panoramic view of the pacific ocean, you will also have an expansive view of the vast lava flow in 1971 that completely buried the village of kealakomo.

This overlook is the last view from this high up before you descend to the ocean level.

Located at the end of the Chain of Craters Road, this 90-foot sea arch was formed from an ancient lava tube, roughly 500 years ago, that hardened as it entered the ocean. And just within the last 100 years or so, the sea arch was created by ocean erosion. Here you will also find a small ranger shed that sells snacks and drinks, porta-potty restrooms and picnic tables at the end of the road. This is a good place for a break after all the fun you’ve had today.

You’ll feel like you’re on Mars as you take in the terrain on your walk along Devastation Trail. This one-mile trail takes you along the path of a destructive and explosive eruption dating back to 1959.

Along the way you’ll see spots where life is beginning to regrow and find a large barren lava mound called the Pu’u Pu’ahi Cinder Cone -- a perfect example of how mother nature forms new mountains.

Even though this trail has a name hard to pronounce and is a little ways down the road from the Visitor’s center, this hike is THE best nature walk in the park. The word Kipuka in Hawaiian means an older area of vegetation that is surrounded by a recent lava flow. So what you will find here are many beautiful old growth trees with lush tropical vegetation. You will see a huge diversity of rare plants, trees, and even animals such as peasants and a type of quail that forage the floors here.

The trail is an easy 1.2 mile loop trail that is located in a special area outside the National park. The hike should take about 1 to 1.5 hours to hike and has informative placards for various native plants and trees along the way.

Perhaps you heard about the 2018 Kilauea eruption that destroyed homes and roads and closed down parts of the park? Well, prior to the eruption, Halemaʻumaʻu Crater (which is part of Kilauea) was filled with lava. At night, you could see an orange glow emanating from the crater below. Now, there’s a small lava lake at the bottom of the crater.

Stop and stare at a cloud of steam formed from underground water meeting hot volcanic rock.

The Kilauea Military Camp dates back almost 100 years and offers accommodations near the park for military families. Although civilians can’t stay at the camp, the game room and cafe are open to the public if you need to make a pit stop.

Perhaps you heard about the 2018 Kilauea eruption that destroyed homes and roads and closed down parts of the park? Well, prior to the eruption, Halemaʻumaʻu Crater (which is part of Kilauea) was filled with lava. At night, you could see an orange glow emanating from the crater below. Now, there’s a small lava lake at the bottom of the crater.

In this area you will notice the vegetation suddenly looks dead. Pull over to the side of the road to learn a bit of geology about a thermal hot spot where magma is believed to be just 500 feet below the surface.

Some people call this pit crater the best kept secret in the park. You won’t see signage, so be sure to listen closely to the tour. There’s a 5-minute walk to the crater’s edge but when you get there you’ll see a 165-feet deep and 150-feet wide crater. Be sure to keep your distance from the edge — there’s no railing.

Pull over quickly and try to look for South Point in the distance. On clear days you might be able to catch a view.