Visiting

When visiting Hawaii’s active volcanoes, it is a good idea to check with the park’s website or to call the park to see if there are any closings due to the fumes or a change in the volcanic activity in the area. In this way, the tourist can make an informed decision as to the areas that he wishes to visit that are still open. For those that only want to spend a few hours in the park, there are roads that can be driven that take tourists across the summits of the volcanoes and through deserts and rain forests. These drives can take from two to five hours, depending on the amount of stops that are made to read information or do short hikes into the landscape.

In addition to the drives, there are also places to hike and bike to see Hawaii’s active volcanoes. Some of these trails are paved and handicap accessible. Other areas are not, and are only for those who are in good physical condition. In other places, there is a mixture of hiking and biking trails as well as camp grounds so that individuals can spend more time in the midst of nature, exploring and experiencing all that Hawaii’s active volcanoes have to offer.

If individuals want something more structured, there are tours that are given by the rangers in the park. Some of these are only talks, but there is a tour of the summit that is given every day, twice per day, to allow individuals to learn about the biology, geology and cultural history of the area. There are also junior programs that allow children to learn more about the ecology of the area, offering programs and hikes through the area. In addition, there are programs that allow individuals to help to keep the park clean, explaining about the health of the park and how to keep it clean.

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Touring Hawaii Active Volcanoes

Time Constraints

Whenever visiting the Hawaiian volcanoes, it is a good idea to check the website for the park to see if there are any closings due to hazardous fumes or eruptions. A tourist with a short amount of time does not want to plan on visiting one place and then find that it is closed and have to see if he can reroute to another part of the park.

If a person only has a few hours to visit the Hawaiian volcanoes, there are ways to do a drive through the park to see some of the sites. One of these is the Crater Rim Drive, which gives individuals an opportunity to go for eleven miles through the summit of the volcano. One caution with this drive is that it can be closed during certain times when there is volcanic activity going on. However, when it is open, individuals are able to see much of the summit, the rain forest and also opportunities to stop and take short walks through the scenery as well.

If the person has a little more time to cruise through the park they can take the road that goes by the East Rift of the Hawaiian volcanoes. This road goes by the coast line of the region and explores twenty miles of the Chain of Craters road. This road also has to be checked for accessibility since there are active lava flows in the area which mean that the landscape is always different when tourists visit, but also that parts of the road may close at times for safety reasons. One precaution on this road is to fuel up, not only the car but also with any water or snacks that the tourists require since there are not any stops to get these things along the course of the road.

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Visiting Hawaiian Volcanoes

One of the things that many tourists are thrilled to see are the volcanoes. Since Hawaii is formed on the tops of volcanoes, volcanoes figure prominently in the history and culture of Hawaii. Where can you learn more about these fascinating geologic forms? There are many places to get more information about the Hawaiian volcanoes.

Volcanoes National Park

Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, Volcanoes National Park is a great place to learn more about the volcanoes of Hawaii. Near the entrance of the part is the Kilauea Visitor Center. This has exhibits, a movie, information about current Hawaii volcano activities or you can walk and talk with a park ranger.

Within a walk’s distance from here is the edge of Kilauea Caldera. That’s the pit of Halemaumau, which is part of Kilauea Volcano.

A short drive away are the Steam Vents. You can also get information at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum.

You should also plan to drive down the Chain of Craters Road to see what is happening now in terms of volcanic activity. On this adventure, you can follow the road to the coast, and actually see where the Hawaiian volcano lava flows into the ocean.

Being in Hawaii and seeing the volcanoes up close and personal is the best way to get information about the volcanoes in Hawaii.

But I’m Not In Hawaii!

From the mainland, you can get information about the volcanoes in Hawaii other places. Libraries have many books – often with full color photos – that can answer many of your volcano related questions.

There are also films – documentaries – about the volcanoes and volcanic activity in Hawaii. Check with National Geographic and similar magazines for articles as well.

Check Online

If you do a quick search online, you will find a lot of information about the volcanoes in Hawaii. They have spectacular photos and sometimes even videos embedded in the site. There are sites that tell the legends about each volcano, as well. These stories can be very interesting reading and can help you understand the volcanoes and the culture surrounding them even better. The list of resources available over the Internet with information about the volcanoes in Hawaii is almost inexhaustible – it is almost as good as actually being there.

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Information About The Volcanoes In Hawaii

Hawaii – Basic Information

Hawaii is made up of eight main islands. They are Hawaii, Kauai, Niihua, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Oahu. There’s a small island called Kaala, and then nine more land masses that are above sea level, bringing the total of islands to eighteen. Some people also like to take into account the hundred plus rocks and islets that also show above the water line. All in all, that makes 130 or so in the whole area. All of these are considered to be volcanic, marine sedimentary or erosional in origin. This explains why the Hawaiian Islands and lava from the Hawaii volcanoes will be forever linked.

How Were These Volcanoes Formed?

These volcanoes were over a “hot spot” on the earth. As the Hawaiian volcanic lava erupting, these eventually grew taller than sea level, making islands. Then the seafloor moved, at a rate of 7-9 cm a year, the volcanoes moved north, pulling away from the “hot spots.” These volcanoes are no longer active. But two still are, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

There is also Lo’ihi, which is a new volcano! Since Lo`ihi is still about 1,000 meters below sea level, there’s nothing to see above the level of the ocean. The other two active volcanoes are Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

About Hawaiian Volcano Lava

Modern geologists and volcanologists have two words to describe the lava flows from Hawaiian volcanos. The two words are Pahoehoe and ‘a’a.

Pahoehoe is a smooth surfaced lava flow. By contrast ‘a’a is a rough and broken surfaced lava flow. In the Hawaiian Dictionary, Pahoehoe means “smooth and unbroken, or satin (like the fabric)”.

Traditionally, the term ‘a’a is supposed to be the sound of someone walking across the lava in bare feet. While that makes for a clever story, it doesn’t quite match up with the reality. The Hawaiian Dictionary says that ‘a’a means many things, including a small root or vein, stony, to challenge, to burn. Maybe the definitions of burning or challenge are what prompted Hawaiians to call volcanic lava of these types ‘a’a.

Whatever the true meaning, be sure to see both types while you are visiting Hawaii and seeing the volcanic lava.

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Facts About Volcanoes And Lava In Hawaii

What to See

One of the great places to explore in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park is the Crater Rim Drive. This drive goes down about eleven miles of roadway where individuals can see the desert and rain forest as well as the summit of the volcano. There are certain times of year that this roadway will be closed so tourists should check with the park to see if the road is open or if it is closed due to volcanic activity.

Another place to visit in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park is the various places where there are lava flows. Individuals should also check with the park to see what roads are open to see these flows, but once they have, there are many places to drive through or hike through to see them. One such road is the East Rift and coastal area in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park. This road goes for twenty miles through the park along the coastline where there is lava activity in certain sections of the road. This means that the scenic views are always changing, as the lava moves and hardens in the park.

In addition to these drives, there are also day hikes, camping areas and biking trails through Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. Going on these different trails or camping trips give individuals a more personal look at the different things to see in the park, but they also require more time to visit. The drives can be done thoroughly in anywhere from two to five hours, whereas the hikes and the camping can take days to explore. When visiting the park, individuals should always have their cameras and binoculars along so that they can more readily capture the sights of the area, including the various birds and other wildlife that can be found in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park.

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Splendor of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Choices

There are many different Hawaiian volcano tours that are offered daily in the park. It is always wise to check the park’s schedule ahead of time to make sure that a particular tour is still on for the day because, since the volcanoes are active, there are sometimes closings due to the fumes in the park or because the lava flows have shifted. However, most of the daily tours are held in areas that can be explored daily and range in time from twenty minutes to forty five minutes long.

One of these Hawaii volcano tours helps to explain to tourists the Hawaiian island volcanology, or how all of the volcanoes began. This talk takes about twenty minutes to complete and is not an active walk, but rather a seminar on the volcanoes. This talk is usually offered twice per day by the rangers, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

A Hawaiian volcano tour that is led through the park every day, twice per day, is the summit walk. This one takes about forty-five minutes to complete and is led on a paved path through the park. The ranger will explain different biological features that are seen, as well as geological facts and Hawaiian culture. This tour is ideal even for those who are in wheelchairs since the entire path is wheelchair accessible.

There are also Hawaiian volcano tours that are available after it gets dark in the park. These are only offered during certain times of each month and are given as presentations by different guest speakers. There are also junior programs in the park that are designed just for kids so that they can learn about the biology, geology and Hawaiian culture.

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Going on a Hawaiian Volcano Tour

Basics About Hawaii

What we tend to call “Hawaii” is actually a group of islands. There are eight main islands, but also quite a few others that are much smaller. Within the islands collectively called “Hawaii,” or the “Hawaiian Islands” there are fifteen volcanoes. They are part of a large chain in the Pacific Ocean. The chain is called the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. It is 3,600 miles long.

The fifteen volcanoes that are a part of Hawaii are not all active. There are two, however, that still go through the regular pattern of erupting and eroding.

Mauna Loa – The “Monarch Of Mountains”

The highest of the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands is named Mauna Loa. It rises 13,680 feet above sea level (28,680 feet from the sea floor). It is 60 miles long and 30 miles wide, making it the largest single mountain of any kind in the world, and the largest Hawaiian Island volcano.

When Mauno Loa erupts, it is very prolific. It can produce 1 to 5 million tons of lava each hour during the early stages of eruption. Between 1831 and 1950, there were eruptions an average of every 3.6 years.

Kilauea Volcano

Quite a bit smaller, but still impressive, is Kilauea Volcano. It is about 50 miles long and 14 miles wide, and it is located near Mauna Loa. The summit of Kilauea is 4,090 feet above sea level (20,000 feet above the floor of the ocean).

One interesting feature of Kilauea Volcano in the Hawaiian Islands is the “fire pit” called Halemaumau – meaning House of Everlasting Fire – which sometimes has a lake of boiling lava. Periodically, this pit is enlarged by the steam and walls that callapse.

How To See The Hawaii Islands Volcanoes

The best way to really see these two volcanoes is to visit Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. It holds both volcanoes and has excursions to the tops of them, including Halamaumau, near the top of Kilauea Volcano.

Near Kilauea Caldera (at the top of Mauna Loa) is the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum. This museum has much about volcanoes is truly a “not-to-miss” experience.

Volcanoes National Park also has special paths leading to several different craters within the park. There, you can see steam vents and large craters, and from the best vantage points, too!

The next time you visit the Hawaiian Islands, visit the volcanoes!

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Hawaiian Islands Volcanoes Trips