10 Awesome Things to Do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Hunting for the best things to do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park? Well, you’re in luck!

Look, I spent nearly a week exploring this jaw–dropping place last November, and let me tell ya – it’s something else.

This guide? It’s basically my brain dump of the 10 most knock-your-socks-off spots that’ll make your Big Island trip one for the books.

From creepy-cool lava tubes hiding underground to ancient Hawaiian rock carvings and the beastly Kilauea volcano (which, btw, was acting up when I visited!) – each spot has its own weird and wonderful story.

Get ready to have your mind blown traversing Hawai’i Island. Those volcanic landscapes? They’re gonna haunt your dreams – in the best possible way!

Sooooo… ready to dive into this crazy adventure? Let’s roll!

1. Kilauea Iki Trail: One of the Best Things to Do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Okay, hands-down, hiking Kilauea Iki ranks as THE coolest thing I did in the entire park.

This wild trail takes you through proper jungle rainforest and – get this – across an actual hardened lava lake inside Kilauea Iki crater. Like, for real.

Walking across that vast expanse of solidified lava? Totally feels like you’re on another planet. Especially with those deep cracks running through the ground beneath your feet. Freaky AF but amazing!

You’d be nuts to skip this when visiting the park!

Kilauea Iki blew its top during the bonkers 1959 eruption when lava shot up an insane 1900 feet into the air. That’s taller than the Empire State Building, y’all!

Nowadays, folks from all over the globe flock here to check out what’s left of that crazy volcanic temper tantrum.

Along your trek, you’ll spot some wild volcanic formations, super sparkly lava crystals, and those gorgeous red ʻohiʻa blooms (which Hawaiians consider mad sacred).

Pro tip from someone who learned the hard way: drag yourself outta bed and hit this trail EARLY. Like, crack-of-dawn early. By 10am, it’s hotter than hades and crawling with tourists!

2. Halema’uma’u Trail

Not gonna lie, hiking the Halema’uma’u Trail is definitely up there with the dopest experiences in the whole park. This ancient path snakes through thick jungle before dropping you down to the floor of Kilauea Caldera.

That’s where you’ll find the infamous Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake – which, btw, has been going absolutely bonkers with eruptions lately.

Kilauea stands 4091 feet tall and ranks among Earth’s crankiest volcanoes, making it ridiculously fascinating to check out.

The Hawaiian legends about this place are wild – they say the volcano came about from some massive beef between volcano goddess Pele and her sister Hi’iaka. Family drama, volcanic style!

Back in the day (we’re talking old-school tourism), the Halema’uma’u Trail went all the way to the lava lake where tourists would literally fry eggs and light cigars on the hot rocks! Can you even imagine? Talk about playing with fire!

Safety peeps had to cut the trail short after the September 2023 eruption (which I just missed by a couple weeks, darn it!). Now it stops at marker 10.

Still worth every step though – the scenery will make your jaw hit the floor, kinda like Kilauea Iki but with its own funky vibe. I mean, how often do you get to say you took a casual stroll around an ACTIVE VOLCANO? Talk about bragging rights!

3. Thurston Lava Tube Trail

Y’all, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is hiding this absolute GEM that you cannot miss: Thurston Lava Tube cave.

This natural lava tunnel has been chillin’ there for over FIVE HUNDRED years. It used to funnel super–hot lava that was cooking at over 2000°F! That’s hot enough to melt your face off, just sayin’.

Locals call it Nahuku, which might have something to do with the stalactites that used to hang from the ceiling (they’re gone now – tourists in the early days broke them off for souvenirs, SMH).

This crazy tunnel is just one example of how volcanoes have basically sculpted this entire island into the weirdness that it is today.

The path to Thurston Lava Tube is stupid popular cuz it’s easy enough for basically anyone to handle. It winds through this gorgeous rainforest packed with plants I’d never seen before and birds singing their little hearts out.

Inside the cave, they’ve got some lights set up that make everything look all mysterious and cool.

If you’re anything like me and dig weird experiences, try showing up before 8am or after 8pm when the crowds have disappeared and the cave is pitch black.

I’m telling you – you ain’t NEVER experienced darkness like this before. Legit couldn’t see my hand in front of my face!

Just don’t be a dummy like my buddy who forgot a flashlight. He nearly broke his ankle stumbling around in there!

4. Keanakako’i Crater Trail

For anyone who’s into Kilauea volcano (which should be EVERYONE, tbh), you absolutely gotta hike the Keanakako’i trail. Hands down one of the coolest experiences in the whole dang park.

This route follows what used to be Crater Rim Drive before it got totally wrecked. The road used to go all the way around the caldera until the 2018 eruption when parts of it straight-up collapsed or got demolished by lava.

Mother Nature: 1, Human Engineering: 0.

These days, only people hoofing it or on bikes can reach Keanakako’i, which kinda makes it extra special since you don’t have to deal with a gazillion cars and tour buses.

As you’re walking along this abandoned road (which feels super post-apocalyptic, btw), you’ll come across the Keanakako’i Crater with its wild backstory.

It started as a rock quarry where Hawaiians made stone tools until – plot twist! – it got swallowed by a lava flow. Talk about a career change!

Keep your peepers peeled for those adorable Hawaiian nene geese while you’re trekking. They’re super endangered and protected. I spotted three of them having what looked like a serious gossip session right by the trail.

But real talk – the showstopper is that viewpoint overlooking the Halema’uma’u lava lake. I legit stood there with my mouth hanging open for like 5 minutes straight.

It’s the kind of view that makes you feel tiny and insignificant but in a weirdly good way, ya know?

5. Ha’akulamanu Trail, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

If you’re poking around Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, you’d be straight-up CRAZY to skip the thermal area called Ha’akulamanu, though most folks just call it Sulphur Banks (cuz, well, it reeks of sulphur).

This spot looks like something from another planet with its bizarre landscapes and all these weird vapors rising from the ground.

Some of those vapors are just water steam doing its thing, but others are packed with sulphur gases that’ll clear your sinuses real quick (and by “clear” I mean “burn” – I made the mistake of taking a deep breath and nearly hacked up a lung).

These funky gases bubble up from deep inside the volcano and transform regular ol’ lava into clay or these super trippy colorful crystals. There are, like, maybe 3 other places ON EARTH where you can see this kinda stuff!

The whole area gives off major Yellowstone vibes but with its own Hawaiian twist. Exploring is super easy – just follow the wooden boardwalk and try not to gag on the egg smell.

Along the way, they’ve got these info boards that explain what the heck you’re looking at, which is helpful cuz otherwise I’d have NO CLUE what was happening.

I promise you’ll remember this stroll for years to come… mainly because the smell will be burned into your brain forever! My t-shirt stank for days afterward!

6. Mauna Ulu Trail, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Among all the dope spots in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, the Mauna Ulu Trail might be the most underrated. Mauna Ulu itself is this badass volcano that went off from 1969 through 1974.

Known for throwing some serious volcanic tantrums and reshaping everything around it, it’s definitely in Hawaii’s volcanic hall of fame.

Its Hawaiian name translates to “growing mountain,” which is spot-on considering how it kept pumping out lava and getting bigger during its heyday.

The trail zigzags through this absolutely wild volcanic moonscape, showing off all kinds of crazy lava formations including these freaky “lava trees” which are basically tree molds where the lava hardened around tree trunks.

Super creepy but cool!

Most of the hike is chill enough, but then comes the real challenge – hauling yourself up the Pu’uhuluhulu volcanic cone. My legs were BURNING, but listen – the payoff is WORTH. EVERY. STEP.

From the top, you get this mind–blowing panorama of Mauna Ulu that’ll have you spamming your Instagram followers with photos for days.

If the weather’s playing nice (mine was half-decent), you can spot other Hawaiian giants like Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in the distance, and sometimes even catch the Pacific Ocean glittering on the horizon. I’m telling you – it’s pure magic!

7. Devastation Trail, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

No trip to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park would be complete without checking out the super dramatic Devastation Trail. This spot gives you a front-row seat to the explosive history of Kilauea Iki Crater.

The wild thing? This area used to be this gorgeous, lush rainforest until 1959 when – KABOOM! – lava completely obliterated EVERYTHING.

Some of those lava flows stretched more than 1,600 feet, which gives you an idea of just how massive this eruption was. Talk about a bad day!

These days, hikers can check out the aftermath of nature’s temper tantrum, including these super cool formations with the most metal names ever: “Pele’s hair” and “Pele’s tears.”

Pele’s hair looks like these delicate strands of volcanic glass (but don’t touch – they’ll slice your fingers up!), while Pele’s tears are these tiny blobs of hardened lava droplets.

Both named after Pele, the volcano goddess who clearly wasn’t having a great day when this all went down.

The trail also gives you this killer view of the Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone, which looks like something straight outta Star Wars.

The best part? The whole route is paved, so literally anyone can experience it – wheelchairs, strollers, people with bad knees, everyone’s welcome!

8. Scenic Drive Along Chain of Craters Road

Chain of Craters Road is, no joke, one of the most INSANE drives I’ve ever done. This 18.8 mile stretch will have your jaw on the floor the whole time.

The route snakes through this crazy volcanic landscape with all these wild geological formations, lava fields in every shade of black and brown imaginable, and views that’ll make you pull over every five minutes (which is why it took me like 3 hours to drive the whole thing, lol).

It’s not just some scenic drive – it’s like taking a time machine through different eruption periods that shaped this bonkers place. You can literally see layers of history in the rock formations!

While cruising down Chain of Craters Road, make sure you hit up Pauahi Crater (which has blown its top THREE separate times!!) and the absolutely killer vista from Kealakomo Overlook.

I ate my lunch there and nearly forgot to eat cuz I was so mesmerized by the view across those vast lava plains all the way to the ocean.

Don’t miss Muliwai a Pele either – it’s this platform where you can see channels where rivers of lava used to flow, which is both terrifying and awesome.

And definitely check out Mau Loa o Maunaulu with leftover lava from the 1969–1974 eruptions.

The drive ends right at the ocean’s edge, which is this wild contrast of black volcanic rock crashing into blue Pacific waves. Talk about ending with a bang!

9. Pu’uloa Petroglyphs Trail, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Y’all, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park isn’t just about hot lava and smoky craters – it’s also hiding these AMAZING ancient petroglyphs you can check out on the Pu’uloa Trail.

This exceptional path takes you across a 500-year-old pahoehoe lava field (that’s the smooth, ropey kind of lava) covered with roughly 23,000 ancient carvings.

Not making this up – it’s one of the biggest collections of petroglyphs anywhere in Hawaii!

If you’re even slightly into history, this spot will blow your mind!

These petroglyphs show all sorts of cool stuff about ancient Hawaiian life – human figures, animals, and all these symbols that archaeologists are still scratching their heads about. You can see a bunch of them from this viewing platform they built.

Walking among these ancient carvings feels super sacred, like you’re connecting with people who lived here centuries ago. I got proper goosebumps!

My husband who “hates touristy stuff” couldn’t stop talking about this trail, so trust me when I say it’s got universal appeal!

10. Holei Sea Arch

Last but definitely not least on my Hawai’i Volcanoes hit list is the absolutely spectacular Holei Sea Arch.

This massive rock formation towers about 90 feet above the churning ocean below. It’s like Mother Nature decided to build her own version of the Arc de Triomphe!

The place is basically Instagram heaven – I saw at least a dozen people doing photoshoots when I was there. And those Pacific Ocean views? Chef’s kiss SPECTACULAR! No wonder this spot is constantly packed!

The arch is mostly made of basalt (that’s volcanic rock for you geology rookies), giving it that distinctive dark, dramatic look.

Sadly, the rangers told me it probably won’t be around forever – the constant ocean waves are slowly eroding it away. Kind of a bummer but also a reminder that the Hawaiian landscape is always changing.

You can check out this natural wonder from a viewing area about 1000 feet past the gate at the end of Chain of Craters Road. Just do me a solid and stay behind the safety barriers, ok?

The cliffs are WAY higher than they look in photos, and the drop is no joke. I saw this one dude climb over for a selfie and nearly had a heart attack watching him!

10 Awesome Things to Do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park: Final Thoughts

Listen up, folks – Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is hands-down one of the COOLEST places I’ve ever been, and I’ve been to 30+ countries!

With its mind-blowing landscapes, legit active volcanoes (that were spitting lava during my visit!), and all that unique plant and animal life, it’s basically paradise for nature nerds and adventure junkies.

I really hope my somewhat chaotic list of things to do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park gets you pumped to explore this incredible place. I’m already planning my return trip!

If this article saved you some planning headaches, why not share it with your travel buddies? And btw – have YOU been to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park?

Got tips? Shoot me an email — I read them all and usually reply after my second coffee of the day!

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