Have you ever seen an erupting volcano up close? Hawaii Volcanoes has the only rainforest in the U.S. National Park system — and it’s the only park that’s home to an active volcano. Most people drive through the park from their rental property in Hawaii since the park has 50 miles of good roads, some of them often covered by lava flows; and then call it a day. But it takes at least 3 days to explore the whole park, including such oddities as Halemaumau Crater, a still-fuming pit of steam and sulfur; the intestinal-looking Thurston Lava Tube; Devastation Trail, a short hike through a desolated area destroyed by lava; and, finally, the end of Chain of Craters Road, where lava regularly spills across the man-made two-lane blacktop to create its own red-hot freeway to the sea. In addition to some of the world’s weirdest landscapes, the park has hiking trails, rainforests, campgrounds, a historic old hotel on the crater’s rim, and that spectacular, still-erupting volcano.
A Volcano-Visiting Tip — Thanks to its higher elevation and windward (rainier) location, this neck of the woods is always colder than it is at the beach. If your rental property in Hawaii is on the Kona side of the island in summer, expect it to be at least 10° to 20° cooler at the volcano; bring a sweater or light jacket. In the winter months, expect temperatures to be in the 40s or 50s (single digits to midteens Celsius), and dress accordingly. Always have rain gear on hand, especially in winter.
Notes on the Erupting Volcano — Volcanologists refer to Hawaii’s volcanic eruptions as “quiet” eruptions because gases escape slowly instead of building up and exploding violently all at once. Hawaii’s eruptions produce slow-moving, oozing lava that provides excellent, safe viewing most of the time.