Ultimate Guide to a Self-Guided Tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The Shaka Guide App

If you have your own car, downloading the Shaka Guide app is a no-brainer! Their tours take you all around the island and one specifically for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. 

The app tracks you via GPS; as you pass certain points on the map it narrates information and stories of what you are looking at.

I felt like I was on a Disneyland tour complete with its semi-corny guide and Hawaiian ambience music, it was great! 

The Shaka Guide app is downloadable for offline usage, very important as there isn’t much data in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The Shaka Guide Hawaii Volcanoes National Park tour has a concise, well-rounded itinerary for you to follow and is very manageable as a half-day trip.

Download the Volcanoes National Park Shaka Guide Tour Here!

Okay, now on to the deets on how to visit Volcano National Park…

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Self Guided Tour

Address: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 1 Crater Rim Drive Hawaii National Park, HI 96781
Park hours: open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.
Park entrance fee: $30.00 per vehicle, good for 7 days. If the ranger station at the entrance isn’t open you can pay online or pay at the entrance at a later time.

If you downloaded the Shaka Guide’s Hawaii Volcanoes National Park tour you’ll want to turn it on as you enter the park, unless you used it as your map guide to get to the park, in which it will automatically begin the tour as soon as it hits the first point.

Another thing to note: the trails within the park are interconnected, so explaining the different trail systems might get a little confusing if you aren’t following along with a map, but I try to make it as clear as possible.

Kīlauea Visitor Center

Hours: 9am-5pm everyday

The Kīlauea Visitor Center is the first point of interest when you enter the park.

This is a good pit stop to:

• Use the restroom
• Watch a 30min (boring) video on the volcano
• Meander through an diorama exhibit with a lot of reading
• Talk to a park ranger
• Pop into the bookstore for a small collection of books on the park and Hawaiian history

Volcano Art Center Gallery

Hours: 9am-5pm everyday

Just to the left of the visitor center is an isolated cabin. It’s the historic 1877 Volcano House Hotel that’s been converted to the Volcano Art Center Gallery and is worth popping in.

I like walking through the crickety rooms and discovering all the handmade Hawaiian arts and crafts. It’s almost like walking through a museum where you can buy the pieces on display.

It’s a good place to get unique souvenirs.

Volcano House

Across the road from the art gallery is the Volcano House hotel. 

Upon entering, walk straight through the lobby towards the lounge area for a million dollar view. Giant windows overlook Kilauea Crater like a starship’s windshield looking out over an alien planet.

Enjoy the view from a wicker rocking chair inside or take in the scenery outside on the patio.

Waldron Ledge Trail

Behind Volcano House is the Waldron Ledge Trail, also part of the Crater Rim Trail. This paved path used to be part of the Crater Rim Drive Road until a 1983 earthquake collapsed part of the road. Along the walk you still see chunks of cliff hanging by a thread.

I really like this trail as hardly anyone hikes this trail so it will likely just be you and the crater view.

This is an easy, flat out and back 2-mile roundtrip hike.

Hike Extension Option:

• Halema’umu’u Trail – 2.2 miles total

Halema’umu’u Trail

You can access this trail either from the Crater Rim Trail by the Volcano House. The Halema’umu’u Trail takes you down to the floor of Halema’umu’u Crater, the belly of the beast. 

The trail is a moderate 0.8-miles one way descending 425ft through the rainforest before reaching the crater floor.

Follow the ahu, rock piles, across the lava field for a short ways, getting a sweeping view and first-hand experience of the vastness of this crater, almost eye level with the smoking lava in the distance.

From here you can hike the 0.8-miles back up to the trailhead at the Volcano House.

Hike Extension Options:

• Byron Ledge Trail – 3 miles total
• Kīlauea Iki Trail – 5.5 miles total

Steam Vents

About 0.5 miles down the road from the visitor center you will come up to a parking lot on the left. 

Here you can warm your hands and face over steam vents, roaring holes in the ground with rising volcanic steam. 

Rocks heated by underground magma vaporize rainwater that seeps down from the surface into steam which then escapes through vents in the ground. 

Some of the vents are gated off for safety and some you will see steam within bushes and grassy fields.

If you walk to the crater lookout you’ll probably notice steam coming out from the cliff walls too.

Ha’akulamanu Sulphur Banks

Across the street from the steam vents is the Ha’akulamanu Sulphur Banks trail.

It’s a 0.5-mile one-way trail that originates at the visitor center but from this end the trail is handicap accessible with a paved trail and wooden boardwalk.

You’ll see different colors in the rocks due to too much chemistry for my brain to compute.

“The smell of sulfur is strong, but not unpleasant to a sinner.”

-Mark Twain on the summit of Kīlauea in 1866

If the smell of boiled eggs is a favorite fragrance, then this trail is for you, though I will say when I visited I didn’t smell it too strongly. 

Kilauea Military Camp

If you have a valid Military ID you can rent cabins at Kilauea Military Camp at rates based on your rank.

Driving through the camp you get a summer camp feel with all the uniform beige buildings and people walking from activity to activity like tennis, basketball, a playground, etc.

If you are non-military you are allowed to use their arcade and bowling alley.

There’s also a theatre here that puts on performances for the public.

During World War II this camp was converted into a Japanese internment camp that held over 100 people.

Kīlauea Overlook and Uēkahuna

Continuing down the road another mile will be two more Kīlauea lookouts. 

The first one is Kīlauea Overlook and has a sign pointing at the turn. This is a semi-obstructed view of the crater but gives you a different vantage point.

Restrooms and picnic tables are here. 

At the end of the road is the Uēkahuna viewing area and WOW what a view!

As you walk up the dusty trail not far from the parking area the crater seems to get bigger and bigger. It almost looks like a panoramic painting.

Sometimes there is a park ranger present here to answer questions and give a spiel about the volcano and its history.

Crater Rim Trail

The Crater Rim Trail goes about 3/4s of the way around the Kīlauea Caldera.

The trail is accessible from different points so it is easy to pop in and out of it.

One way of seeing all the sites listed above is by taking the north end of the trail. Start at the visitor center and walk the nearly flat path about 2.5 miles to Uēkahuna. You’ll pass by all the sites as well as extra scenery not seen from the road.

If there are people in your party that don’t wish to hike they could meet you at the end and you can continue riding with them. Otherwise, it will be a 5-mile round trip hike.

Hike Extension Options:

• Ha’akulamanu Sulphur Banks – same length
• Kūpinaʻi Pali Waldron Ledge Overlook – 6 miles total
• Kīlauea Iki Crater – 11 miles total
• Keanakokako’i Crater – 16 miles total

Kīlauea Iki Crater

After the northern end of the Crater Rim Drive has been exhausted, backtrack and head south past the park entrance.

The first stop is Kīlauea Iki Crater.

Here things get a little tricky regarding parking. This is a busy parking lot and fills up easily. 

If you scored a spot in the first parking lot, take the Kīlauea Iki Crater trail to the left.

In a minute or two you will come to a viewing “notch” with a great view of this smaller, but still deep, crater.

Look across at the opposite end and you’ll see Pu’u Pua’i, a cinder cone that was created in the 1959 eruption with lava spewing as high as 1900ft into the air.

After 0.5-miles, with more viewing “notches” along the way, the trail ends at the Thurston Lava Tube parking lot.

If you hiked to the Thurston Lava Tube parking just continue on to the tube’s trail. Otherwise grab your car from the Kīlauea Iki parking lot and drive over.

The Kīlauea Iki parking lot has a vault toilet.

Hike Extension Options:

• Kīlauea Iki Crater – 4 miles total (if you just want to reach the crater floor it’s 2 miles total)
• Thurston Lava Tube – 1.5 miles

Nāhuku Thurston Lava Tube

Hours: 8am-8pm – lights turned off outside these hours so bring a flashlight

Nāhuku Thurston Lava Tube is the easiest, most accessible lava tube on the island.

The path is paved (except inside the cave) with just a few steps and is only about a 0.5-mile loop.

You’ll first descend into the rainforest with giant ferns towering over you and a bamboo patch before you.

The mouth of the 500-year-old lava tube has a moat-like bridge that leads into the lava tube.

Inside, the orange lights dimly guide the way through the damp tunnel, very reminiscent of the queue line for the Indian Jones ride at Disneyland. However, the most dangerous thing you have to watch out for are puddles that come out of nowhere.  

If there are a lot of people, don’t feel like you need to rush through. Pull off to the side and let them pass. It’s not everyday you get to walk through what once was a riverbed of lava, so take all the time you want.

The length of the lava tube hike is relatively short but still cool. The end of the tunnel has stairs going back up to the daylight surface.

Continue on the paved path until it brings you back to the beginning of the trail.

Pu’u Pua’i Lookout

Next up is the cinder cone you saw before, Pu’u Pua’i and a different perspective of Kīlauea Iki Crater.

This is a quick stop with easy parking.

While you can’t hike the cinder cone, you can get to see how tall this pile is that was formed by a fountain of high spewing lava.

Hike Extension Option:

• Devastation Trail – 1 mile total (landscape buried by falling cinder from the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption)

Old Crater Rim Drive Trail

Located next to the Devastation Trail parking lot is Old Crater Rim Drive Trail.

It is here that you want to hike and see the active lava if it is flowing!

This trail used to be part of Crater Rim Road that circumnavigated Kilauea Crater. The 2018 eruption destroyed parts of the road and made it impassable with cars; thus the Old Crater Rim Drive Trail was born.

It is a flat, easy trail walking over the paved roadway to Keanakako’i Overlook, about 1 mile in.

You can continue the trail until it loops around and meets up with Chain of Craters Road in another 1.7-miles but you’re here for the overlook.

The lava viewing spot is at the Keanakako’i Overlook. You’ll offshoot from the paved road to an easy gravel path down to the edge of the crater.

And WOW! The view of the lava fountain is incredible! You are close enough to see magma spew into the air and come crashing and rolling down the pu’u. You can even hear it roaring on big explosions.

Chain of Craters Road

Crater Rim Drive ends at Chain of Craters Road. From there you will take this road for almost 19 miles until it reaches the ocean cliffs.

There are many craters to stop on along the way, some more interesting than others. The Shaka Guide is helpful in telling you which ones to stop and look at and which ones to keep driving past.

“Secret” Crater

You won’t find this next crater marked on the national park map, making it my favorite secret in the park 🤫.

Mauna Ulu Fissure Hike

The Mauna Ulu Fissure hike isn’t really highlighted by most guides, but the Shaka Guide made a good call of doing this 0.5-mile hike.

After a short jaunt through the woods, the lava field opens before you. Follow the ahu (stone piles) veering right, which will take you on a short loop.

The lava rocks here are so iridescent and colorful like carnival glass, especially on a sunny day. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

The path leads you up and over a small mound and you’ll come to the Mauna Ulu fissures.

Carefully look into the cavities, there are no railings. 

Keep an eye out for lava tree molds, circular holes in the ground where tree trunks once stood before being burned and surrounded by flowing lava.

Return the way you came through the woods. 

Continuing on Chain of Craters Road

You’ll notice the terrain has changed from lush rainforest, to sparsely foliaged new growth, and finally to complete lava wasteland. 

The road down to the ocean is steep but the views are commanding. You can see the different lava flows down the valley.

There are stops for picnicking and picture taking.

Thanks to the Shaka Guide for pointing out this rock. I couldn’t help myself and HAD to do a  Lion King Pride Rock pose!

Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs

You may be wondering if it’s worth driving the entire way down Chain of Craters Road. Let me tell you that Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs are the reason you want to make the trek.

Once you’ve cleared the descent and the road levels out again you’ll come to an area with gravel pullouts on either side of the road. The left side is the trailhead to see the petroglyphs.

At the end of the trail you’ll reach a boardwalked loop with a viewing of just a fraction of the 23,000 petroglyphs that decorate the area.

Take as much time as you want to enjoy the art and imagine what the actual translation of these designs means, because nobody knows for sure.

One speculation is that the circular target-like petroglyph represents a new life and when the baby is born the mother places the umbilical cord in the circle. If it’s gone the next day, the baby will have a prosperous life.

On the way back I noticed stray petroglyphs along the path (and maybe they were there heading to the boardwalk and I just missed them). Keep your eyes open and be careful not to step on them.

This trail has zero shade and is very deserty so prepare appropriately. I did it in the evening and it was not too hot. Early in the morning would also be a great time to hike it, however don’t stress if you can’t time the hike ideally.

Hōlei Sea Arch

The last stop on this Hawaii Volcanoes National Park self guided tour ends at the Hōlei Sea Arch, a naturally-formed 90ft arch the ocean carved out of the cliff from lava flow about 550 years ago.

At some point, the waters will erode the archtop away and it won’t exist anymore, so see it while you can.

There is a parking lot at the end of Chain of Craters Road. A temporary ranger cabin is here that may or not be open with snacks. Once you park, the arch viewing area is about a 1,000ft walk past the vault toilets and down the gated road. 

However, there is a pullout right before you reach the sea arch parking lot with a man-made rock wall. Stop here and peer over the cliff’s edge. 

The ocean is much more fascinating here. On a good day, the glowing blue waves can crash higher than the cliffs. 

I found this view to be much more entertaining than the sea arch.

Backtrack Up Chain of Craters Road

Well, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park self guided tour has ended and now it’s time for the long drive back where you awkwardly pass by everything you just spent all day exploring.

Volcano Village is just a couple of miles away and has a handful of restaurants to choose from if you’re famished. 

➡️ Get the Shaka Guide Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Self Guided Tour Here!

Know Before You Go