Hawaii Kilauea Volcano Vacation With Kids
I love Hawaii. I’ve vacationed on Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island. I’ve taken adult trips (wife, girlfriend, buddy) and family trips. So it was no surprise to me that vacationing as a single parent with kids in Hawaii can’t be beat. There are just so many kid-friendly things to do.
One of the highlights for my kids and me was visiting Kilauea, the active volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island. Yes, we saw lava up close.
We flew into Hilo, then rented a car and drove to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Forget luxury – we wanted to rough it in a lodge at the peak of the volcano. We were not disappointed.
The lodge is rustic, with photos everywhere showing what it was like when lava spewed out of the top of Kilauea. Volcano visitors like Mark Twain stayed at the lodge, and would trek to the nearby crater and watch the lava show.
These days, lava pours from the side of Kilauea, dumping into the ocean. It was near midnight when we checked in, but like Mark Twain, I knew the lava show would be more spectacular at night. I piled the kids into our rental car, and we drove down through the National Park to the ocean. Lava isn’t always visible at Kilauea, but it was this night. The road was closed, and we had to walk the last mile.
The scene was amazing, surreal. There were visible streams of glowing lava flowing across the dark landscape. Small fires blazed everywhere. Truly a vision of hell. Tons of people were roaming about, trying to get a closer view. Park rangers wore gas masks in the vog.
We walked right up to flowing lava. Red and white hot, oozing. We stood within a few feet of it. Unreal!
The next few days of our trip, rather than visit beaches, we spent all our time exploring Volcanoes National Park. We took ranger-led tours of lava fields, lava tubes, rain forests, you name it.
For a Hawaii vacation more memorable than any Mai Tai recipe or beach trek, visit Volcanoes National Park and the Kilauea volcano lava flow.
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Flickr photo by Luxtonnerre, Some rights reserved (CC BY-ND 2.0)
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Comment by Sandy
| July 7th, 2009
We were with some friends on the 4th who actually live 1/2 time in Hawaii and 1/2 time on Cape Cod (good life, eh?) and there were several others there who have recently visited Hawaii. Having never been, I am starting to feel VERY left out. I think we are going to have to seriously start thinking about a vacation there.
Sandy´s last blog ..Adventures in Venice
Comment by Mark
| July 7th, 2009
Sounds like a wonderful time! Your kids are blessed to have this experience with you.
Mark´s last blog ..Are You At The End of Your Rope?
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| July 7th, 2009
Sounds like the perfect trip!
Comment by Danielle
| July 7th, 2009
That sounds so awesome. I hope that I am able to provide my daughter with these kinds of memories.
Danielle´s last blog ..Weekend Recap
Comment by Susan
| July 7th, 2009
FlyBoy and I are considering Hawaii for our honeymoon early next year, and, if not then, would certainly like to go sometime in the next few years. This sounds like a great experience – perhaps minus the rough/rustic lodging! Thanks for the tip :)
Susan´s last blog ..Taking a bow
Comment by MindyMom
| July 7th, 2009
How fun for you and your kids. I’m sure it will be a memorabe trip for them as well as you.
I usually stick to the typical beach thing but a fun way to explore Maui was to do the helicopter ride and then take the tour van back w/many stops and photo ops on the way.
MindyMom´s last blog ..DBD Makes an Appearance
Comment by robert
| July 7th, 2009
Hi David,
This is my third time back to your blog. I really enjoy it, well written and presented.
Kudos to you sir!
regards, concord carpenter
http://aconcordcarpenter.blogspot.com/
robert´s last blog ..Blog Visits Rising!
Comment by krn
| July 7th, 2009
What great memories, Dad’s! Your kids must know how lucky they are to have you as their dad, right? Kilauea lava flows are such a spectacular sight. The sulfuric vog…uh, not so much a favorite (*holds nose*), but worth taking in to enjoy Kilauea, for sure.
Since you love Hawaii and rustic doesn’t scare you, what about a hiking trip down into Haleakala and out Kaupo Gap next? There are several park service cabins that can be rented in sequence to make your way across. The terrain is diverse and otherworldly and the stars from inside the crater look amazing.
Are you sure there isn’t “one local kine haole boy” living within you? ;)
Comment by Honey
| July 7th, 2009
The BF says Hawaii is one of his favorite places, but I’ve never been. It’s on the list, though!
Comment by staciesmadness
| July 7th, 2009
man I wanna go to Hawaii
Comment by Barry
| July 7th, 2009
I envy you. Hawaii is the place I have always wanted to go. maybe one day!
Barry´s last blog ..Parents – Grab A Whistle and Give it a Try
Comment by Janet
| July 7th, 2009
Please adopt me!! :)
Janet´s last blog ..Blast From the Past
Comment by Steph
| July 7th, 2009
I have never been, but hope to one day. Good to know that there are many kid friendly things to do. I am all for the National Parks and am glad you put in a good word. I used to work for the National Park Foundation and the NPS staff is very dedicated to what they do. Never had the chance to visit this park, but some of the others out west. I live over in the DC area.
Comment by Computer Tutor
| July 7th, 2009
I live on Oahu and still haven’t seen the volcano on the big island
Rick
Comment by notasoccermom
| July 9th, 2009
sigh….sounds heavenly
notasoccermom´s last blog ..All A-Twitter
Comment by Skeptic
| July 13th, 2009
According to the USGS website, there hasn’t been accessible surface lava at Kilauea in a couple of years. Did you take this trip recently? Are your posts for real?
Comment by dadshouse
| July 13th, 2009
We took this trip in Feb 2003. Yes, my posts are real. At first, I wondered why on earth anyone would look up USGS data for a blog post. But I suppose if you’re planning your own trip, you’d want to know whether the lava is flowing over the road or not.
Comment by hawaii volcano tours
| July 15th, 2009
Hawaiian volcanoes are caused by hot spots. It’s actually very interesting because just by looking at the islands in map view, you can actually track the Pacific plate’s east-northeastern movement over the hot spot. On Google Maps you can follow the submarine mountain chain for about 1,000 miles (past the Midway Islands). Check it out!