The hours were kind of confusing. The park website has it as 3pm- 9pm for the viewing area but we didn't want to drive back to Kona in the dark so we took the chance going there around noon. Another review mentioned being stopped by the ranger before the opening viewing time? Maybe we were lucky because there were a lot of people there even at noon and we didn't see any rangers stopping people from walking or biking on the public paved road. We parked and started our trek. Advantage of hiking from Kalapana side is we didn't have to pay for parking. The hike itself was very easy. Flat road but it was really hot and about 8 miles round trip. Saw a lot of people hiking with exposed skin. Being Asian, I had a long sleeve shirt on and I wished I had packed my hiking pants because it would have come in handy as my legs ended up getting kind of dusty and being the clumsy walker that I am, I ended up getting some dried up lava on my legs. At the end of of the road, you have to carefully go down to the viewing area. Once you get there, the lava flow was so amazing!! I'm glad we did it during the day so we didn't have to deal with carrying a flashlight and end up falling since I'm clumsy like that. Bring a lot of water if you plan to do an earlier hike as it was super hot. read more

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The Kalapana flow is active again. Luckily, I happened to be on the Big Island at the time. This is not at the volcano. This is where the lava flow meets the ocean; follow the signs to Kalapana to get there and you'll run right into it. Upon arrival, you'll see a parking lot and pass a few souvenir tents and tents renting bikes, which are permitted on the hike. Let's back up a bit. The first choice you have to make is whether you're going to make this 9-mile round trip hike and when you'll do it. We wanted to see the lava in the dark so we left at 5pm or so. Our group was made up of 4 adults of varying ages and one tween. It's often hot there so you'll have to carry all the water you'll need. About 2.5 miles in, some of the tiny house owners that live in the lava field may be available to sell you beverages like coconut water, water, and soft drinks. However, you should plan on bringing all the liquid you need. You can find more advice about what to wear and bring online. The path is the old emergency evacuation road. It's gravel. There are portable toilets along the way. As I mentioned earlier, there are bike rentals or you can bring your own bike. Biking on this terrain is not easy but you have to decide whether walking or peddling is better for you. Depending on the weather, this can be a very hard hike. I'd have to say that it's worth it. Seeing the lava enter the ocean in the darkness is something I'll remember forever. Do it! read more

Kalapana Lava Viewing Area - Just a few more miles to go to get to the ocean! - Local Flavor Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

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What a spectacular place! We were able to get within a few yards of the lava and watch it as it crack, glowed and flamed. We had a brief downpour and it made the lava sizzle and steam - very cool. Here are some things to note: - the road says it's not passable, but the impass is slightly further along where the parking area is. Park with everyone else and walk in. - Road is paved but it is a bit of a walk so shoes are a good idea. - If you are pregnant or have heart/lung problems it's not a safe place to go because of the volcanic gasses. - There is a porta potty and a guy who sells coffee read more

Kalapana Lava Viewing Area - Rain on the lava - Local Flavor Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

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It's a four mile one-way hike (so eight miles round trip) to get to the viewing area. The trail is long and boring. You can rent bikes and that is a logical/reasonable thing to do. We did not. It was kinda a bummer. Rent the dang bikes. Just do it. Don't be like me and dither over money. Pick a bike and rent it. Once you've made the voyage to the lava viewing area (I recommend arriving to do this by around 4 pm - it seems to get MUCH busier after this. You can select an optimal viewing area and hang for awhile with that coastal breeze), watching the lava during daylight is a heavy smoke. As it gets darker, it becomes more apparent that the smoke is hiding some glorious glowing lava. The journey back to the parking lot is punctuated by an incredible view of stars. read more

Kalapana Lava Viewing Area - Local Flavor Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

One of the most amazing experiences in my life. To able to get up close to the lava, feel the heat, hear the crackling, and see the oozing, all amazing. Now it flows differently everyday so you may or may not get to see it. We areived at the parking lot at 4pm and rented bikes from Josh's for $15. There are plenty of bike rentals to choose from, some offering upgrades like disc brakes and suspensions, totally unnecessary. Our rental came with head lamp, bottle of water and bike lock. The ride was 4 miles on dirt packed road. Pretty surreal with the lava flow all around. Some rolling hills, we didn't have to walk the bikes but saw many doing so. At the end of the road we locked the bikes to each other and talked with a ranger as to which direction to hike to see the lava. It was a 2 mile trek over very hard uneven terrain. It took around 45min. It was a hard hike and definitely not for everyone. The hike back took about the same, we brought flash lights too and it certainly helped as it was pitch dark. We wished we had brought hiking boots, but sneakers got us through. The ride back was very dusty and burned our eyes. read more

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Seriously, this is why one visits the Big Island. Freakin' Lava Flowing Into The Ocean!!! Alright, maybe there's just more than a wee bit of geology geek in me, but this is just the coolest thing ever. I mean, there is active geology. The Earth being built as we watch. Freakin' Lava! Dude! Seriously! Needless to say, the viewing area at Kalapana is one of the highlights of an amazing vacation to the Big Island. We stayed near Pahoa and every local we talked to told us we had to be sure to pay our respects to Mama Pele by visiting Kalapana. It is a requirement, not a option. We started the day with a hike in Kilauea-Iki Crater up in Volcanoes National Park. Beginning the day with this visit to the volcanoes makes for a very nice connection to seeing the lava flow at Kalapana at night. There's a lot of day hikes in the park, at all kinds of levels. We were seeing fumes venting from Halema`uma`u (toxic sulphuric dioxide) during the hike and this high level of activity up high accounted for a pretty spectacular show that night at Kalapana. Drive out Hwy 130 from Pahoa towards Kalapana. Enjoy the road sign which reads, "End of the Road 1" and they aren't joking. After 1 mile you'll come to barriers and lava flow over the road. Last cars allowed in at 8PM, but you can stay until 10PM. Follow out the track, sometimes one lane paved over lava and sometimes Hwy 130 again, until you get to parking. Vendors are on hand offering coffee, t-shirts, jewelry and pictures. The photography was both really good, better than we could hope to take, and not entirely unreasonable. We went ahead and spent $20 on one 8x10 and 5 3x5s. Walk out over lava, following the occasional yellow road stripe paint. Wear sensible shoes. There are big holes, giant cracks, and sharp lava everywhere. Flashlights might be helpful, but please be mindful of them and how the intense, white light affects the eyes of people sitting in the dark watching lava. We went on a night near the full moon and could see quite clearly on the walk over the lava. read more

Things must have changed lately, because you can't see anything from this viewing area anymore. I arrived at the public viewing area at the end of Rt 130 about an hour before sunset. A park ranger informed me to follow the paved road. Despite that all the land in this area has been covered by lava, it's still privately owned, and people have begun building new property on it. They are VERY unfriendly to trespassers, and the paved road is the only public land. After hiking for about a half mile, there was a road block and two attendants sitting at it, instructing that I could walk no farther. I was still about a mile away from the lava, and from this distance all you'd be able to see is the red glow in the steam. I ended up just leaving, as was everybody else that was visiting. If you want to see a better view of red-glowing steam, pay the $10 to visit Volcano National Park and visit Jaggar Museum at night. If you want to see actual lava, you'll have to pay $$ to go on a private tour (I ended up going on Lava Ocean Tours, which I recommend). Also, worth noting that the public viewing area is at the end of 130, not 137. The end of 137 did have a company offering to give a paid lava tour, but I didn't inquire about how much it cost, whether it was on foot/boat, etc. read more

This is by far the best lava eruption i've ever seen. of course this is also the only one i've ever seen also. the viewing area is managed by the state, and open from 2-10pm, apparently the last car is let through at 8. the best viewing time would be around 630 (meaning park by 6), and leave just after it gets dark (8ish). that allows you the best light to see the lava flowing, and also gives you ample time to take pictures in all sorts of light with the lava glowing into the steam. also, do take a flashlight, as there are not streetlamps lighting the lava path that you have to walk on (about 1 mile from the make-shift parking lot) read more

The night we went, we could see lava glowing through cracks in the tube, just a few yards from where we stood, but the steam from the lava flowing into the ocean was most awe-inspiring as the sun set. It glowed pink and orange, with the occasional distant splashes of lava. You cannot see the lava actually flowing into the ocean -- though there are several outfits the line the walk to the viewing area that claim to take you right up to it, for a fee. Still, what you can see is beautiful, if difficult to capture on film (bring a tripod if you're so inclined). Get there around sunset -- it gets crowded after that. Check for updates to make sure it's open that day -- sometimes the wind changes or the lava breaks out and it's not safe. I stumbled upon this blog, featuring great photos and near-daily updates from a local who follows the eruption closely. It's a great companion for your volcano visit! http://hawaiianlavadaily.blogspot.com/ read more

Most of the active lava flows are around this area. We did not see any active lava during our visit, but there has been a lot of low since then. CAUTION: make sure you are aware of what is happening as lava flows could close routes to some portions of the island. Do not attempt to get close to the flow unless you are with an experienced guide. DIRECTIONS: the location marker in Yelp is way off. So here is how you get to the viewing area: From Keaau, take 130 south, southeast, staying to the right as you pass the town of Pahoa. Stay on 130 until you have reached the end of the road. There is a small parking area and usually a guard shack. You will have to go on foot past the shack since only residents are allowed in vehicles beyond that point. The guards also can offer advice on what to see and where to look. Bottom Line: If you want to see recent lava flows, this is the place. You can see all the differences in color and all the variations in the structure of the flows over time. However, I wouldn't plan on spending more than 30 minutes here. You can only look at lava rocks for so long before the kids want to leave. ************ UPDATE: the viewing area is "permanently closed" due to recent activity. That doesn't mean you can't find a guide to take you there, but you might not be able to go there on your own. Please do some research before you go. The town of Pahoa recently got hit by the flow, so the roads may be impassable. read more

We were told we could drive for an hour to get here from the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park visitors center to walk/bike to see the lava. I'm sure it would have been great, but they said they just shut it down due to "bad weather." The map I saw mentioned to bring rain jackets..so I don't know what bad weather means here. It's not raining currently. Frustrating! read more

We were staying in Kona and heard that the volcano flow into the ocean was going OFF! We had read that the best way to see it was at Kalapana and that if we went we should rent bikes. We rented some rickety bikes out of some local lady's van for $20 each. All bike shops seemed to have the same price, so if I were you I would look for the best looking ones. We just decided on the first one we saw. The ride out was a little bumpy, but definitely beat a 8 mile round trip walk. We posted up with a good view just before sunset and ate snacks and played cards. Once sunset hit, the show was on! It was amazing! We were about to spend $220 each to get a lava boat tour, but this $40 and a pair of nocs was the way to go! Once it got dark enough we could see a lot of headlamps in the distance exploring for lava on the flow (once you get into the national park side you can explore... YOU CANT DO IT BEFORE THEN (you will be trespassing on private property). We were hungry so we charged back to the parking lot and ate a couple of $1 spring rolls to tide us over before our drive into Hilo for Hilo Burger Joint. read more

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You MUST stop in Pahoa at the little store just to the right of the Malama Market. Go inside, get a lava map. ASK if the lava is active and viewable. No sense in going out if the lava isn't entering the ocean close enough to the viewing area. Also-- you CAN go out with the proper tools and GPS units cross country. (NOT recommended if you are just going to go ambling about without researching it first! And a flashlight isn't the least of the tools you'll need. GPS is a must) You'd need to go out in the morning, and return before the noon hour for safety's sake. My best recommendation go when the lava is close to the viewing area, or take a guided tour. =0) read more

I actually own a place in Kalapana. I had not been down to see the lava. I was very impressed! There are many vendors renting bikes, and if you're smart you can barter! It is a longish ride, 4 miles each way. Very beautiful. Should not miss read more

Kalapana Lava Viewing Area - Kalapana viewing area - Local Flavor Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

Take the shuttle! Its $15 per person, you still have to hike 2 miles to the viewing spot (4 miles roundtrip). But so worth it!!

We bikes out at night on a tandem, which was super awesome. The view of the stars was the highlight, not the lava itself. The lava was so far off the trail and behind the boundaries that you could barely see anything. I'd recommend the experience for the bike ride under the stars. read more

(I reviewed this elsewhere, but then noticed Jason J. actually had the right address. If you read that review, this one will seem redundant, unless you have a short attention span and/or poor memory skills.) When we arrived at the Coconut Cottage B & B in Pahoa, we found some detailed information on what to do in the area. One of the first suggestions, and one of the main reasons we headed here, was to see the active lava flow into the ocean! During our stay, the Lava Viewing area was open from 5pm-10pm, though signs stated it was only open till 8pm. Actually, the last car was allowed in at 8:00pm but those there could remain until 10pm. Everything promptly closes at 10 though, and there are strict warnings everywhere to be out by then, so make sure you do. Warnings are something like "You will be left here to die if you aren't out by 10pm" but a little more subtle. You can get to the Lava Viewing Area by following Route 130 until it ends. During the drive, you can see the plume of smoke rising into the air in the distance. Eerie. Make sure you bring water, sneakers (no flip flops!), and of course your camera. Rain gear is also good as we had a few showers during our trips there. There is a large parking area, and some vendors at the front to buy pictures of the Lava (much better pictures than what you will get), jewelry, coffee, and t-shirts. To get to the viewing area, you walk over lots of lava rocks. The path has white and yellow paint markings to follow, which helps, but you really do need a flashlight at night or you will likely fall quite a few times as the ground is very uneven and filled with cracks. I would recommend getting out there early, before the sun goes down. The viewing is still good, and that way you only need to make one trip in the dark. The best view we found was as close to the ocean as you could get. The area is fenced off, so you can't go any further, but from that spot, we could see lava falling into the ocean, sprays of lava into the area, lots of smoke, etc. You could also see other spots where there is lava flow further down the coast. To get a better view, try the helicopter tours or boat tours. I wanted to try both (or either) but was too sick to risk adding motion sickness to the list of things wrong with me. read more

Based on the current activity they have had to pull back the viewing area so the mile or so walk out doesn't get you too much better of a view than you have from the parking area. There are plenty of tours to take you out there, that's why I came on here to check out lava tour reviews, but the viewing area is pretty shut down. You can see the smoke and red glow, but that's it for now. Sure they are just playing it safe, like shutting down half of the rim drive at the park. read more

Very friendly ranger. But lava hasn't flowed to the ocean since Dec'11. We missed out. MAYBE NEXT TIME! :-)

I took the guided hike from Kalapana to the lava flow ocean entry -- "Kalapana Lava Walk" which is organized from right near the Kalapana Village Cafe. There were 10 people on the tour which cost $50 from some kids who were related to "Uncle Robert" who owns most of the land in and around Kalapana. We left at 5:30 pm and it was light out but it was still rough going over the lava field. The scenery was beautiful, but when I asked our 20-something guide (Bryan) to stop for some photo ops, he said there wasn't time -- I took the pictures anyway and just fell behind, along with some of the slower members of our tour. But Bryan didn't slow down for anyone or anything except to stop other hikers that were out there independently to warn them that they were on private property and would be prosecuted (the Aloha spirit?). We finally got to the lava flow in the dark with our flashlights and it was truly spectacular. I'm not sure if I could have actually seen just as much from the end of highway 130 than from a 2 mile hike/run in the dark over a very rough and dangerous lava field. Then another 2 miles back. The most amazing thing was that when we were almost back, Bryan actually found a glowstick trail marker left by some of the other independent hikers who had gone out later and he TOOK IT! Not only is that greedy (because they didn't pay up the $50) but incredibly irresponsible and dangerous. I hope those other hikers got back safely. Finally, nearly running over rough lava in pitch blackness with little flashlights, inevitably, one of our group tripped, fell on the lava and got some (minor I think) cuts on her face. Maybe look for another way to get close to the lava. read more

This post is about SEEING LAVA! Flowing from pu'u O'o. As of 08JAN2018. Lava is not flowing into the ocean but there are lava flows if you are willing to hike from highway 130. Shortest route is not from Volcanoes Park side but from Kanapala side. Drive in from highway 130 through Kanapala. Go to the furthest end of road allowed to drive on. There will be parking, shuttle rides and bike rentals. Shuttle takes you to 2nd gate. Bikes are 15 to 25 usd. Take bike or walk on dirt road highway 130 until 3rd gate. At 3rd gate lock bike and start walking toward Pu'u O'o. Walk inland. If during the day walk toward below the steam vent. If at night walk toward the glow. At this time, as you get close it is best to approach from the right, then turn in. 1st lava is far down the hill. You can walk further up and see more. You will feel the heat before you are able to see molten rock. Keep walking. If worried there are usually plenty of other people that will press on and go first especially the guided tours. Don't turn back. Wait for them. If dark, follow their lights. Make sure you take good shoes, tennis shoes are ok not sandles, head lamps or flashlight with good batteries. Take enough water, your endurance and patience. You will be walking on rough black lava that careful footing is required at all times. There is not a marked trail but some white chalk has been poured on the lava but is basically everywhere. Does not matter where one walks, there does not seem to be a good or bad way. With bike takes 1 1/2 hours in and 1 3/4 or 2 hours back in dark plus 30 minutes or longer viewing this amazing phenomenon. Definitely worth it! read more

Do not make a special trip out to see this area. Could not see anything ,but a little red spec. It is 3 miles from lava. Not much of a viewing site. If you go, call ahead of time and ask how close the lava is to the site. On the plus side, it is free and you can see some interesting lava fields. read more

Visited in early Dec 2011. Lava IS flowing again -- told that it had been dormant for 7 or 8 mos. Viewing area (and Parking lot) have been backed up by over a mile--old area wiped out by new lava. Access is easy--follow the road (130) until you see the barricades--there is signage directing you around the barricades --parking lot is straight ahead apx 1/2 mile. The lot and area were staffed by County Civil Defense--EXTR nice, helpful, and KNOWLEDGEABLE (--this area is not part of the NTL Park --NPS does not support). There were porta-toilets, but no vendors/food/drinks avail. The viewing area is accessed by a partly paved 1/3 mile walking path. Viewing area is ALL rock and no real place to sit---bring a chair or something to sit on, water, and of course a flashlight or 2 (and wear long pants and closed shoes--it's sharp, nasty ROCK). The Lava flow is a good 2-3 miles away---binoculars help. Orange Lava glow cannot be seen until after dark, but it is advisable to get there before dark if it's your first visit. Rain did obscure view, so it's advisable to call the civil defense # and ask about the visibility --808-961-809 or 808-935-0031. Highly recommended, and much easier to get to than the NPS Crater Road (but not nearly as close to the Lava as Crater Road). read more