Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Plan Your Visit
Operating Hours & Seasons
Hawai"i Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day all year; Kilauea Visitor Center is open daily from 7:45 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.; Jaggar Museum is open daily from 8:30 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Local Partners & Information Resources
Visit Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
See America"s National Parks
U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
U of Hawai`i- Ecological Field Guides to Hawai`i Volcanoes NP
Getting There
Plane
Hilo and Kona airports are served by inter-island carriers, Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines. Some major airlines have direct flights to Kona from the continental U.S.
Car
Located on Hawai"i, often called the "Big Island", Hawai"i Volcanoes National Park is 96 miles from Kailua-Kona driving southeast on HWY11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive), or 125 miles through Waimea and Hilo via highways 19 and 11 (2 1/2 hour drive). The park is 30 miles from Hilo (45 minute drive).
Vehicles may be rented at the Hilo and Kona airports. Most major car rental companies are represented at both airports.
Bus
For the current Hele On bus schedule, visit this webpage:
www.co.hawaii.hi.us/mass_transit/transit_main.htm
go to: What"s New
select: Bus schedules
Getting Around
Explore the summit of Kilauea volcano via Crater Rim Drive, an 11-mile loop road that encircles the summit caldera. On the drive, visitors will pass through a desert, cross the caldera floor, and enjoy the beauty of a tropical rainforest.
If you have three to four hours, visitors may also explore the East Rift and coastal area via Chain of Craters Road. This road descends 3,700 feet in 20 miles and ends where a 1995 lava flow crossed the road. Depending on changing volcanic activity, there may be opportunities for viewing active lava flows. No food or fuel is available along the Chain of Craters Road.