Kona or Hilo: where your tour starts
Staying in Kona or on the Kohala Coast? Book a full-day small-group tour with hotel pickup. Wasabi Tours’ circle-island day and Hawaii Geo Tours’ geology-focused day both cap groups at about 13–14, and Hawaii Island Experiences is the budget option.
Staying in Hilo, or arriving by cruise ship? You’re 45 minutes from the park, so a 5–7 hour tour is plenty. C Big Island Tours is timed to Hilo cruise arrivals with a guaranteed return to the ship.
Have a car and two days? Sleep at the park’s edge in Volcano Village. You’ll get sunrise on the crater rim and a night visit without the long drive back.
What you’ll see — and what’s closed
- Crater Rim Drive is a 10.6-mile loop around the summit caldera; the section past Keanakākoʻi is open only to walkers and cyclists.
- Uēkahuna and Kīlauea Overlook are the park’s main eruption-viewing areas, along with the Kūkamāhuākea steam vents.
- Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) is lit 8 a.m.–8 p.m. and got a new entrance bridge in August 2026. Parking is tiny; arrive before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
- Chain of Craters Road runs 18.8 miles to the end of the road, with no food, water, or fuel. The Hōlei Sea Arch at the bottom collapsed in late September 2026 — stay out of the closed area.
Driving yourself instead
The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. Entry is $30 per private vehicle. There is no shuttle or public transit inside the park and rideshare is extremely limited, so you’ll need your own car — and the National Park Service warns that lots can fill by 10 a.m.
What to bring
- A rain jacket and a warm layer: the summit can be 12–15 degrees cooler than the coast and rainy any time of year.
- Closed-toe shoes for uneven lava.
- A headlamp if you’ll stay after dark, plus a dust mask and eye protection when the summit is fountaining, as the park advises.
- If you have heart or breathing conditions, or you’re pregnant or traveling with young children, check the park’s air-quality page first — volcanic gas can affect sensitive groups.
Rather see it from the air?
Helicopter flights from Hilo reach Kīlauea in minutes and cover lava fields no road can.
