Hawaiʻi Volcanoes itinerary

Here is how to spend one to three days in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, built from the hikes and activities the National Park Service lists and the time it says each takes. Short on time? Do Day 1. Times are for the activity itself; add time for driving, parking and shuttles between stops, and swap anything that is closed or out of season.

Day 1

About 2.5 hours of listed activity time, plus stops with no listed time.

Start at Welcome Center for maps, current trail conditions and ranger advice.

Morning

• Keanakākoʻi (1 to 2 hours). Walk along an old portion of Crater Rim Drive to Keanakāko'i Crater and views toward the massive Halemaʻumaʻu.

Afternoon

• Birdwatching at Kīpukapuaulu (time not listed). Look for birds in a unique area of biological diversity with rare and endangered species.
• Hōlei Sea Arch (20 to 30 minutes). Walk a short distance to a view of dramatic sea cliffs and a 90-foot high arch sculpted by the sea.
• Haʻakulamanu via Sulphur Banks Trail (30 to 45 minutes). See where volcanic gases have deposited colorful crystals.

Day 2

About 6 hours of listed activity time.

Morning

• Visit Kahuku: Forested Pit Crater (3 to 6 hours). Take a strenuous hike to a pit crater filled with an array of native Hawaiian species.

Afternoon

• Kūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge) (45 to 60 minutes). Walk along an old road damaged by an earthquake in 1983 and get panoramic views of Kaluapele
• Devastation Trail (30 to 60 minutes). Stroll on a paved path through a recovering landscape that was buried by falling cinder from the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption.

Day 3

About 6.5 hours of listed activity time.

Morning

• Footprints Area (1 to 2 hours). Traverse the rugged Kaʻū Desert and see footprints left by Native Hawaiians long ago.

Afternoon

• See Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road (2 to 6 hours). Drive the two primary roads in the park for a scenic adventure through a dynamic geological and cultural landscape
• Nāhuku Lava Tube Trail (30 to 90 minutes). Walk through lush rainforest and see a cave where a river of lava flowed 500 years ago.

Make it work

• When to go: May, June, August and September. See the best time to visit.
• Where to stay: 2 campgrounds in the park; see camping and lodging.
• Before you go: check today’s alerts and read know before you go. More ideas: all things to do.

Sources

• National Park Service: things to do in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Data API, public domain)

Last checked 1 November 2026.