How to See Lava in Hawaiʻi (DIY, Best Tours, and 2026 Updates)

Kīlauea has been erupting from Halemaʻumaʻu crater, inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, since December 23, 2024. Through October 17, 2026, USGS counted 55 fountaining episodes, most lasting less than 12 hours, with pauses of two weeks to almost two months in between. Lava fountains are visible during an episode, and on most days no episode is under way.

The eruption has stayed inside a closed area of the park, so you watch it from overlooks along Crater Rim Drive, about 4,000 feet up, where nights regularly drop to 50 to 55°F. Go after 10 p.m. or one to two hours before sunrise, when viewing is best and crowds are smallest. Between episodes, see lower Puna’s 2018 eruption zone or a lava tube.

Is lava visible right now?

What you can see changes from week to week. Check the status box at the top of this page and the live webcams below before you drive to the park.

The ongoing Kīlauea episodic eruption (December 2024 to present)

Before each fountaining episode, magma collects in the shallow chamber beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the summit inflates; during the episode the summit deflates quickly as the fountains drain it. You can see an up-to-date timeline of all episodes on the USGS eruption information page.

Our Kīlauea eruption history page lists these episodes alongside past eruptions.

Visitors at Keanakākoʻi Overlook watch episode 47 of the Kīlauea eruption, with fountains reaching 656 feet (200 meters). The overlook is the closest viewpoint to the vents, a 1-mile walk each way from the Devastation parking area.

Live webcams

West Halemaʻumaʻu crater (V1cam):

East Halemaʻumaʻu crater (V2cam):

South Halemaʻumaʻu crater (V3cam):

The V3cam was destroyed on December 6, 2025 by a lava fountain during Episode 38. You can see the last 10 minutes before it was engulfed:

When and where to see it (during an active episode)

When the eruption is in an active episode, you can see it yourself from the crater rim overlooks (before sunrise is the best time to beat the crowds) or join one of several guided tours.

• Where? Kīlauea is erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
• How? The vents are in the southwest corner of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, visible from several viewpoints along the Crater Rim Trail: Uēkahuna, Kīlauea Overlook, Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff), Kūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge), Volcano House, Keanakākoʻi, and other overlooks.
• How to avoid the crowds? The best time to see the lava is when it’s dark. An hour before sunrise is the best time to skip the crowds, or late at night (after 10 p.m.) if you don’t like early mornings. Sunset viewing is possible, but expect traffic jams in the park between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Prepare in advance: Don’t forget your flashlight, warm attire, rain gear, and sturdy shoes. Keep an eye on the weather, as rain and fog can obstruct the view.
• Stay safe: Stay out of closed areas. Rope lines and hazard signs are in place to protect you from volcanic fumes, unexpected rim collapses, and hidden cracks. Volcanic gas is a particular risk for people with respiratory issues, young children, and pregnant women.

Eruption viewing from the Volcano House, also a good place for breakfast with a view. Keanakākoʻi Overlook is closer to the vents, but it’s a 1-mile walk each way from the Devastation parking area.

Mauna Loa: no active eruption

The 2022 Mauna Loa eruption is over and there is no active lava visible on the surface.

4 ways to see lava (and what to do when there is none)

How close you can get depends on where the lava is. While the eruption stays inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater, you see it from the crater overlooks or from a helicopter. When lava flows across open land or into the ocean, hiking and boat tours become options too.

• From up close as it flows over land and/or into the ocean, conditions permitting:
  1. Hiking to the lava (DIY and guided lava tours)
  2. Ocean lava boat tours
• From a distance, via:
  3. Helicopter tours
  4. Crater overlooks and public viewing areas
• When there’s no lava:
  • What to do when there is no active lava

1: Hiking to the lava (DIY and guided)

Hiking to the lava is the closest you can get, but it needs two conditions: surface flows must be accessible, and the flow must be on public land. The current eruption is within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, so surface hikes to active lava aren’t currently possible.

When the flow is accessible and on public land, several companies run guided hikes by day or at night.

• How to hike to the lava yourself, and
• How to choose a guided lava tour.

Hiking to the lava yourself

Sometimes it is straightforward to find your way to the lava without a guide. If you plan a DIY hike, educate yourself on the risks, dress properly, and bring plenty of water and sunscreen. Start with our lava hiking safety section.

Whether you can hike to the lava yourself depends on where it is flowing:

• Within the national park? If the National Park Service decides access to the flow is safe, you can hike to it. Viewing conditions change daily, so check the NPS “What’s going on with the Volcano” page before you go.
• On private land? If the flow is outside the park boundary, you will likely be trespassing if you hike out without permission. A lava tour guide with the landowner’s permission is the legal way to reach it.

Filmmaker Tyler Hulett’s time-lapse “Dawn of Fire” shows slow-moving Kīlauea lava flows and what hiking to them looks like:

Big Island lava tours

Lava tour guides know the area well, bring the equipment, and have access to restricted terrain where needed. They can explain what the eruption is doing while you watch.

Tours range from one hour to a full day depending on how accessible the lava is. The hike almost always crosses uneven terrain, so ask the operator what the hike requires before you book.

On Hawaii Forest & Trail’s “Volcano, Chocolate & Waterfalls” tour, a guide takes you through Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park for most of the day, then to a cacao farm above Hilo. When an eruption is on, the guides make eruption viewing the priority if it’s safe and open:

Suggested tour

Volcano, Chocolate & Waterfalls Tour

Hawaii Forest & Trail is the only operator with a private chocolate tasting at Lavaloha, beside the farm's own waterfall. A guide picks the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park stops for the day, then the group tours the 1,000-acre cacao farm above Hilo Bay.

Duration: 11.5 hours

By: Hawaii Forest and Trail

★ 4.8 (based on 304 reviews)

from:

$295

Details

What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.

Booking a lava hike tour far in advance is risky, because at the time of your visit the lava may no longer be flowing. Review cancellation conditions carefully and, if they are strict, don’t book more than a few weeks out.

2: Lava boat tours (when lava reaches the ocean)

Lava boat tours run only when lava is actively flowing into the ocean. When that happens, operators depart from Hilo Harbor and take you to within 300 meters (984 feet) of the ocean entry point, with permitted operators occasionally getting closer.

A lava boat near the point where lava enters the ocean. Photo taken in 2017 during the 61g Kamokuna ocean entry.

Safety and licensed lava boat tour operators

Seeing lava enter the ocean has two main hazards, bench collapse and a toxic gas plume; our lava ocean entry safety guide covers both. Before you book, confirm the operator is licensed to operate in the lava safety zone.

3: Helicopter tours

Helicopter tours give you access to terrain you can’t reach on foot or by boat: the crater interior, surface flows in restricted zones, and lava moving through forest. They still fly when ground access is closed, and they book out weeks in advance during active eruptions.

Tours depart from both Hilo and Kona. On this Hilo tour you get a good view of the current eruption activity:

• Discover Hilo Tour (Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours)

A Kona departure from Rainbow Helicopters covers more ground, takes about twice as long, and costs more than twice as much:

• Kīlauea Volcano Eruption tour

See our guide to helicopter tours on the Big Island for a full comparison of operators and routes.

4: Crater overlooks and public viewing areas

The park has six eruption viewing areas: near the Welcome Center, Uēkahuna, Kīlauea Overlook, near Keanakākoʻi Overlook, Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff), and Kūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge). Uēkahuna, Kīlauea Overlook and the Welcome Center usually have the most open parking. Wahinekapu is the first overlook you reach and the most congested. Keanakākoʻi is closest to the vents, but it’s a 1-mile walk each way from the Devastation parking area.

Uēkahuna at 7:30 a.m. on October 17, 2026, during episode 55.

Viewing the crater glow from the overlooks

The current episodic eruption takes place within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. During active episodes, lava fountains and crater glow are visible from the overlooks. During pauses between episodes, a faint residual glow may still be visible at night.

• One of the best viewpoints is the Kīlauea Overlook and anywhere along the caldera rim to Kūpinaʻi Pali. On busy days, have a backup overlook in mind.
• The Keanakākoʻi and Uēkahuna viewing areas are at times closed due to unsafe air quality and tephra fallout. Signs and road closures mark them clearly. Please stay out of any closed areas.

Episode 47 of the Kīlauea eruption, seen from the Kīlauea Iki Overlook. At 656 feet (200 meters), the fountains were visible from overlooks across the caldera.

When there’s no active lava

In the park itself, the 2018 LERZ eruption zone in lower Puna, and the island’s lava tubes, you can see what these volcanoes have built and destroyed. The Big Island is 100% volcanic in origin.

• See the aftermath of the 2018 LERZ eruption
• Explore lava tubes and other volcanic remnants

See the aftermath of the 2018 LERZ eruption

The 2018 Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption put 1 billion cubic yards of lava over lower Puna. It left miles of new lava rock, rebuilt roads, and neighborhoods that no longer exist.

Starting in Pāhoa, stop in for a look at the Pahoa Lava Zone Museum. It’s a small building with artifacts from the eruption, photographs taken by locals, and exhibits from the now-closed Jaggar Museum.

From Pāhoa, follow Highway 132 south and east. This road was rebuilt over still-cooling lava flows from 2018, and along it you see how far the eruption reached. Follow it to the old “4 Corners” intersection, where only one corner is left and the road ends. Be careful with parking, and don’t touch the ground in rocky areas: some of it is still hot. On a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean.

The Kalapana-Kapoho scenic drive passes through dense forest canopy, then comes out abruptly onto black lava fields.

Leilani Estates: view it from Highway 130

Leilani Estates was at the center of the 2018 LERZ eruption and is the site of Ahuʻailaʻau (known at the time as “Fissure 8”). It is still a residential neighborhood, and all roads except Leilani Avenue are private. You cannot park along Leilani Avenue, and residents have been clear that they do not want disaster tourism in the neighborhood. You can see enough from Highway 130 heading south from Pāhoa, or from Lava Tree State Monument.

Highway 130 continues south to Kalapana, and from there Highway 137 runs to Pohoiki, which was nearly covered by the 2018 eruption. This is one of our favorite scenic drives on the island.

What to see in the park with no active lava

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has more than enough for a full day even with no active lava: the Kīlauea Iki trail, Thurston Lava Tube (Nāhuku), Chain of Craters Road, and the petroglyphs at Puʻuloa.

Climb down a steep ladder to reach the lava tube entrance at Kaumana Caves, close to Hilo.

Between episodes, a guide on a volcano tour takes you into the park, private lava tubes, and terrain that is hard to navigate on your own. Every guided volcano tour we recommend is on our volcano tours page.

Planning your visit

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Entry is $30 per vehicle, or $15 per person on foot or bicycle. The America the Beautiful interagency annual pass is also accepted.

Best time to visit

The best time to see an active eruption is at night, when the glow from the crater is visible against a dark sky. If the eruption is in an active episode, plan to arrive one to two hours before sunrise, when viewpoints are nearly empty. If you’d rather skip the crowds, avoid the park between 5 and 9 p.m.

Parking

The main parking lots along Crater Rim Drive fill by 10 a.m. on busy days. The Thurston lava tube parking lot fills first. To see the lava tube, park at the Kīlauea Iki lot instead and walk 10 minutes through the rainforest along the crater rim.

What to bring

The summit sits at about 4,000 feet. Nights regularly drop to 50 to 55°F, sometimes colder with wind, and rain is common year-round. If you’re coming from Kona, where it’s 80°F and sunny, pack for the cold. Bring: a warm layer, a rain jacket, sturdy closed-toe shoes, one flashlight per person, at least 2 liters of water if you’re hiking, and sunscreen.

From Kona or Hilo?

From Hilo, the park entrance is about 30 miles and 45 minutes. From Kona, it’s 95 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours each way. For an evening or pre-dawn visit from Kona, budget 4 to 5 hours of driving plus your time in the park. If night viewing is the goal, stay in Volcano Village (right outside the park gate) instead of driving from Kona.

Accessibility

For eruption viewing, Kīlauea Overlook is accessible via a short asphalt path from the parking area. The Sulphur Banks Trail is mostly manageable for wheelchairs starting from the Kūkamāhuākea (Steam Vents) parking lot; wheelchair users can also take the 0.1-mile gravel trail from there to Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff). Wheelchairs are available at the Welcome Center on a first-come, first-served basis. The Welcome Center, Volcano House, and Volcano Art Center are wheelchair accessible.

Accessible restrooms or vault toilets are at Kīlauea Iki, the Devastation parking lot, Maunaulu, Kīpukapuaulu picnic area, Maunaloa Lookout, and the Chain of Craters Road turnaround. You can buy water at Volcano House.

Check the NPS accessibility page for current conditions before you go.

Safety

Volcanic fumes are a health risk. People with respiratory or heart conditions, pregnant women, infants, and elderly visitors should check current vog and air quality levels before visiting. Getting close to an active lava flow is risky, and the wrong shoes can force you to turn back before you reach it.

1. Lava safety (hiking)
2. Ocean entry hazards
3. Vog (volcanic air pollution)

1: Hiking to the lava: stay out of closed areas and come prepared

Wear hiking boots, not sandals. Lava surfaces are jagged basalt and the terrain is uneven throughout. Pack sunscreen and water together with your camera. If you plan to view the lava after dusk, bring one flashlight per person and replacement batteries. Viewing conditions change daily: even a park-organized viewing area does not guarantee close access to the lava. Reaching the flow front often takes a hike of an hour or more over rough terrain.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park made this 4-minute video on safe lava viewing at ocean entries:

Visitors sometimes arrive at a lava hike in sandals and flip flops. That footwear is not safe on rough lava surfaces and may force you to turn back before you get close. See “Guided lava tours” if you want the hike handled for you.

2: Safety concerns at the lava ocean entry

Lava ocean entries create two distinct hazards:

• The stability of the new land you are standing on (the lava bench)
• The noxious gases released when lava meets the ocean

Stability of the new land

Newly created land is inherently unstable and much of it will collapse back into the ocean over time.

Park rangers monitor the stability of the lava bench and set viewing distance limits based on visual inspection and thermal imaging. That distance was set at 1/2 mile (820 meters) for the now-inactive Kamokuna episode.

On May 3, 2017, a large part of the Kamokuna lava delta collapsed into the ocean within minutes. Collapsing lava benches can cause a small tsunami and hurl hot rocks over a large distance. Credit: USGS

Collapses like this can trigger small tsunamis of scalding hot water. Follow any instructions given by park rangers regarding safe viewing distance.

Noxious Gases

Stay away from the plume when watching lava enter the ocean. The wind generally carries the ocean entry plume offshore during nighttime and early morning. From mid-morning through late afternoon, the wind sometimes shifts and brings the plume onshore.

The white plume is very hot and contains super-heated steam and chemicals that range from unhealthy to lethal. The water droplets in the plume can be as corrosive as battery acid. The USGS fact sheet covers the plume’s hazards.

3: Vog (volcanic air pollution)

Kīlauea releases sulfur dioxide even between fountaining episodes: 1,000 to 5,000 metric tons a day from the summit, according to USGS in October 2026. The result is vog (volcanic smog).

Vog is created when sulfur dioxide emitted by the Kīlauea volcano reacts with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. Because the dominant wind directions are east and northeast, the areas most affected are those south and southwest of the eruption site. The USGS Interagency Vog Dashboard has specific vog advice for visitors to Hawaiʻi and associated health effects information.

Lava Q&A