Volcano

Hi: I was wondering about the lava viewing? I have read you cannot see it at all and I have read that you can go on a hike (although strenueous) at night and ';just follow the rest of the people'; and see plenty? Can anyone clarify me on this topic? Which one is it? Also, we are debating on spending one or two nights in Volcano after visiting Kona. Is two nights too long? Thank you!~gayle

Volcano

It%26#39;s a 3-4 miles hike over hard lava from the end of the road to get to about a mile from the area of the active lava flow. Call the VNP before you go, the activity is mostly underground now. I certainly would spend a night there.

Volcano

depends on how you define ';see plenty.'; Would I stumble over lava for four miles at night to see a glow that%26#39;s a mile away. No way. Other people are wildly enthusiastic.

To get the current scoop, go to the VNP home page and call the daily update number. The recording gives lots of info.

For a written update on the flows, go to the USGS site on VNP. The NPS site hasn%26#39;t done a flow update since last August (last time I checked).

Read the NPS info on Viewing Lava though, for sure.

If the lava is mostly underground now, is it worth it to take a helicopter ride over the volcano? We have been in a helicopter many times so the only reason we would go would be to see the volcano.

I don%26#39;t take helo tours, but I think they fly so that you can look into the vent, which is not accessible on foot, then there%26#39;s the point where lava enters the ocean.

Surface breakouts between vent and ocean vary from week to week, day to day and can%26#39;t be predicted, only observed.

Encourage you to contact the helo tour and ask them what you can expect to see. Basically I believe in the direct approach. I ask the tour operator for that kind of info. I ask other travelers stuff I wouldn%26#39;t hear from the operator, like whether they are fun, polite, on time, reliable, etc..

No one knows better than the guy who flies it day in and day out what you can expect to see.

I just got back from the Big Island and Maui. We drove from Kona to Hilo, then did the night hike to try to see lava, spent the night in Hilo, and went back to the park the next day to see everything else (craters, Thurston lava tube, etc.) Here%26#39;s what we experienced and learned. The hike is now over 9 miles round trip. The park says it%26#39;s 4 1/2 miles to get to the last beacon. There are 7 of them I think, and you use them as a guide on the way back in the dark. We kept hiking past the last beacon to a sign that said not to go any further. Most of the people around us stopped there as well. From that point, all we could see was steam in the very far distance. There was still way over 1/4 mile to go until the water. Even with binoculars, all we could see was steam. Some guys kept going to the edge. On the way back they had said that some of the ground was still soft, so we%26#39;re glad we didn%26#39;t go that far. They said that even at the edge, they didn%26#39;t see any lava glowing - just steam. The owner of our B%26amp;B told us the next day that 17 acres had dropped off into the water just last week - so it was a really good think we didn%26#39;t risk going further. After sunset, we could see a faint glow from the crater in the distance which was neat. We also saw a spec of glow on the ground but we weren%26#39;t sure if it was a beacon or lava. One guy who we passed who has seen lava there in the past said it was probably lava. He said depending on the flow and wind, sometimes you can see lava in the distance. It just depends. The park rangers don%26#39;t really tell you anything since everything is always changing. You just have to go and try it for yourselves. The recording doesn%26#39;t say much either. The best thing to do is ask around!

We did hear there is a different hike from outside of the park. You park at the end of a road and take a 1 hour hike, and you are more likely to see lava there. So if you are going, just ask around...But don%26#39;t just ask the park rangers. They want to keep you inside the park so they probably won%26#39;t tell you the other way. A couple we met on the hike had met someone who did the other hike the day before and saw glowing lava.

A few notes on the hike - It took us almost 5 hours total. The terrain is up and down and very tricky in the dark. Wear hiking boots or very good all-terrain shoes. Head lamps (or LED lanterns) are much more effective than old fashioned flashlights. Bring water and food - you might get hungry as we did since we started at 4:30 and got back at 9:15ish. We won%26#39;t do the hike again. It really wasn%26#39;t worth it. But we%26#39;re also glad we didn%26#39;t dish out tons of money to take a helicopter ride either. I saw pictures from a guy who took one and the only glow he saw was when they went over the crater, and it really wasn%26#39;t that much either.

Bumping this up--thanks for the candid posting about the nature of the ';walk'; to see the lava and what was visible. So many questions come up about this and it%26#39;s so useful to have up-to-date first-hand info!

ditto, I%26#39;m glad Honu_Ohana bumped this because I meant to say how useful your report was!

Jennifer,

What night did you hike the lava? My husband and I hiked part of it the night of 5/25, but stopped at beacon #6. Reports of people coming back said they hadn%26#39;t seen anything, and we were becoming anxious in the diminished light. Just wondering if you may have been there the same night? I%26#39;d be glad to hear we truly didn%26#39;t miss anything.

The hike from the other side of the park is about one hour each way from the parking area to surface flow. This was on 5/15/07.

There are tons of caveots in the risk of injury in doing the hike. Add to that the ';road'; ends and you have to drive a mile or two on what would best be described as a one lane gravel road up and down lava flow with lots of holes -- i.e. in a rental car if you get stuck or your car is damaged you probalbly have a big bill.

Plus the parking area has had break-ins.

We did the hike with a guide we hired for the day. So it was his car, and he could ';safely'; guide us over the flow during the hike. I say safe from the standpoint that he could not prevent an accident, but he definately has much more knowledge of safe areas to hike. We went no where near the ocean entry areas, where risks are even higher.

This whole area of hiking to surface flow is controversial on this board -- so I%26#39;m not looking to get into all of this again.

But for my wife and I, hiking to the surface flow and observing it was very much worth our time and the the inherent risk of the activity.

If you click on my profile, you will find a couple of the hundreds of pictures my wife took.

Charlie

woooowhhhh the photos are amazing aafflyer!

should she tell someone