Hawaii was an absolute dream and I can’t wait to return. If you find yourself on the big island, I highly encourage you to take the 2 hour drive to check out Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park! There’s so much to see, do, and hike! Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is full of the most incredible views of craters and clouds. Check out my full review below and let me know if I’ve convinced you to book a trip!
As soon as you park, you can immediately be a witness to all of this incredibly scenery.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park protects some of the most unique geological, biological, and cherished cultural landscapes in the world. The park encompasses the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes – Kīlauea and Mauna Loa – and is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is huge with over 123,000 acres of legally designated wilderness and you can honestly spend hours walking around and exploring.
You can either just walk around and enjoy the scenery that is close in proximity or you can extend your visit and do some hiking.
We did two separate hikes because we got lost but the hike that brought us to this incredible area was Byron Ledge Trail (Halema’uma’u Trail). This trail brings you down to the edge of the crater! How cool is it!? It’s a moderately difficult hike but I think it was so worth it as I’ve never seen anything like this before!
It was so cool to be so close to the edge of the crater!
We visited in January and we didn’t see anyone else on the hikes but it was raining so I’m wondering if that impacted how many people decided to hike.
It was so beautiful and we really enjoyed exploring.
I had the best time and cannot wait to return. I hope this post inspires you to visit The Big Island! Stay tuned for The Ultimate Kona (Big Island) Bucket List if you’re interested in learning more about what to do!
Thank you all for reading, and stay enthusiastic!
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-Maira