Hawaii Family Guide To An Adventure for the Whole Family – Ohana on the Big Island
Ohana, or “family” in Hawaiian, is in our name, and our Hawaii National Park vacation rental is the perfect home base for your family getaway on the Big Island. In addition to being cozy, spacious, and comfortable for the whole family, you’ll be at the gateway to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where the volcanoes are active, the trails are endless, and adventure abounds. This Hawaii family guide will point you toward kid-friendly hikes, what to pack and expect, and several not-to-miss locations throughout the park.
Get Out and Explore – Lava Tubes, Volcano Views, Epic Drives, and Never-ending Trails
With over forty trails spread throughout the 523 square miles of Volcanoes National Park, the options for getting outside and hiking are world-class. The park’s trails vary in length and difficulty, making it easy to plan outings appropriately depending on your children’s ages and hiking ability. Start your trip with a stop at the Kilauea Visitor Center (open from 9 am until 8 pm daily), where you can get updates from park rangers on trail conditions, pick up some maps, and plan your days.
Begin with one of the most unique and kid-friendly hikes, the Nahuku Thurston Lava Tube, which starts with a short trail that winds through the rainforest before entering into the cave-like lava tube created by a Kilauea lava flow over 500 years ago. Kids (and adults) will love the experience of entering this portal into the earth and going underground while getting a stunning and tangible view of lava’s transformative power. The underground portion has lighting, but it’s worth bringing a headlamp (or the flashlight on your phone) for extra visibility. It’s also one of the shorter hikes in the park, so even younger children shouldn’t have an issue doing the entire route.
If your kids are up for a more extended outing or want to keep exploring after exiting the Thurston lava tube, Kilauea Iki Trail starts in the same area. It’s one of the park’s trails with the most diverse landscapes – it begins in the lush fern-and-flower-filled rainforest, extends to the edge of the Kilauea Iki crater with incredible views, and eventually descends onto the crater floor itself. Kids will love the constantly changing scenery along the trail, and depending on their hiking stamina, you can just do the shorter and easier rainforest and crater rim section. If they’re older and can handle more distance, do the whole 3.25-mile route and cross the crater floor, one of the most dramatic and memorable hiking experiences in the entire park. See our sister property’s blog post for more about Kilauea Iki’s volcanic history (the 1959 volcanic eruption was legendary, with lava spouting almost 2,000 feet in the air) and detailed info about the trail.
Although not healthy for very young children due to volcanic gases being harmful to breathe, older children will love the sulfur banks and steam vents – both are in the same park zone and easily accessible from Crater Rim Drive. On paved trails, your kids will marvel at the steam rising from deep below Kilauea, like a science experiment coming to life in real-time. You’ll also have some of the best viewpoints looking down into the Kilauea crater. Your kids will get the volcanic view of a lifetime, looking out across the four-square-mile panorama of Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano.
The park’s most famous driving route is along Chain of Craters Drive, a perfect place to take a family day trip in the car. If your kids are not up for hiking, they can get a front-row view of volcanic landscapes from the backseat along the 18-mile route from Kilauea down to the sea. You’ll pass through several climate zones, including the Pa’u Desert, with cinder cones and sites of significant eruptions, many of which have happened in the last several decades. As you get towards the end of the drive and near the ocean, if your kids are up for it, don’t miss exploring the Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs Trail. The hike is moderate in length and primarily flat, leading from a well-marked trail to a raised wooden boardwalk, where kids will be mesmerized by the thousands of petroglyphs preserved in the surrounding lava fields. They’ll be able to identify various figures and animals within the petroglyph designs, a remarkable way for children to glimpse and grasp ancient history.
Hawaii Family Guide: Planning Your Trip – Tips for Visiting the Park and What To Pack
Although the park’s $30 per week vehicle fee – including all adults and children in your car – is very reasonable, the National Park America the Beautiful pass is an excellent option if you plan to stay longer than a week. For $80, you’ll have year-long access to all national parks (including others in Hawaii, like Haleakala) and all national wildlife refuges, quite the deal.
Be sure to pack long sleeves and layers for everyone in the family, as the weather changes hourly within the park, going from bright sunshine to torrential rainfall in minutes. Kilauea is at 4,000 feet in elevation and can be chilly, even in the middle of summer. And Volcano Village averages over 100 inches of rain annually, so bring rain gear for the kids. Many places in the park – including the crater section of Kilauea Iki and Pu’u Loa – have very little shade, and sun exposure can be intense, so bring and use sunscreen.
Even though you’ll no doubt be spending time barefoot on tropical beaches nearby, you’ll need more than sandals when heading out into the park. The volcanic terrain varies greatly, from wet and soggy rainforest paths to rough paths across hardened lava, so hiking boots are best. If your kids don’t have hiking boots, closed-toe shoes, at the least, are a must.
Lava is not currently flowing in Kilauea’s crater, but it is the world’s most active volcano, so it will surely start up again soon. In the weeks leading up to your trip, keep tabs on its current status and activity level to know what to expect. Lava flows are most visible before or after sundown, so if Kilauea is active during your stay – perhaps plan a late afternoon naptime for the kids and then head over for a memorable family evening trip to the Kilauea Overlook after the sun sets.
Reserve your room with us, and you’ll be one step closer to your unforgettable family getaway to Volcanoes National Park and enjoy your relaxing stay at our Airbnb in Volcano!
