Kīlauea Iki Overlook — Attraction in Hawaii

Just did a 9 day trip to Hawaii a couple weeks ago and this was the absolute highlight of the trip! Besides getting to see Kilauea erupt live, the view even from the parking lot was really good, the trail was beautiful with lots of cover with beautiful trees and flowers, and the view from the main trail once you hit the point past the Iki trail is absolutely amazing! Best part about this train is, unlike the main trail everyone uses to view the eruption, this one had very few people so we got to enjoy it with no tourist noise and just the sound of the birds and the eruption! Somehow I luckily timed the trip just right and got to see the eruption which was a childhood dream come true! For reference, the volcano is currently erupting on average every 20-21 days, although we got lucky and it erupted sooner than that. If you want to see it, check out USGS and watch the local news, that's how we found out it was happening the morning of. Even if the eruption isn't happening, I still highly...

A Great Stop For Wide Crater Views And A Glimpse Of Volcanic Eruptions!

Kīlauea Iki Overlook gives you a sweeping view into the crater, with its dramatic lava floor and surrounding cliffs. When I visited, Kīlauea was in its 32nd re-eruption, and from the overlook we could see lava fountains in the distance shooting hundreds of feet high. You could even hear a low roar and feel faint warmth from certain points — a very cool bonus to an already scenic stop.

While it wasn’t the main highlight of the park that day, it was still a worthwhile viewpoint that helps you appreciate just how massive and active this volcanic...

Beautiful overlook! We started the hike from here. You can see the people hiking on the crater floor from here and the people look so tiny. It gives a great perspective on how big the area is. We headed to the left (clockwise) and stopped at the Thurston Lava Tube before continuing the hike. We continued the hike to the crater floor - it was a series of switchbacks going down to the crater floor. After hiking the crater floor, we climbed back up - the hike up was definitely more difficult but nothing too strenuous. Take water because much of the hike has no shade. Definitely a must do hike when...