# Volcano on Big Island Questions



## suzanne (Jul 9, 2012)

We are looking at driving to Volcano National Park. We will be at the HGVC Waikoloa Beach Resort the days that we go to Volcano. Which direction would be best for the drive in November? Go from resort up thru Hilo side stopping along the way at Akaka and Rainbow Falls and the Botanical Gardens short stop in Hilo for late lunch then on to Volcano. Check into B&B See the sunset from the Jager Museum, staying after dark to see glow of lava. Late dinner, then up early tour the park then drive down the Chain of Craters Road, stopping along way back to Kona to see different sights and at the black Sand Beach to see turtles. Arriving back at resort for late dinner. 

Or should we do the trip in the reverse order? We would love to spend 2 nights at the park, but our friends traveling with us are on an extremely tight budget and can't afford the extra price for the accommodations. DH and I are picking up the first night there, but we are also on budget. Plus they would be very embarrassed to let us pay for both nights. Hard enough to talk them into one night.

Suzanne


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## DaveNV (Jul 9, 2012)

Suzanne, is anyone in your group active or retired military?  There are very affordable accommodations right in the park for military folks.  That may be a less expensive way to do things.

It's going to be a long drive no matter how you do it.  I'd work my way down the east side of the island, stopping at scenic points along the way, see the Hilo area, and ending up in Volcano later in the afternoon.

See Hilo town, visit Akaka and Rainbow Falls, don't miss the Tsunami Museum, have lunch at Cafe Pesto in town (great sandwiches), then drive up to Volcano, stopping at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Factory and Akatsuka Orchid Gardens along the way.  Enter the Volcano park later in the day when the heat is down some, and do your evening activity.  Spend the next day exploring the park, spend the second night, then head back up the west side of the island.  (Are you sure Chain of Craters Road is open?  I'd heard it was closed.)

Stopping at the Black Sand Beach at Punalu'u in the morning is a good time to see turtles on the beach without a lot of tourists there.  Work your way up the coast, with stops and side trips as you'd like.  (See South Point if you can - it's kind of eerie to stand on a 100' high rocky cliff looking south, knowing the next land mass is Antarctica.  )  You can hit the scenic spots going up the coast, stop for a late lunch in Kona, and end up back at your timeshare by evening.

Have fun!

Dave


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## suzanne (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks Dave, I will talk to our friends and see what they want to do.

Suzanne


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## Luanne (Jul 9, 2012)

On the way back stop at the Punalu'u Bake Shop and get some of their wonderful Hawaiian sweet bread.  They have some there that you can't find in the grocery stores.

http://www.bakeshophawaii.com/


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## Michigan Czar (Jul 10, 2012)

Try the military lodging in the park, our family got a large suite there that slept 8at a good price and this was over Christmas/New Years holiday.


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## Elli (Jul 10, 2012)

Luanne said:


> On the way back stop at the Punalu'u Bake Shop and get some of their wonderful Hawaiian sweet bread.  They have some there that you can't find in the grocery stores.
> 
> http://www.bakeshophawaii.com/


Luanne, I so agree, don't they have great pastries.


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## Luanne (Jul 10, 2012)

Elli said:


> Luanne, I so agree, don't they have great pastries.



To be honest I've never had their pastries.  I think my daughters have though.  We usually just stock up on bread.  We used to make French toast from the bread (got the idea from the Kileuea Lodge).


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## tompalm (Jul 11, 2012)

The military camp is best if you know anyone that has an ID card they can sponsor you.  The hotels in Hilo are a lot cheaper than the Bed and Breakfast places up near the park.  Hilo is less than one hour and not bad if you want to save money.  If you really want to stay two nights, stay in Hilo.


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## daBish (Jul 14, 2012)

*It's a long drive from Waikoloa!*

Hi, there -- I am surprised that no one has mentioned how long this drive is, whether you go clockwise or counter-clockwise around the island.  It is a very long drive on winding, mostly two-lane roads, and if you stop to eat meals, gaze at turtles on a beach, take a side road to view something (waterfalls, for example, or spinner dolphins), or visit quaint shops . . . well, you get the idea! All of this takes time.  I wonder if perhaps instead of two nights in Volcano, you might consider splitting the journey and have one night in Volcano and one night somewhere else.  Otherwise, you will feel rushed, and that is definitely not part of the Aloha experience!


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## DaveNV (Jul 14, 2012)

daBish said:


> Hi, there -- I am surprised that no one has mentioned how long this drive is, whether you go clockwise or counter-clockwise around the island.  It is a very long drive on winding, mostly two-lane roads, and if you stop to eat meals, gaze at turtles on a beach, take a side road to view something (waterfalls, for example, or spinner dolphins), or visit quaint shops . . . well, you get the idea! All of this takes time.  I wonder if perhaps instead of two nights in Volcano, you might consider splitting the journey and have one night in Volcano and one night somewhere else.  Otherwise, you will feel rushed, and that is definitely not part of the Aloha experience!




Actually, I did say it was going to be a long drive.  But she already knows that, I'm sure.  If one stays in Waikoloa and wants to see the volcano, there isn't any other choice, even if they drive it non-stop.  There isn't any rush to get back to the north end of things, so enjoying the trip and making it a day-long journey each way is a great way to see the BI.    

Dave


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 14, 2012)

I support the notion of spending two nights on the south side of the island is at all possible.  That will make everything simpler.  

Given your itinerary - if I had only one night in the park, I would get as early as start as possible on my way down to the park and I would go through Kona, planning to make a full day of the drive and seeing the west Coast sites along the way (including the Punalu'u Bake Shop and the Black Sand Beach.  I would plan the trip to arrive at my accommodations no later than 5 pm.  Then catch the night lava viewing that night. The next day I would plan activities in the park until late afternoon - no later than 5 pm, and head straight back to Waikoloa on the main road (not the Saddle Road).

I would do it that way because when you are at Waikoloa it's easy to make a day trip loop to Hilo and back to Waikoloa, using the Saddle Road one way and the main highway the other direction.  But your only chance to catch sights like South Point and Punalu'u will be on the way to or from the Park.


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## suzanne (Jul 14, 2012)

Thanks Steve, that seems to be the best way for us to go. Friends are still balking at staying over night. Hopefully when they get there they will see how much time just the drive thru Kona and stops takes before we ever get to the VNP, and change their minds about staying over night. I am going to insist we all take small overnight bags just in case. Then hope we can get last minute room to stay in.  

Suzanne


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## Luanne (Jul 14, 2012)

Suzanne, the first time we visited the Big Island we did the drive to Volcano National Park, and back, in one day.  After that trip we vowed never again.  You just don't have time to see anything.  The least amount of time we've spent has been one night, the most was three I think.


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## suzanne (Jul 14, 2012)

Thanks Luanne, I offered to pay for the hotel rooms for one night but friends declined. I know that they are strapped for cash and don't want to push the issue further and embaress them.

Suzanne


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## daventrina (Jul 15, 2012)

*Saddle Road is the answer*



T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I would do it that way because when you are at Waikoloa it's easy to make a day trip loop to Hilo and back to Waikoloa, using the Saddle Road one way and the main highway the other direction.


I was going to suggest something like that to see the volcano. We'd hop over Saddle Road and go the VNP that way. And then make South Point a separate trip a couple days latter via Kona. 

Some folks complain about driving saddle road at night, but I would much rather return via Hilo over Saddle Road to Waikoloa than drive the LONG WINDING NARROW road from VNP through Kona. This would probably save at least an hour driving time and there weren't many cliffs on Saddle Road

We left the lava flow around 10:30pm. Stopped at the crater at VNP to se the lava there and have a snack (BTW take lots of snacks because they can be difficult get along the way) . We planned to get a sunday at McD's in Capt. Cook and take a break, but they were closed by the time we got there. Finallly got back to Kona nearing 2am. When people said it is a long drive they meant that it is a VERY LOOOOONG drive. Got cought in a couple of down pours. Glad that we had a JEEP.




Luanne said:


> Suzanne, the first time we visited the Big Island we did the drive to Volcano National Park, and back, in one day.  After that trip we vowed never again.


We've done it twice. The second time went much better. We limited the mission to just see the volcano the second time and didn't plan or do anything else. Also we planned a lazy morning and took a little nap before we headed to the volcano. We also had a much better feel for how BIG the BIG Island is. You really don't just jo[ over to any place on the Big Islands like the others. 

While it made for a VERY LONG day after 20 years of chasing the volcano ... this was worth it...



hi08-714lava 039 by dntanderson, on Flickr

We were so fortunate that there was an earthquake in the wee hours of the morning that we planed our volcano visit shifted everything. This was our third visit to see Pele and it turned out that three was the charm. By the time it made the news from the Oahu stations and their film crews showed up, the show was all but over. It was awesome being allowed to see a hill being born. After you start diving your access to the volcano get limited. On this trip we really lucked out and everything fell into place.


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## suzanne (Jul 15, 2012)

Wow what an awesome photo. Thank you for sharing. If we drive up thru Kona to VNP stopping to see the Black Sand Beaches and turtles then spend rest of day at VNP then go to the museum for sunset and after dark hopefully lava glow then head towards Hilo take Saddle Road back down to Waikoloa about how many hours are we talking about for the return drive fro museum to HGVC Waikoloa Beach resort? If doing the drive this way is there anywhere that we could have dinner in Volcano prior to going to the museum?

Suzanne


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## Luanne (Jul 15, 2012)

suzanne said:


> If doing the drive this way is there anywhere that we could have dinner in Volcano prior to going to the museum?
> 
> Suzanne



Our very favorite place for dinner in Volcano is at the Kilauea Lodge (that is also where we stay).  The food is very good, pricey, and you must have reservations.

http://www.kilauealodge.com/cgi-bin/KLodge?!00butoruTnanIoOodf7AKj38t2nhn1eXImCA0ijBOf2KaoE6aOi0nanSegeHv1bOT9ntnjaam0nnro7CK63qreAdTdfzIonUrgvkv226flrbnim1QrnSeAjC8dbZRvg0


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## geoand (Jul 15, 2012)

suzanne said:


> Wow what an awesome photo. Thank you for sharing. If we drive up thru Kona to VNP stopping to see the Black Sand Beaches and turtles then spend rest of day at VNP then go to the museum for sunset and after dark hopefully lava glow then head towards Hilo take Saddle Road back down to Waikoloa about how many hours are we talking about for the return drive fro museum to HGVC Waikoloa Beach resort? If doing the drive this way is there anywhere that we could have dinner in Volcano prior to going to the museum?
> 
> Suzanne



Just a minor point but from Waikola, you are driving down thru Kona.  I have had experiences in getting the wrong directions when I used down or up incorrectly.

Last January, we stayed at Paniolo Greens and made the trip to Hilo several times using the saddle road day and night.  Much easier drive than using the coast road.  Also a quicker drive.  DW did not do any of the driving, but she never felt insecure while on the saddle road.  If you use Saddle road at night, be sure to stop if the sky is clear near the top because you will see more stars than one can imagine.


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## dsyrcle (Jul 15, 2012)

*5-6 Hours Drive Time.*

Suzanne,

We have made the circle loop on the island a couple of times and it does make for a long day. According to mapqwest: the trip from HGVC to VNP is about 2.5 Hours roughly 100 miles. The time and distance is about the same for either Hi 200 (Saddle) or Hi 19 (Northern Loop). The route from VNP to HGVC through Kona is about 3 hours. So plan on spending 5-6 hours just driving without any stops. 

If you drive Hi 19 stop at the Tex Drive In for the malasadas. They are best discribed as a Portuguese filled donut. They also have a small orchard overlooking the ocean that you can tour to see the different local fruits that are grown. 

If the lure of the black sand beach is to see turtles, make a stop at the Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park) south of Kona. I have always seen turtles sunning on the beach and the bay to the North is the best snorkling on the island.


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## suzanne (Jul 15, 2012)

Thank you. 

Suzanne


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## carl2591 (Jul 15, 2012)

is that saddle rd just for 4x4's or can cars go on it as well. google says it has some restricted use issues.


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## BonBiniGirl (Jul 15, 2012)

We just drove Saddle Road in May.  It is well paved the whole way for any vehicle to drive.  Enjoy because it sure is beautiful!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7817147@N02/7501778840/in/set-72157630420099856


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## suzanne (Jul 15, 2012)

Thank you, your photos are beautiful. I am really excited about our trip.

Suzanne


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## daventrina (Jul 16, 2012)

BonBiniGirl said:


> We just drove Saddle Road in May.  It is well paved the whole way for any vehicle to drive. [/url]


Is the road like that all the way down the west side now? The said they were going to fix it. That would sure be nice


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## ronandjoan (Jul 18, 2012)

dsyrcle said:


> Suzanne,
> 
> . So plan on spending 5-6 hours just driving without any stops.
> 
> .



Right, and who wants to do that, and then have only a limited time at the volcano, as well.

It would be a waste to drive it and not stay overnight to enjoy all the sights along the way, unless you drive straight to the volcano and back, to spend the day there, and then go another day to see the other sights.  

Maybe leave your friends back at the condo.....(yea, right!) Maybe set up a loan program with them, for the approx $100 room cost, have them pay you back $10 a month. I just feel you can't let your friends  make for a less enjoyable trip.  Rushing around?  no.  There are too many things to see....how much more fun to say, "Oh, let's stop here to see this," instead of flying by it with longing....

MHO

BTW, the NP lodge was closed in November for remodeling...anyone know if it is open yet?  I had anted to eat there.


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## daventrina (Jul 18, 2012)

ronandjoan said:


> It would be a waste to drive it and not stay overnight to enjoy all the sights along the way, unless you drive straight to the volcano and back, to spend the day there, and then go another day to see the other sights.


I wouldn't say it is a waste. But expecting that you'll be able to _do it all as_ you said will probably be disappointing.

We've done it twice. Stopped along the way to see many ( but not near all) sights and had a good time both trips.
* BUT*

You do have to expect a *significant* amount of driving and be OK with that. 
You'll probably be driving at dusk and/or night ()if that is a problem, you'll probably want a different plan).
You won't get to see everything and have to pick and choose and *have to be* happy with that. 

One trip we made the road to the sea, south point, lava tubes, crater, visitor center. Didn't make it to the green sand beach or the lava flow (there wasn't much activity and most of the viewing area was closed for fear of collapse and was a 5 mile hike each way). The road to the sea took longer than expected, so we had to skip the green sand beach. That was ok because it we very nice having a nice black sand beach all to ourselves.  We could have spend a day doing each of these. But after all we were exploring. 

The other trip had lunch and took a nap. Headed south early afternoon. Mission of the day was to see lava. Got stuck for an hour because of an accident but still reached Kalapana an hour before sunset. Saw a hill being born - Fantastic. Stopped to see the activity in the crater around 11pm and have a snack and some caffeine. Mission accomplished. Took plenty of snacks because we expected it would be difficult to find any along the way.  Arrived back in Kona around 2am. But we expected that.

The key to a successful one day trip to the volcano is good planing and effective management of expectations and then being happy with the compromises made to make the trip. We talked about the options and picked what we thought we wanted to do and made a flexible plan that we adapted to as the day went along.

Suzanne,
If you carefully make an adaptable plan for you adventure to the volcano and *everyone* buys in and *agrees* to reasonable expectations is should be fun.  After all you're in Hawaii :whoopie: 

BTW: you left out lunch at Cafe 100 in Hilo


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## KevJan (Jul 18, 2012)

We did this trip last November. We stayed at the Bay Club at Waikoloa and left early in the morning, before the sun came up. Short stops everywhere we went i.e. visitors center, hiked the lava tube, looked at the lava flow down to the ocean, several stops to look around, turtles at black sand beach, toured the macadamia nut factory, back to Waikoloa across the north end of the island. We also did the same trip about 3 years ago. Very doable if you leave early, make short stops, and take your own lunch. We were back both times for a late dinner in our condo. Granted, we live in a volcano area that looks about the same so the uniqueness isn't as interesting to us as it is to some. Hope you enjoy the Big Island as much as we do!


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## elaine (Jul 18, 2012)

*KevJan, would you mind PM me with details?*

KevJan, we are going soon to Waikoloa with tweens and would like to do a day trip like you did. Would you mind posting or PMing me with basic details (and any tips) of your day trip. thanks, Elaine


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## carl2591 (Jul 18, 2012)

BonBiniGirl said:


> We just drove Saddle Road in May.  It is well paved the whole way for any vehicle to drive.  Enjoy because it sure is beautiful!
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/7817147@N02/7501778840/in/set-72157630420099856



great pictures.. that cannon power shot is the deal for sure.. thanks for the share..


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