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Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, about 45 minutes from Hilo. What hits you first is the lava: black fields of dried lava stretch from the mountain all the way to the sea, layer upon layer on both sides of the road. This is one of the most active volcanoes on earth, and at night you can watch it erupt, lava fountaining and glowing in the distance as it flows downhill. You can also walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, and when lava reaches the ocean, boat tours go out to watch it pour into the sea. Best season is the dry season: April through October brings less rain.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Firsthand Pick, HannahOutThere
Why this one matters

Few places on earth let you watch a volcano actively erupting, and you always watch from a distance. The crater is fenced off, and when the eruption is strong the nearby trails close. What you see is the mountainside at night, glowing as lava flows downhill in the dark. If you stay overnight on the island, the Kona coast offers night snorkeling with manta rays: floating lights draw plankton to the surface, and giant mantas glide in to feed inches below you.

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