iahphx

I could be wrong, but I think the odds of having something stolen from your trunk at the lava viewing area is probably less than 1 in 10000. Have there been any reports of this? It's a pretty remote, well visited site. I presume criminals (and it's not like the Big Island is teaming with them) will be working elsewhere. Obviously, exercising common sense -- like the advice stated above -- makes sense.

Earlier, I linked to the official info site. You have to arrive by a fixed time, and, I believe, leave by a fixed time. They have gates and will certainly close them. I don't think you'll be allowed to head out at 10 pm.

EDIT: yup, you have to be out of the area by 10 pm. This is an activity with strict time parameters.

bocastephen

My warning is not specific to the lava viewing area. I haven't been there since it was taken over by the County, as I used to visit Kalapana when it was open during the day or evening to whoever wanted to visit.

However, my advise is germane to any tourist site, no matter how well organized or crowded. Break-ins happen at the busy I'o Needle lot, and even the uber-busy Pali Lookout in Honolulu. Crowds and even security guards are not assurances of anything.

nomadine

iahphx "Earlier, I linked to the official info site. You have to arrive by a fixed time, and, I believe, leave by a fixed time. They have gates and will certainly close them. I don't think you'll be allowed to head out at 10 pm."

I found the website maintained by the county and the phone info. It says:The viewing area is open daily from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., as long as conditions remain safe for the public. The last vehicles are allowed in at 8:00 to allow people adequate time to view the lava before the site closes at 10:00 p.m. "

Thanks for the tip. My terribly short trip will be more efficient thanks to the flyertalk members' posts.

I'll post after my trip.

slippahs

The county folks are good about this. They don't lock you in and let you fend for yourself all the way back up Highway 130 without your vehicle. They make a sweep prior to closing and make sure that the site is indeed cleared of people before shutting it down.

Re: closing. When we went, we went as close to 8 as possible, got in right before 8, around 7:50, and drove up straight to the trailhead. We stayed about an hour and were pleased that the car was right at the trailhead rather than a mile or two down the road.

MNSWEEps

I was there 2 days back at the Kalapana viewing point. Drove in at around 4:55 PM and was there till 8 pm....yes they dont allow any cars after 8 pm.

Merlin666

When would one have to leave from Volcano Village to make it to the viewing area in good time?

slippahs

It's about 1 hr - 75 mins to drive from Volcano Village to the end of Highway 130. So plan accordingly. Traffic is not really an issue on this particular route.

Here's a Google Map link:
http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&sourc...03841&t=h&z=12

Merlin666

Thanks, we left just after 5pm from Volcano Village and were fortunate to get to the parking area and the viewing zone with some day light, which was nice for a first time visitor.

It's also worthwhile noting that on the way back there are quite a few dining options in Pahoa - we had dinner at Paolo's Bistro which was fantastic and almost worth the drive in itself!

azepine00

"For our safety" they closed at least a half of Kilauea circle drive.

At the end of 130 on a short hike I stepped 100 feet or so off the trail to take a few pics from a different angle and some idiot in a uniform started yelling in a loudspeaker threatening to fine and arrest me for trespassing.

The official trail ends well short of the ocean and one can't see lava pouring in as the view is blocked. Just some steam and a bit of glow at night.

I remember in 2003-2004 one could actually hike to lava flow, in 2006 it was a bit more distant but still somewhat accessible but right now the park has turned into some safety-obsessed visitor herding experience.

Very disappointed.

dhacker

Not sure if this was the case, but in the past the rangers (at the other end, not sure that the NPS patrols the Rt 130 end) tended to get nasty like that when the danger was real -- such as when there's a lava shelf that could collapse or when the active lava is consuming green vegetation and could explode.

bocastephen

Is the entire Kalapana district under the lava field now under control of Hawai'i County? I haven't been down there since the evening viewing area was open, but before then you could show up at any time and hike out (but of course you were on your own).

Is access to the town and field completely blocked before they open the viewing area at 5p?

azepine00

We initially showed up around 4 hoping to wonder around a bit before the crowds but they had a few folks guarding the gate already. There is a cabin at the end of the parking lot so perhaps the entrance is watched around the clock.

The fellow with a loudspeaker who stopped us later claimed that the area was a private property and any deviation from the trail was considered trespassing. Arguing with him appeared rather pointless so we apologized and left.

bocastephen

I wonder if the gate was locked or you could open it if you arrived much earlier, like late morning.

I also wonder how Arnott's is doing their lava hike if they can't get access to this area outside of the restricted viewing hours and trail.

beckoa

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I'll be there in about two weeks- sounds a little different since I was last there
in 2001!

I hiked out several hours to the lava flowing and insertd my walking stick into the lava- discovering it was quite viscous

-guessing its not quite the same from this thread...

FlyinHawaiian

We were there on Friday and were able to view in two locations. There's a smaller eruption now at Halemaumau Crater that can easily be viewed at night from behind the Jaggar Museum (even when the museum is closed). We also drove down to the end of Rt. 130; in addition to the glow where the lava is entering the sea, there are some surface flows on the side of the mountain that are visible after dark.

Re: timing from Volcano Village, we left there at 5:30, stopped in Pahoa for dinner at Luquins, and were at the viewing area by around 7:30, so that worked out well.