Planning a trip to the BI in December...can anyone tell me the status of the lava flow? Can you hike to see it or have the recent earthquakes made it impossible to see by foot?

The lava flow right now is in a remote area not accessible on foot.

You can take a helicopter ride to see it & right now that is the only way.

But, the flow changes quickly & maybe by December it will either be in an accessible area or at least in an area where you can see it from afar. But, don't count on it.

No you can't get to it. . It’s too far up the flank of Kilauea Volcano to hike to.

See map….

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/updat...w_070921_L.jpg

And status report from USGS…..

http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/hvostatus.php

Thanks...that's kindof what I expected to hear. I look at the maps of the lava flows on the website, but they don't mean too much to me as I don't know the geopgraphy of the area. Given that the lava propbably won't be accessible by foot while we're there, the question is, do we even stay in VNP? We had a 2 night stay at Volcano Village Lodge, but my husband said he doesn't know if he wants to go it we can't see the lava...

Yes! It's definitely worth the visit! Visit the Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Caldera & make reservations now for dinner at Kilauea Lodge - we loved our stay there. I strongly recommend the helicopter ride ( we used Blue Hawaiian ).
It was fantastic!

There is also a winery up near Volcano National Park.

Another rather funky alternative to staying at the lodge is to stay at KMC (I've called it that so long that I don't know what it stands for. Big Islanders, is it Kilauea Military Camp?). Dinners are a fun activity. Really like a big camp!

Here's the KMC website: www.kmc-volcano.com

I'd consider VNP as a "must see" if you can get close to the lava. Without the ability to hike to the lava, it's still well worth visiting, but not quite so compelling. I'm not a fan of helicopter tours, but this might be a case to consider one.

I just don't think I'm down with the Helicopter ride...I have heard that the food at Kilauea Lodge is very good and we are suuposed to stay at the Volcano Village Lodge, which sounds like a nice place. After hearing of some of the positives, despite the likely lack of lava flow, I think we'll keep our plans to visit VNP. Thanks for all the feeback.

ladybug, I agree that seeing the VNP is still a must-see, even without lava flowing. There are several scenic drives (one road off of Chain of Craters Road is incredible). I think you'll be glad you stayed there a couple of nights.

ladybug, I agree with everyone about VNP. Also, Volcano Village is a good base for seeing the other sites in the area. The Green Sand beach is a worthwhile hike, Southpoint, turtles at the black sand beach, plus much more. Enjoy!