What Dewd says!

Good to know Dewd! And here we didn't go at sunrise only because we didn't want to get up in the middle of the night to do so -haha.

As Suze and others have pointed out, there are lots of interesting places to stop along the drive to the summit - including the National Park's Visitor Center as well as several trails and viewpoints.

INSIDER'S TIP (don't tell anyone I told you this!): Once you reach the summit, keep driving. The road will pass the viewpoints of the crater and then curve to the right. This road leads to the top-secret military facility ("Stars Wars" laser stuff) and the observatory. Once on this road, you'll get an incredible view of the Big Island!