Questions about Volcano National Park
 

I just checked the official Website of Volcano National Park, and it said there is no lava flow at this time. Has anyone who traveled recently to VNP seen any lava flow? I'm not going until August, is there anyway to predict if there will be lava flow then, i.e. is it seasonal? One more thing, I'm in good shape as far as hiking is concerned, but should I be worried that the fumes will bother my asthma?

thanks so much for any feedback!

Don't believe the lava flow is seasonal but instead seismic, the last trip report I recall where people saw a glow of lava is here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34481933

Conditions vary daily, some mentioned that helicopters might be able to view active lava, check with helicopter companies.

I had "childhood asthma" and the fumes next to an active lave flow were no worse than following a car with a ((W))pungent((w)) catalytic converter, and did not affect me. More exciting were the small methane gas explosions accompanying the lava flows, but if you are very distant you probably won't hear these. :S-

I was there two weeks ago and there was lava flowing - I think it March 4 or 5 that it began - but was only visible via air. The footage on TV was from a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour. If you go to

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/main.html

You can see footage from March 5 showing the flows. I do not know whether there is any way to predict lava flow.

Link to Related Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science...ons/index.html

I have asthma too but had no problems at VNP. Areas of particular concern are well-posted as not being suitable for anyone with breathing problems. However I would probably hesitate to go on a long hike in the park without consulting with the rangers about which areas asthmatics should not hike in. I had no problems near the area where lava was flowing when I was there. The worst spot was downwind from some fumaroles near the main crater. I obeyed the signs and stayed in the car and just coughed a little. My husband got out of the car briefly but we did not linger.

There is no way to know if there will be lava flow to see in August. (I may be there as well then.) And even if lava is flowing, sometimes it is such a long hike that it may not be realisitically possible to view it. When we arrived at the visitor center two summers ago, we were told sure there's lava but it will be a two hour hike in each direction to see it. Since we had young kids with us, that was out of the question! What I'm doing is simply NOT expecting to see lava, so I'll be pleasantly surprised if I can. There's still lot of interesting things to view at the park regardless. If there's a chance you'll be viewing lava, do bring flashlights with you if you have them since best viewing is after dark. And wear sturdy shoes.

Just returned 4 days ago and I'm sad to report that, as of the day we left, the lava flow was only accessible either by a 9 mile hike (one-way) or by air$$$. Happy to report that we had a fantastic time and were amazed and awestruck with VNP even though we didn't witness live lava flow.

Thanks so much for the all the info-- I really appreciated it!

I thought VNP was the highlight of our trip, even with no accessible lava flow (we decided not to do a helicopter or fixed-wing aerial tour).
The Kilauea Iki trail is great!!

I just checked and there is some lava flow with burning vegatation. Check again.