Hello, I am going to be spending 2-3 days on the BI next month. I wondered if it was worth staying in Volcano Village in order to see the nighttime lava? It appears that Hilo is only about 10-15 miles away. Is it also possible to stay in Hilo and drive over? Didn't look like a very long drive from the map. If you do think it is worth staying at the volcano area, can anyone recommend a hotel? I am not a huge fan of rustic type places, but I get the impression that is what most of the lodging in this area is? Would appreciate any advice!

Thanks.

and whats the best way to find out where the lava is flowing?

are organised tours ex Hilo a waste of $?

what are the ranger tours like?

Hilo is about 30 minutes to the entrance to the park. The end of Chain of Craters Road is another 45 minutes drive from the entrance to the park. The hike to the lava flow could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on what the lava is doing that day.

Most of the lodging in Volcano Village are B&B type places. I've stayed at Carsons Cottages and it wasn't too bad as far as rustic goes. I have heard that Kilauea Lodge is very nice. What makes these rooms uncomfortable is the humidity because its in the rain forest area. We had a dehumidifier in our room both times and it was much better.

I would not recommend staying in Hilo to get away from rustic hotels. The Hilo hotels are pretty rustic themselves.

My family stayed at the Kilauea Lodge twice, and loved each stay. Their crowning glory is the dining room,(breakfast, which is wonderful as well, is included in the room price), which has unbelievable choices. We had superb dinners there. The rooms are quite comfortable. They have a separate house with a common area, library, games. The park is just a few miles away, and beautiful drive. I highly recommend this property.

Reply to johnj:.
The best way to find out about where the active lava flows are is to ask people returning from there on this board. Here is a recent post discussing lava viewing:
"Big Island Lava Viewing- Volcano National Park" I will top it for you.

Here is a website for updates about Hawaii's volcanic activity:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/main.html

And finally here is website about where the lava has been flowing for the past few years:http://www.nps.gov/havo/visitor/lava.htm

In my opinion seeing the lava flows can be done very economically by driving to the end of chain of craters road and following everyone else hiking there, you do not need any special guide, just bring extra water and flashlight, and try to arrive late afternoon/early evening. The rangers tend to stick near the red hot lava.

I'm also going to endorse Kilauea Lodge - a great place with wonderful meals. We've stayed both at the lodge (very nice rooms) and Tutu's Cottage, a small house run as part of the Lodge abd about 1/4 mile away. Both are good options.