HAWAII BLOG FEBRUARY 7th, 2026 - HAWAII BIG ISLAND

 

2/7/26– Today’s weather forecast shows mostly cloudy throughout the day, but I still see sun. Not wanting to waste it, we grab our swim wear and head to the beach. 

We find a perfect spot to set up our chairs making it feel like our own private area. The sounds of the waves crash continuously as we enjoy the relaxation, and stay for a good hour before changing clothes and driving south toward the Volcano National Park.

Along the way we notice the dark clouds hovering over with touches of rain here and there. Luckily it doesn’t last long as we take a pit stop at Punalu’u (Black sands beach, which was created by lava flowing into the water and popping back onto shore). The place is packed but we mainly stop over to see the sea turtles and find one laying out in the sand as chill as can be and seemingly not caring about anyone around.

We finally reach the volcano park around 3:30pm, a bit later than expected but should be enough time to cover what we want to see. The fee to enter is normally $30 per vehicle but free with the America the Beautiful park pass we have.

After a brief stopover at the visitor center, it takes only three minutes to drive to our first place, Uekahuna (the summit of Kilauea volcano). This is where it starts raining as we walk the short trail to the lookout point. The crater is pretty large with a huge steam stack rising from one end showing how massive this volcano really is.

We drive a few minutes down to Wahinekapu (the Steaming Bluff). This has the same view yet from a different angle further away. The highlight is the steam flowing out of the rocks that have an intense heat to it. It’s here that the rain stops, allowing us more time to enjoy the scenery.

Lastly, we travel to the other side of the crater to Nahuku Lava Tube, which consists of a large cave created by ancient flowing lava. It looks and feels so eerie with orange lights illuminating the path and so very cool to see. Parking is limited this close, and many have to resort to hiking a mile, but we get lucky finding a spot nearby.

With the sun soon to set, we drive to Kilauea Overlook for a night look at the red glow eliminating from the crater. We can see it reflecting in the steam but the rain is pouring again, making it difficult to get a good photo. So we drive the two hours back to our AirBnb, getting home around 9pm.

Overall it’s a decent day, even without the sun for most of it. I mean, the clouds did add to the mystic of the crater so not bad at all.

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