Epic Travel → North America → Hawaii → The Big Island → Lava Trees State Monument

Location: Volcanoes National Park Area, Hawaii

Time Required: 20 minutes

Red Tape/Notes: open daily, sunrise to sunset. Admission is free.

What’s Nearby?: Volcanoes National Park, Flowing Lava!

You can see lava trees on the Napau Crater Trail, but if you don’t have time for that hike (we haven’t had time yet, which is why you won’t find it on this site), this is a very quick and easy option to see some. Essentially, when fast flowing lava (the kind you won’t find in the current breakouts) runs into wet trees, the wet trees cool the lava enough to leave a thick layer around the tree (or what’s left of the tree, anyway) and that layer then cools and hardens as the rest of the lava flows past. The monument features a 0.7 mile paved loop trail that passes by a number of obvious lava trees.

Epic Travel → North America → Hawaii → The Big Island → Lava Trees State Monument