One thing to bear in mind with these surface flows is that once they get a flow to the ocean established, the lava starts to form tubes, so the surface flow ceases, but there should be a spectacular ocean entry.

Your comment triggered my memory of our first visit to try to see the lava in 2004. Like you we had read that you could hike to see the lava and we saw these amazingly close photos of oozing lava. Well, our experience that time was much worse than yours. While technically we could have hiked to get a closer view of the lava….get this… it was an 18-mile round-trip hike across rugged terrain. While we love hiking, that was way more than we cared to do. We ended up having to take a helicopter tour that hovered briefly over Pu’u O’o just for a glimpse of a small sliver of red lava. So, I understand what it’s like to be disappointed that the lava doesn’t look like the things the glossy brochures and guide books tell you.

See the lava flow depends one where and how it’s flowing and that is very, very unpredictable.It’s impossible to say where and how the lava might be flowing next week,next month, etc.

Based on the recent HVO reports, you can see lava flowing down the pali (hill) at the lava viewing point that’s located at the end of Highway 130 in Kalapana.

The photos in the link are in Royal Gardens. I doubt there is a specific trail there and don’t really advise going there without knowing the terrain very, very well. It’s easy to get lost, dehydrated, and disoriented.

The lava at a black sand beach — are you talking about moving lava or hardened old lava flows?

Keep an eye on the resources referenced in this post: http://www.govisithawaii.com/2009/10/07/how-to-find-out-whats-going-on-with-the-lava-on-hawaiis-big-island/ Also, make sure you visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for their up to date advice.

Try also to see if Halemaumau crater is glowing at night from the embedded lava lake.

How do I get to the area where photos like these were taken? http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html

I’ve also seen photos where lava is on a black sand beach taken very recently. How do I get to those areas for photos?
Coming to the Big Island on Tuesday with first-timers and heard the ocean entry wasn’t quite active, but want to get them to some lava nonetheless. Please help.

Did you see my post last week? Lava is once again on the move.

As your trip gets nearer, check out this post on how to find out what’s going on with the lava: http://www.govisithawaii.com/2009/10/07/how-to-find-out-whats-going-on-with-the-lava-on-hawaiis-big-island/

We’re going back this October and I wanted to know if we would get to see the lava flow this time around, if they actually stopped letting people hike to it or if that was just a temporary precaution. Can someone please help me out?

Mahalo for participating in the Carnival of Aloha!

We’re kind of lucky right now in that the path to the official viewing is very well defined on each side, so it would be really, really hard to get lost. As you walk towards the ocean, there’s thick shrubs on the right and left. County employees are stationed along the way to keep you pointed in the right direction with flashlights at night.

We’re lucky that it’s also a very short hike now. I believe it’s only about 3/4 of a mile.

Are you going to be able to get out to this flow? We overheard a gentleman say that that he has been coming to the Big Island for over 10 years in a row and this particular lava viewing was the most spectacular he’d seen yet. We were really glad to hear that since we’d been unlucky in the past for lava viewing.