Conference netcad::holiday_travel

    My husband and I would like to take a day trip to the Big Island from
    Maui.  We will be coming into the Hilo Airport.  We are definitely
    taking a helicopter ride in the morning, and then spending the rest of
    the day at the Volcano National Park.
    
    My questions are:
       
        o How many miles is the park from the Hilo Airport?
        o How big is the park itself?  Could you walk most of it, or do
          you really need a car?
    
    Basically, we're wondering if we need to rent a car for the day, or
    just take a cab from the airport to the park, and then walk it
    ourselves.  
    
    Thanks in advance
    
    

RE .52 - You definitely need a car.  You'll definitely WANT a car. :-)

Maybe there are bus/van tours from Hilo, I don't know....

-- Nina

You definitely  need a car to get round the park.  There is a lot to see and
it is quite spaced out.  (they don't call it the Big Island for nothing).

Regarding distance:  as the crow flies Hilo is 26 miles from the entrance to
the park so you should bank on the road route being at least 30 miles

On entry  to  the  park  you  will be given a map (included in the admission
charge).

It is  a  copuple  of  years since I was there and it is changing all of the
time  but  you  should  be able to drive down to the coast where the lava is
flowing  into the ocean.  This will probably be the high point of your visit
as  you  can  walk  upt  within a yard or two of flowing lava (yes it is hot
there! It is hard to stay too long at the edge).

If your flight schedule allows, you should plan on being at this point as it
goes  dark  then  you  will be able to see the mountain side glowing.  It is
also  quite  scary walking back across the lava flows in the dark as you can
then see the lava glowing beneath your feet between the cracks in the lava.

Although Kauai  was  the  best  of  the  Hawaiian Islands (in my opinion), the
Volcano  National  park  was  definitely  the highlight of our 4 Island tour
(although the whale watching comes a VERY close second).

I hope you have a great time being toasted!

Chris.

    
    This was my least favorite island, but the volcano park is really
    interesting.  When we were there April 1996, the lava was flowing
    pretty strong, but we were only allowed to get within a mile of it. 
    You want to get there as it gets dark so you can really see the red
    glow.  I would recommend bringing a flashlight - the walk back to your
    car in the dark over the hardened lava can be very tricky.  We were
    lucky that a couple at the B&B where we stayed gave us theirs.
    
    I didn't like this island as much because many areas are barren and the
    island is so big, everything seemed like a long drive.  I forget
    exactly where, but someplace along the southeast coast there is an ancient 
    village that was neat to visit.
    
    - Cindy