Kīlauea

When Kīlauea erupts you can sometimes watch lava fountains from designated viewpoints without needing special gear or tours. In our case we parked, walked a trail for about 20 minutes, and were watching lava glowing inside the crater. Seeing the earth literally creating new land in real time is pretty wild.

At night the whole crater was glowing and you could see lava fountains rising up from the vent. My kids (8 and 3) were completely mesmerized and talked about it the whole trip.

If you’re thinking about trying to see Kīlauea erupt, it’s honestly more doable than I expected as long as you stay flexible and keep an eye on the updates.

Night viewing ended up being the highlight. During the day you can see the lava fountains, but once it gets dark the entire crater lights up and it looks unreal.

Seeing an eruption in person was honestly one of the most surreal things I’ve ever experienced.