Normally, you would want to avoid natural disasters, but this journey quickly became a wild ride of leaping from one natural disaster to another.
January 18–20, 2025
Back in April of 2024, my first visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park left me a bit lacking. We didn’t experience any volcanic activity—the very namesake of the park itself. So when word spread online that Kilauea had begun erupting I eagerly looked into the possibility of traveling back to the park for a trip extension to see the lava flow firsthand. Web cams and blog photos were not going to scratch this itch.
Kilauea has erupted six times since its summit collapsed in 2018. This most recent eruption began on December 23, 2024. After 11 days of nonstop eruption all summit lava flows paused; that is, until January 15, 2025 when the summit vent resumed its fountain of lava once again. I heard this specific piece of news the next day, January 16. With the previous eruptive phase lasting 11 days, I assumed I had some margin, but knew the clock was ticking. So three days later I took a last minute red-eye flight and journeyed out to Hawai’i Volcanoes hoping to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon on January 18.
Normally, you would want to avoid natural disasters, but this trip quickly became a wild ride of leaping from one natural disaster to another. My flight started with blizzard conditions in Denver nearly cancelling and delaying takeoff. Following that, my layover in Los Angeles was jeopardized by unprecedented wildfires and smoke. If 13 miles closer, authorities would have shut down all airport activities. But despite these challenges, I made my way to the volcanic eruption in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Thankfully, only the success of the trip—and not my life—was threatened by this string of disasters. And thankfully, against all the odds of sub-zero temperatures, smokey skies, cancelled flights, and tight connections, I found myself in Kona, Hawai’i, on schedule.
After touching down in Kona, I rented a car and immediately drove the two hours to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. With lava spouting in the northwest corner of the crater, Old Crater Rim Drive Trail was my best bet at viewing the extent of the eruption. Arriving at the Devastation trailhead around 10 p.m., I donned my headlamp and set out on the mile long path to Kilauea’s rim.
Little did I know earlier that day while I was en route to Kona, Kilauea had actually paused all lava flow once again. Upon arrival, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat deflated; but despite the lack of lava fountains, I was still fortunate enough to catch the last glimpse of night glow from residual lava flows earlier that day. And the spout that once spewed lava still glowed hot orange with a pool of magma illuminating the rising steam. With vapors and smoke encircling the canyon, the entire caldera looked like the aftermath of a recent campfire, embers still smoldering.
I hung around in the breezy darkness waiting for any sign of reactivation, but as the night wore on I turned in for some sleep before catching sunrise in a few hours. With the night glow and hubbub of volcano activity, visitors were in and out of the parking lot all night into the wee hours of the morning. At 6 a.m. I rose groggy and once again made my way out along Old Crater Rim Drive Trail to the overlook, curious what several hours of sleep did to the smoldering lava flows. As expected, the once iron-red magma had cooled to a warm orange, and in some areas to solidified rock. Much of the night glow dissipated over time with the growing light of dawn.
I may have come a moment too late, but I certainly had not come a moment too soon. By providence, I wove my way 3,300 miles through blizzards and airport delays, catching the last show of Kilauea’s recent eruptive phase. Because the nature of volcanoes is unpredictable, we can never know when the next eruption will take place—tomorrow, next week, or next year. So to witness even the tail end of such an event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I will be savoring for a long time.
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