Uploaded July 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Cyndi and Gary wrap up their 2018 Hawaii vacation with a few days on the Big Island, staying in the Hilo area, just up the road from the active lava flows.
Those lava flows are not a 'tourist attraction' - at least not yet. At some point the state and the USGS may establish a viewing area, formal or informal (you'll see a previous one in this video), but for now, the flows aren't stable enough for either safety or picking a spot to watch them. Plus 'Fissure 8', the current active spot, is in the middle of a neighborhood. So access is restricted to residents and officials. We did see 'red sky at night' - the glow from the lava is easy to see.
Also, Volcanoes National Park is completely closed (we checked). But there was fun to be had. We'll visit Uncle Robers's Wednesday Farmer's Market, a bit of Mauna Kea, and we did some family stuff that's not on the video.
Cyndi and Gary wrap up their 2018 Hawaii vacation with a few days on the Big Island, staying in the Hilo area, just up the road from the active lava flows.
Those lava flows are not a 'tourist attraction' - at least not yet. At some point the state and the USGS may establish a viewing area, formal or informal (you'll see a previous one in this video), but for now, the flows aren't stable enough for either safety or picking a spot to watch them. Plus 'Fissure 8', the current active spot, is in the middle of a neighborhood. So access is restricted to residents and officials. We did see 'red sky at night' - the glow from the lava is easy to see.
Also, Volcanoes National Park is completely closed (we checked). But there was fun to be had. We'll visit Uncle Robers's Wednesday Farmer's Market, a bit of Mauna Kea, and we did some family stuff that's not on the video.
