Volcano

The state museum of Hawaiian history and natural science, and the first thing to reach for when a beach day on Oahu gets rained out. Hawaiian Hall is three koa-wood galleries of chiefly regalia, feather capes and a whale hanging from the ceiling. The Science Adventure Center has a walk-through volcano with a lava-flow demonstration that erupts on a schedule and genuinely startles kids. There is a planetarium running Polynesian wayfinding shows about how navigators crossed the Pacific by stars. Plan three hours and check the daily schedule of hula and science demonstrations on arrival.

The main drive-up campground in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, set in a grove of tall eucalyptus and ohia at around 4,000 feet. Staying inside the park is the whole point: you can drive out to the Kilauea overlooks after dark to see any active glow without a two-hour round trip from Hilo or Kona, and be back at the tent in fifteen minutes. A small number of simple cabins have historically been available alongside the tent sites. It is genuinely cold at night by Hawaii standards, and rain is common.

The most iconic hike on Oahu and probably all of Hawaii. The 1.6-mile round trip trail climbs inside the crater of this famous volcanic tuff cone to the summit for panoramic views of Waikiki, the Pacific Ocean, and the Koolau Mountains. Kids love the tunnel, bunker, and steep staircase near the top that add adventure to the climb. The trail is paved but steep in sections. Reservations are required and the earlier you go the better to beat the heat and crowds.

Watching the sunrise from the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala volcano is one of the most extraordinary experiences in Hawaii. The crater landscape looks like Mars and the sunrise above the clouds is genuinely life-changing. Kids are awed by the alien-looking terrain and the cinder cones inside the massive crater. It is very cold at the summit (often below freezing at dawn) so bundle up. Sunrise reservations are required and sell out months in advance. Short rim trails at the summit are accessible for families.

One of the most extraordinary national parks in the country centered around Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The Crater Rim Drive circles the massive Kilauea caldera with overlooks, steam vents kids can feel, and the Thurston Lava Tube, a tunnel through solidified lava that is a highlight for every child. The Devastation Trail is a paved boardwalk through a surreal volcanic landscape. Chain of Craters Road descends through multiple eruption sites to the coast. Seeing an active volcano up close gives kids a sense of wonder that is hard to match anywhere else.

A 4-mile loop that descends through lush rainforest into a volcanic crater and crosses the hardened lava lake floor. Walking across the crater floor is an otherworldly experience with steam rising from cracks in the rock and the crater walls towering above. Kids can see where the lava lake was hundreds of feet deep during the 1959 eruption. The contrast between the lush forest rim and the barren crater floor is striking. This is widely considered one of the best hikes in Hawaii and gives families a visceral connection to volcanic forces.

A surreal hike into the crater of Haleakala volcano through a landscape of red, orange, and grey cinder cones that looks like the surface of Mars. The trail starts at the summit visitor center at 10,023 feet and descends into the crater on soft volcanic sand. Even hiking the first mile in and back out provides incredible scenery. The full trail is long and the altitude makes exertion harder so start slowly. Silversword plants, found nowhere else on Earth, grow along the trail. This is a genuinely otherworldly experience.

A 500-year-old lava tube you can walk through inside Volcanoes National Park. The paved trail descends through a tree fern forest and enters the illuminated tube which stretches about 600 feet long and is large enough to stand upright. Kids are thrilled by the idea of walking through a tunnel made by flowing lava. The tube is lit but a flashlight enhances the experience. The surrounding fern forest is prehistoric-looking and adds to the adventure. The whole loop takes about 20 minutes and is one of the most popular stops in the park.