Reviews of Lava Tree State Monument (Park)

Michele Evans

Really nice paved walk with huts that you can get out of the rain. Beautiful native plants and trees and the lava tree molds are amazing. There is free parking and a bathroom.

Albert Al

Stopped here about a year ago, the energy and the tree monuments covered by lava are surreal. Really loved this place perfect weather, the lush unique vegetation is amazing and smells really good clean natural foana that just makes you relax into a zen state.

Sumaithri Mukkamalla

Has picnic tables. Can spend an hour or less here.. we just took a short walk through the park and headed back. It wasn't crowded at all.

Chris H

This is a must see while on the island. We saw a wild Hawaiian Hawk here. Free to visit.

Weisse Edelweiss

I've never seen anything like it!

Drew Kirk

You definitely go for the experience, the rock formations were amazingly cool. Would recommend.

Andrew Espenhain

Interesting formations, but park is in poor condition and washrooms aren't well maintained.

Brian Bartholme

Unique place. You don't see lava trees everywhere. Easy to see in 30 min.

D Vincent

Pretty cool..i had no idea lava could climb trees

Moana Doi

Cozy and attractive park. The monuments were created by lave flow over trees. You can see standing lava tubes which the center is empty, was space for tree.

Squished Tab

I liked going even though it was shut down due to the lava. Picture attached.

Jason Aston

Great little nature path. It is interesting to find out about lava trees. There are some spots that make for a great family photo.Plan on spending no more than 45 minutes.

Henri Laaksonen

Great place for a little hike!

Amedeo Markoff

nice little hike w cool sites to see.

Ken Sellers

This is a really nice little park. Like other Hawaiian state parks, it doesn't take long to see what has to see, but what it does have is really neat. The park seems to be really well maintained, too. If you budget a half-hour for your visit, you'll be pretty close.

Cecilia Lin

This place is amazing, our Airbnb host told us this place, and it’s really good.

DAVID BUZBY

Mother nature amazing works of tree art...TLR

Teresa Kidder

Great little hike to enjoy the flora and fauna!

Stephen Butler

I was able to access the new lava flow respectfully. It’s hard to imagine the devastation the lava flow caused. One of the pictures which has the largest vent expose is fisher number eight which did the most damage. The other photo shows the new lava flow over the estate and the access roads leading to the area. I have been here before in the area has a tourist heading to the oceanfront. I can’t imagine what it was like but the area will never be the same. Please hit “Like” if this was helpful. Thanks.

Gerry Baldwin

A lovely place closed due to lava flow.

Megan Perkins

Nice, easy walking path for an unusual sight. Signs with historical information and great warning signs to stay on the path. Fabulous photo opportunities and we were lucky enough to see and hear a native hawk in one of the trees. Plenty of parking. Bathrooms are 3 stars, but the rest was nice.

Franklin Inmon

Stay on the trail. Nice walk.

Chris Holtz

Such a cool place. And to think the trees burned away and left the imprint.

Thomas Kirwan

Wonderful to see this place untouched by the recent flow, which stopped some 10 or 20 meters from it. You get a look back in time of what might occur as this new flow slowly gets grown over.

Mark Tiras

Interesting place.Lava grew like trees with the middle a hole.

Jeff Patchett

Interesting example of lava preserved trees.

Peter Kulakow

Very nice park with easy paved trail for all ability levels. Within walking distance of 2018 lava flows where you can safely view where lava blocked highway.

Kenneth J Kiwicz

These are very interesting sculptures here when lava meets trees.

Quickly Dim

Very interesting place. Not really well known of.

Mark Atkinson

Love the quiet and the amazing geology!

rian delaat

We went here a couple of times on our trip and each time everything was delicious. We got poke, the catch of the day, rib eye, the ahi roll, the sauteed mushrooms, the kalbi steak, and the chocolate mousse cake.

fiona hou

Small park. Nice and quite.

Teresa Cohen

Nice walk

Abra Ancheta

Beautiful place to take a peaceful walk.

Mark Gillie

Small and peaceful park

Jerry Smith

A short walk worth seeing.

Davis Grubb

So beautiful especially the waterfalls and such!

Erin Brady

Eh...it wasn't terrible, but not good either. I would definitely skip it unless you are in the area and looking to stretch your legs or use the restroom. The ~0.7 mile walk is on paved roads.

Pamela Davis

Easy walk, accessible. Good examples of lava trees. Free parking.

Tanya Kane

Nice short stroll through beautiful grounds

Amanda Lavoie

This is a cool spot to check out in the Puna area. The walk only took us about 15-20 minutes. The lava trees were cool and the gardens beautiful. It's paved, so easy for anyone with disabilities. Lots of birds chirping and butterflies.

Matthew Cating

Somewhat long, easy, paved trail. Restroom was clean. Lots of native plants, in addition to the lava trees.

Jose Alcala

Clean/kept & public bathrooms. Great walkway & not a very long walk around the park. Very cool volcanic structures, including a crevasse at entrance.

Joe Cole

Pros: Paved, short trail; available covered picnic area; rest stops along trail; lodging nearby. Cons: Most of the park's lava trees were felled during Hurricane Iselle in the summer of 2014; trail may be too short for more serious hikers. Bottom Line: If you've never seen a lava tree before, or if you're looking for an easy hiking spot, the Lava Tree State Park is worth a visit. Hikers looking for more of a challenge may want to look elsewhere.

Gilbert Pohl

Was a nice walk, but not a lot to see.

Anna Deverell

So neat to see history. When the lava touches the trees it burned them up and left a hole in the middle of the cooled lava.

Ruth Adar

What a treat! A state park focussed on volcanic activity that is truly accessible for those of us on wheels! Paved pathways go deep into the little park, and you can see the lava trees up close. Good signage too. Be sure to stay on the path even if you are not on wheels. There are significant safety issues - NOT a place for toddlers to run free! But very beautiful and as long as keiki are supervised it's great for them too.

Anna - Lee

Beautiful park. Well worth a look.

Jiri van Bergen

Small free park that's worth a stop, especially to enjoy a nice lunch in a quiet environment and with clean facilities. The lava trees are interesting to see, but the stroll around the park only takes ~15min or so.

Marek Neumann

Smaller park with concrete path, toilet and parking. An interesting example of the strength of volcanic lava. The tree trunks inside these statues are gone. You can look inside, but beware, lava is fragile and crumbles. Let them not hurt others.

Bad Bass Fishing

Hard to say or rate the quality of this attraction. But they did have a hell of a road closed sign. Apparently when you come to Hawaii to see lava, the worst time is to come when there is lava, as all of the lava attractions are closed as of this writing 8/2018. You can still tour the lava flows from decades ago, but that wasn't overly interesting.

Michelle Porter

Interesting 30 minute diversion. Very well maintained park with interesting lava formations and a chance to peer down into a deep fissure. Excellent site for a picnic. Public restrooms on site.

Dee Bailey

Absolutely beautiful.

J Metzler

Not much color or flowers. But a nice place to get out and go for a walk. They do have restrooms.

Chris Torek

It's a small state park but it's pretty interesting. It might be a bit better if it had more information on the local flora - the signs describe the o'hi'a trees but not the rest of the vegetation. The bathrooms were an unexpected bonus, I was not expecting running water. Nice area to have a lunch or snack break.

Marina Nelson

Easy in and out for some walkable Nature Park sights. No Fee, basic restroom, parking. Pay attention to the drive to the park as it goes through amazingly tall lowland forest canopy!

Dustin Adle

A hidden gem and a must see when exploring. You could spend an hour or 20 minutes here. The walking loop was very easy.

Jennifer Black

Interesting. A short, easy walk on a narrow, paved trail.

Khurram Ijaz

A small 10 min stroll through the park highlight some of the details of the flow of laws that made the park it is today. The place was not busy at all, paved path around the entire park and numerous spots for photo ops. Washroom facilities at location.

Ron Binning

A very interesting State Park. Volcanoes and molten lava can form works of art.

Brandon Earhart

Fun place to take a walk and enjoy the sights. The kids enjoyed exploring and learning about the area. Very well maintained.

Carsten Schulz

Take about 30 minutes minimum, there are picknick-areas and restrooms Interesting how lava goes around trees if it's flowing away quickly. If you have got the time and are on the way to the Volcano National Park, than drive some Miles on Highway 11 to the tree muolds (short after milemarker 30), where the lava stayed and the trees left holes

Diesel White

A little out of the way, but well maintained and it was very cool to think about how you're looking at a preserved tree in lava. You could see inside some of them, and they whole place was beautiful.

Alicia Smith

An interesting stop if your already in the area

Dennis Nardi

This is a small park that was created around trees that lava engulfed, cooled, and left basically a statue behind. It's really neat scenery. It's only takes about 15 minutes to walk all around. I'd definitely recommend if you're in the area, but I wouldn't drive super far out of your way to go to.

SeriouslyBrandee

Nice n quiet place with a clean bathroom and some nice lava tree formations. Good for a fast walk/run. Alot of flora but mostly non-native flora.

Gregrey Frye

The park was in better shape before the tropical storm on 2014 hit. Still a great place to set some unique formations.

Douglas Terhune

Interesting small park. Got caught in a downpour and enjoyed sitting in a kiosk listening to the rain and Coqui frogs.

Tamara Doan

Great place, recently run thru by 30' high lava flow....so it still stands, just a bit harder to get too...!

Sergio Valle

Awesome lava sculptures. I just amazed from nature.

Jay Furr

Kinda fun. The "Lava Tree" bit refers to the hollows left behind when trees are surrounded by flowing lava and last just long enough for the lava to cool, leaving tree-shaped vertical holes in the lava flow. You can see all there is to see in about a half hour.

Chris Brussow

Interesting place, but for as much as I was born to love volcanoes, I wouldn't say this was worth going out of your way. I mean, don't book your trip to Hawaii just for this park, but definitely take the 15-20 minutes to stop by if you are in the area.

Gonzalo M

Peaceful place to take in the natural scenery, nice paved walk away with a few covered shelters to rest, got out of the rain or have a picnic. Full service bathrooms in the parking lot. Great place to visit, don't miss the big crack In The ground(Fisher I believe)by the end of the trail, I couldn see the bottom. Highly recommended.

dean nelson

Definitely lives up to its name now cuz all the trees are lava covered

KELSI MAKAIO

Cute nice little walk. Cute gazebos good walking path.

H. Akay

We came across this place by chance. It was well worth seeing. The trees were solidified when lava flow burned a lush Forest. It's a short walk where you will see tree stumps as lava spires sticking out of ground.

Nick Tubbs

Its a fun little paved walkway. There is one large lava tree at the start of the trail and then the amount diminishes towards the back as heavy vegetation takes over. Did see a large amount of butterfly's here.

Mark G

Nice little park, okay for a short visit, probably about 30 minutes. A short walk on a paved path through the lava field. Birds, flowers and trees are what you'll see, as well as the lava tree molds. Bathroom and parking available.

Pat Snyder

Exciting place to explore what lava can do

paisung yang

This place show tree being covered by lava, it is interested place to visit, it is educational, but if state park use someting to cut one of lava tree in half and let visitors see the inside of a lava tree, it is more interest. May be scientist can learn something from it. Who know.

Gary Brookshire

Great walk and about as close to the new flow as you can get.

Jim Manion

Great little park to walk around.

Shari Morris

We had a short visit, found the park very enjoyable and informative. Hope to go back when we can stay longer.

Feba Dian Mangalapallil

Light walk, took about 20 minutes to cover the park. Learned something new about lava mold trees.

Open Codez

I miss this spiritually scared space.

Sarah Beste

Neat attraction, although we did not walk the entire path.

Junhyung Lee

we visit here for lunch, it was great time to spend there for kunch and hiking as well.

Ray N

This is a great place to visit and was not crowded. It was calm quiet and you could walk at your own pace. These beautiful pieces of art made by Mother Nature were amazing to see.

Debisree Ray

This is a nice and small park to see some Lava piles, formed using trees as mould. There is a small walking trail to follow to see some structures. You need hardly 20-30 minutes to spend, however you can spend some with your family for picnic or outing, as there are benches available. There are enough parking spots and restrooms kept nicely. But I have not given ‘5 stars’ just for this small place. The real attraction is located 2 minutes away, outside of the park. We came to know from people that we can see some ‘Live’ Lava there. After reaching we saw, that is the very recent lava piles formed during the very recent eruption ( May 2018). Though the area is kinda ‘closed’ by the authority for public, people are there to see. We also went there to walk on that Lava for some exotic experience. This is the most fresh Lava, hence quite dangerous. There is no expert available to guide. The lava surface seems brittle, and if you are not careful enough, you might break the surface and hurt your legs. I have seen people called down, cut their legs. So don’t try to walk much of your own. However, that’s the most exotic experience I have ever done with Lava.

Christine Whalen

Cool to see! It was wicked to see all the growth around the lava trees

Justine Crowell

Interesting place. Amazing that the lava didn't totally disintegrate the entire trees. The cracks in the Earth.. wow!

Daniel Knowles

Really a nice walk. Very mellow. Very pretty. Very quite. Lucky the new flow didnt take it.

Newgirl3366 fanfiction

Free to see and definitely worth the visit.

Marie Baird

Small park with restrooms and a few picnic tables. Cool to look at the mold of the Ohia tree after the lava burns the tree away.

Daniel Andrella

Interesting place! Amazing the lava molds here. Easy path. Wheelchair accessible. Bathrooms and water. Small parking lot.

Deodato Lourenḉo

Fun and exciting place to visit while on vacation

E Dekonor

The park has a great winding sidewalk for casual or speedwalking. Several pavilions allow rest space and relaxation. This a simple pleasure that should not be missed for the historical significance and a chance to see what petrified trees remain at the park.

Jim Bruno

Had a tour here. Learned a lot about volcanoes and how the Islands are were formed.

BC Penling

Nice walk. Educational. Beautiful.

Katelynd Mahoney

Quick & interesting pit stop.

Jay Bundy

Very cool and right next to the recent, big lava flows. Blocking several major roadways nearby.

Jennifer Gurley

Amazing

Cyrene Andaya

Beautiful park to go too. It was my second time. The trail makes it easy to walk down and is not difficult in any way.

Vanessa Hershman

Short, paved circle walk that was perfect for an afternoon stroll. The lava trees are really neat to look at.

Cynthia Crewdson

Amazing to see, and understand how lava flows. Lush and tropical, walk. Viewing area of deep fissure.

Sajid Anwar

Very cool park with paved walkways throughout making it easily wheelchair and stroller accessible. About 0.7 miles all the way around in the middle of a beautiful forest. Two shelters along the way in case it rains. Seeing these trees is a very cool experience. Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to see the whole park so makes an excellent stop if you're in the area. Bathrooms are available and parking is free.

Kyrie Burrus

Interesting natural phenomena, if you're in the area... wouldn't travel just to see it

daniel s

Nice park with plenty of informative signs. Well maintained.

Jeffrey Fortuna

This park is small but the small hiking trail is very well maintained and there is a great mix of information and natural landscape. The recent lava run is just down the street so that just made this park a prime place to get you so close to that recent event.

Veronika Štětková

Beautiful place with stony trees

Cassandra Kubinski

Very cool short walk on paved loop road passing many lava trees! Worth it if you're in the area anyway.

Donna Osborn

Great park

Xiaoming/Mike Yan

Small and unique. It is worth a stop by but not an intentional visit

WhatsItLike !

My family and myself had a peaceful walk through this area. The paved path makes it accessible for all. Hopefully the area and residents will be okay.

Jennifer Dattolo

Visually interesting trees-covered-in-lava, with a paved walk way to tour through them. A good place for people who don't want to hike long distances, or perhaps elderly family members. Certainly a relaxing experience, and the air smelled wonderful.

Katherine Goldsberry

Easy walk, lots of cool lava trees and some good history/science on how they came to be. Would recommend a quick visit.

Phil Hord

Interesting natural phenomenon with an easy trail.

Dien Huynh

Loved the sense of calm it brought as I meandered around. The path isn't very big at the moment due to path closures, but can enjoy a short walk

Jim Hoge

Lava Tree State Monument is open and looking good.

p schober

A lot of the big trees blew over in a hurricane so it's not as nice as before but still interesting.

Lori Biletnikoff

It's a nice easy walk to see lave casts of trees

Tyler Ritz

Not that big but pretty interesting. A worth while stop if you are going by it anyways.

Pete Spengler

300 year old remnants of trees plus lots more Flora.

The Day Family

Beautiful place to take a walk. Please remember to just be respectful of the land.

Bob Russell

Good place to see vertical lava flows

Megan Coburn

This was a really neat place to stop and wander around. Once we were familiar with what Lava Trees look like we started seeing them all over the place throughout the island.

Jeremy G

Cool little walking loop with informative signs

Joshua Lesser

What happened here is more interesting than it looks. The remaining trees that were petrified in lava are ok to see, but it is not a must. Also, bring bug spray as it gets very buggy.

Wheels

Great drive to see Pele's change to the land

lori ellis

Beautiful place

Janet Manion

Very interesting and a lovely walk.

Michael Lee

One of the wonders of the island no were else on earth amazing

C S

Interesting place to visit near Pahoa on Big Island. Takes about 30 minutes to see whole park. Good place for photography.

Abhinav Dhar

Amazing natural lava flow from 2018

Jesse Broder Van Dyke

Easy walk on a paved path, unique natural features

Maxime Cescau

Back open! Great .7 mile loop to see the lava trees with a few informational plaques. Super interesting if you’re in the area.

Jeremiah West

Interesting scenery. Has toilet facilities. Nice pavement walkway. Informational billboards with interesting history of how lava formations were created.

Scott koeberle

Nice paved path. Maybe even wheelchair compatible. Good parking. Close to main road. Had bathrooms. Takes 30-60 minutes to walk the trail. Some shade and s couple rest spots. Update. March, 2019. Still open and accessable as before

Justin Wilson

Lava Tree is a great place to take a short break. The trail here is very short, but there are plenty of interesting things to look at. Sometimes you will find an abundance of wildlife scurrying around the grounds as well.

Jian Sato

The park isn't so big, so it's perfect for a nice morning walk. The flowers around are beautiful, and nice for people who are interested in botanicals. It doesn't take too long to finish the whole trail, so perfect for a quick visit. Nice for tourists and locals alike.

Harry Pomerleau

So nice I bought property ajoining it!

Kevin Woolliams

If you are in this part of the Big Island, it is definitely worth the 20 or so minutes to walk the cement loop through the park (might be a bit longer than 20 minutes if you stroll, but it still will not be a a long adventure). Decent park information signs provide the right amount of information to help everyone understand how the Lava Trees here were formed.

Parag Bedekar

Stopped in at this place as we were driving around and realized, what we would have missed not visiting. This takes you in history when Lava flow had engulfed these Ohi’a trees. The molds still stand and new trees have risen up from molds, which is unique.

Robert Jones

It's a nice walk through park that shows something I'd never seen before. Nice lunch tables and bathrooms.

Doug Hilo

Park has been nicely kept up while it was isolated and looks well maintained...Cruise Ship guests loved it and all the varietys of plants...the nearby HUGE Fissure 8 Lava flow at the new end of Hghy 132 is an AMAZING addition to the Park..

Karlene Drake

This is a really neat area. There is 1 trail that is paved the entire way. It took about 30 minutes. A pretty tropical walk. It was interesting to see the lava trees.

Mary Kekuewa

One of nature's wonders

Kieran Crawford

Not much there. Don't go out of your way for this stop.

SOAR The World

Trail is short, but interesting

Lindsy Coon

Road is closed and the workers told us it's been destroyed by the last lava flow!

R. Lee Donaldson

Sadly, the State has let this place get rundown looking, but they did have other priorities because of the lava flow in Puna. Hopefully they will fix it back up soon.

Kenton Chong

Great place to see lava trees and easy access to everyone.

Salvador Cudillo

Nice

Allen Hentscher

Bring sunscreen and dress appropriately for sun/heat. Stay on the path, which is entirely handicap accessible. A purple of shelters along the path will provide shade or a roof if it rains.

William Bogle

Very cool place. Easy hike.

Robin Stickle

Interesting park

TheBriongonz

It's kinda cool but no revisit value.

Brian Leung

It's a quick trail. However if you been to a nature trail in Kona or Hilo, this is very similar.