Volcano Tours in the United States
The USGS counts 161 potentially active volcanoes in the country. Three of them carry all 65 experiences sold here.
The USGS counts 161 potentially active volcanoes in the United States. The commercial market sells three. Alaska holds the largest share of the total and produces almost no visitor product at all, because a volcano reachable only by chartered floatplane does not become a day trip. What is actually bought and sold sits in two states: the island of Hawaiʻi, where Kīlauea has been erupting in fits and starts since December 2024, and Washington, where a glaciated cone that last erupted around a thousand years ago is ranked by the USGS among the most dangerous volcanoes in the country. Maui adds a third, and it is not really about the volcano at all.
This page is the only one on the site that can put the three side by side, so that is what it does. Below you will find what each destination is physically like, what the day costs, which months work, and the entry rules, which differ more than anyone expects between two parks in the same state. The operational detail for each one lives on its own page. What matters here is the choice, because these three trips answer completely different questions and the wrong one is an expensive way to be disappointed.
Choose a destination in the United States
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Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Tours of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island: the Kīlauea caldera, the Nāhuku lava tube, Kīlauea Iki and the Chain of Craters Road to the sea.
41 experiences in 5 destinations -
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens tours from Seattle and Portland: 28 glaciers, the lahar hazard, Paradise and Sunrise, and the 1980 crater.
12 experiences -
Haleakalā Volcano
Haleakalā tours on Maui: sunrise above the cloud at 3,055 m and the reservation it needs, the sunset and astronomy alternative, and the downhill bike ride.
12 experiences
Volcano Travel Experiences in the United States
Hilo Shore Excursion: the 2018 Flow, the Newest Black Sand Beach in Hawaii
The 2018 eruption evaporated the largest freshwater lake in Hawaii and left a beach where a boat harbour was. Port pick-up under permit, ship times honoured.
Hualalai Hidden Craters Hike: Private Land Behind Three Locked Gates
Three locked gates and private land on Kona's own volcano, with a wild lava tube and the fissures of its last eruption. No park crowds and no long drive.
Kailani Big Island Day: The Rim at Volcano House and Hot Towels on the Way Back
Lunch at The Rim over the Kilauea caldera with live music, free donuts at the southernmost bakery, and hot towels in the Sprinter before the last waterfall.
Kilauea After the Collapse, and a 1,000-Acre Cacao Farm with Its Own Waterfall
Park-certified guides on ground the Halemaumau collapse rewrote, then tree-to-bar chocolate on a private farm with a waterfall of its own to sit beside.
Kilauea and the Big Island Loop: Greenwell Farms 1850 to the Southernmost Bakery
A coffee farm planted in 1850, the southernmost bakery in the US, Halema'uma'u and the Thurston tube, then Saddle Road and Hilo. The whole island in a day.
Kona to Kilauea via the Hamakua Coast: Laupahoehoe, Akaka Falls, East Rift
Up the wet side first: Waimea, the pinnacles at Laupahoehoe and Akaka Falls, then Kilauea's caldera and the east rift. Small group, or private on request.
Kona to Volcanoes with a Geologist's Company: Lunch at the Rim, Saddle Road Home
The company was started by a geologist, and it shows: lunch over the Kilauea caldera, the full Chain of Craters, and the 1936 flow marked on Saddle Road.
Mauna Kea Small Group: Hawaiian Star Navigation and Two Telescopes
A warm picnic dinner, Hawaiian star navigation explained before the summit, and both an 11-inch Celestron and a Stellina that captures images you keep.
Mauna Kea Stargazing with a Free-If-Cloudy Guarantee and Milky Way Portraits
An astronomer and an astro-photographer, reclining chairs and a screen-based telescope with no eyepiece. If the stars stay hidden, the session costs nothing.
Mauna Kea Summit and Sunset with Arnott's: Laser-Guided Stars, No Telescopes
Local guides on the sacred side of the mountain, an acclimatisation stop at 9,000 feet, and stargazing by laser pointer rather than telescope. Minimum two guests.
Mauna Kea Summit, Sunset and Stars: Two of the Black Hole Telescopes
Two of the eight telescopes that imaged a black hole stand on this summit. Jackets, a hot drink, a Celestron on the planets, and your photo sent afterwards.
Mauna Kea Sunset and Stars, Run Since 1989: Parkas and Snacks Included
The same local operator since 1989, fully permitted, with heavy-duty parkas, snacks and hot chocolate included, and the stargazing stop below the summit.
Mauna Kea Sunset with Free Star Photos on Your Phone Before You Get Home
The guides shoot you against the sunset and the stars with their DSLR, and the pictures reach your phone before the van drops you off. Three Kona-side pick-ups.
Mount Rainier at Your Own Pace: Named Trails at Paradise and Elbe's Railcar Diner
Free time at Paradise means you can actually walk the Skyline or Nisqually Vista trail, and the road up stops at Elbe, where the diner is a railway carriage.
Mount Rainier from Seattle: a Summer Route and a Winter One
Two itineraries, one for May to October with Narada Falls and Paradise, one for the snow months with a longer Longmire stop and the Wonderland Trail.
Mount Rainier Highlights: Snowshoes and Sledding Included in the Cold Months
Snowshoeing and sledding are included in winter and spring at no extra cost, and the operator says outright it stays in the park longer than others.
Mount Rainier with No Minimum Group Size: the Tour Runs Whatever the Numbers
The departure is not cancelled for low numbers, the snowshoes are free in winter, and walking is optional throughout for people who would rather not.
Mount St Helens from Portland: the Wetlands the Eruption Created
The wetland at Silver Lake exists because of the eruption, and this naturalist-led day covers it, the hummocks, and lunch, snacks and drinks throughout.
Mount St Helens with the Hummocks: Pieces of the Mountain That Travelled Miles
Lunch is local, organic and family style, and the walk among the hummocks shows where the eruption dumped pieces of the mountain miles from where it stood.
Over the Three Quarters of Maui You Cannot Reach: Haleakala's Rim and the Hana Rainforest
About three quarters of the island has no road into it, so the crater rim, the East Maui waterfalls and the coast are seen from the air with narration.
Private Chauffeur to Mount Rainier: Eight Hours, Your Vehicle, Your Own Walking
Eight hours of exclusive vehicle and driver, with the clear caveat that the chauffeur stays with the car and any walking you do is on your own.
Private Guide Inside Volcanoes Park: Three Hours, Eruption Footage in the Van
You meet inside the park, so under an hour of the three is driving. Eruption footage plays in the van, groups are never mixed, and the stops follow your pace.
Private Hilo Shore Excursion up to 10: A'a, Pahoehoe and Back to the Ship on Time
Your own van, free photographs all day, and several eruption sites rather than one overlook. Car seats under 8 by state law, boosters from 5, guaranteed return.
Private SUV Around Mount Rainier: the Full Circuit, Four Walking Stops
The route circles the whole mountain instead of retracing one road, with four stops for walks or waterfalls and no obligation to leave the vehicle.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor