Volcano House's ideal vantage point

A few hundred yards from a horizon-swallowing expanse of volcanic red cinder rock, I hugged a Hawaiian koa tree.

"If you can wrap your arms around the trunk and touch your fingertips, that koa tree is roughly 200 years old," said Rebecca Carvalho, a Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ranger.

My reach encircled only about half the trunk, meaning the tree had probably been there closer to four centuries, which was pretty impressive given the turbulent geologic history of its immediate neighborhood.

Carvalho led a small group of us along a paved walkway known as Devastation Trail, a one-mile day hike winding through what's left of a rain forest bombarded with falling cinders produced by lava fountains during the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption.

Like so many of the park's 150 miles of hiking paths, the short walk offers intimate exposure to a dramatic stretch of volcanic landscape along with access to some of Hawaii's best-preserved native forest.

"It's almost like a living laboratory," Carvalho said of the preserve. "Ninety percent of the plants and birds you see aren't found anyplace else in the world."

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park covers about 520 square miles, making it nearly as large as Oahu, but the hugely popular Big Island attraction welcomed back its sole hotel only recently, celebrating the official reopening of Volcano House in September after a closure of more than three years and a $3 million overhaul to the property's guestrooms, restaurant and public spaces.

Perched on the rim of the Kilauea caldera, across the street from the park's visitors center, Hawaii's oldest hotel has operated in various forms at the location since 1846, hosting guests such as Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, President Franklin Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart.

"It's just been an incredible success story," Cindy Orlando, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park superintendent, said of the hotel's reopening. "There's such a great history associated with Volcano House and lodging at the volcano, and it's wonderful to have the hotel very busy again and to hear visitors commenting so favorably about their experience there."

Welcoming guests since the June soft opening, General Manager Rudy Fao said summer business at the hotel was terrific and two-night stays have been popular for travelers looking to explore the park's often missed highlights.

"People that have the proper expectations really, really enjoy our property," he said. "People that love the outdoors, that want to connect with nature, that type of clientele is the niche we want."

No-frills comfort

Fao explained that guests shouldn't arrive expecting an over-the-top, five-star luxury resort. The renovation was faithful to the hotel's historical significance, and while the guestrooms are certainly comfortable now, the bathrooms are relatively small, and there are no TVs or high-end tech amenities.

"For people wanting to stay connected, we have complimentary WiFi throughout the property, and we loan out free iPads to guests at the front desk," he said. "But our best selling point is we are the only hotel on the edge of an active volcano, and you can't get a crater-view room anyplace else I know of."

During my recent visit to the property, I spent all kinds of time marveling out my room's window at the smoldering plume of gas rising from a deep lava lake hidden beneath a ring of cliffs carved into the crater floor. At night, of course, that climbing column of gas takes on a rosy glow, reflecting the color of the molten rock below.

On clear evenings, dining in front of the hotel restaurant's picture windows is a must.

"If the glow is visible, we'll turn off the lights in the restaurant for a minute or two just so people can really enjoy," Fao said.

While that luminous plume of gas is certainly a can't-miss volcanic visitor attraction — when it's not hidden by the low-cloud whiteouts common at the 4,000-foot elevation of the caldera — travelers expecting to see flowing lava from the windows of Volcano House will be frustrated.

Orlando advises travel agents working with clients planning to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to first visit the destination's website (www.nps.gov/havo) for regular updates about where flowing lava can be seen in the park.

"The main thing is to make sure we're very honest with our visitors about what they are going to see when they get here," she said. "We don't want people to come and be unhappy."

Crater-view rooms at Volcano House start at $335 a night. Visit www.hawaiivolcanohouse.com.