Originally Posted by
gorshkov
Third, definitely plan to stay in Volcanos NP. There are some good day hikes in the park; bring real hiking shoes because hiking on lava is hard on the ankles. Riding down to where the coast road ends under lava is pretty cool. The Kilauea overlook at night is definitely worth seeing. The campground in the park is (or was) free and didn't require reservations, and was also pretty nice for tent camping. Just remember that the campground is near the park entrance around 4000 feet, so you'll have a nice uphill ride at the end of the day for any day trips in the park.
There's also a small campground on the Chain of Craters Road about halfway down to the coast but it has very little in the way of facilities; flat spots for tents, no water that I saw, etc. I did not see the campground uphill near the village (just off route 11) but the map legends make it look much more welcoming.