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The Big Island of Hawai'i is composed of five volcanoes... Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualālai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea.
Hualālai and Mauna Loa are expected to erupt again. Mauna Kea can still be active though there are no current indications. The current active volcano is Kilauea which has been spewing forth lava pretty much nonstop since it began - and is among the worlds most active volcanoes.
Currently lava comes out at the Pu'u 'O'o vent inside the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Depending on conditions the lava is quite often accessible and offers visitors an experience of a lifetime.
Lava flowing from Pu'u 'O'o normally flows through lava tubes towards the ocean 6 miles away. About two miles before the ocean the lava encounters a 1,200 foot cliff which is flows over, and then two to three miles of coastal flats until it pours into the ocean. Often the lava is visible on the Pali (cliff), on the coastal flats, and at the ocean entry.
In the huge Kilauea Summit caldera itself site Halema'uma'u Crater. On March 19, 2008, a vent opened in the crater causing a portion of Crater Rim Drive to be closed. The vent is still open but lava continues to remain below the surface of the vent.
We have much to say about the volcano and the lava - this page lays out the various sections that you can visit.
Be sure to read the section on Cautions and Warnings as it contains very important information about volcano safety.
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Current Volcanic Activity
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory located in the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park provides a daily update of the eruption activity at Pu'u 'O'o and down on the coastal flats. This is a good place to check to see what is currently going on.
We extract the daily report from USGS and have it for you below along with some of the most recent USGS pictures of the flow. Please visit the USGS website for more details and photographs.
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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Friday, January 15, 2021, 8:58 AM HST (Friday, January 15, 2021, 18:58 UTC)
KILAUEA VOLCANO
(VNUM #332010)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W,
Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Activity Summary: Lava activity is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu with lava erupting from a vent on the northwest side of the crater. This morning, January 15, the lava lake is about 199 m (653 ft) deep and remains stagnant over its eastern half. SO2 emission rates remain elevated.
Summit Observations: The most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurements were 2,500 t/d on Monday (Jan. 11)--below the range of emission rates from the pre-2018 lava lake (3,000–6,500 t/d). The predominantly inflationary tilt, that has been recorded at the summit over the past few days, has leveled off in the last 12 hours and is not recording any significant changes. Seismicity remains elevated but stable, with steady elevated tremor and a few minor earthquakes.
East Rift Zone Observations: Geodetic monitors indicate that the upper portion of the East Rift Zone (between the summit and Puʻu ʻŌʻō) contracted while the summit deflated at the onset of this eruption. There is no seismic or deformation data to indicate that additional magma is currently moving into either of Kīlauea’s rift zones. SO2 and H2S emissions from Puʻu ʻŌʻō were below instrumental detection levels when measured on January 7.
Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake Observations: Low fountaining from the west vent supplies a channel of lava which is pouring into the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater.
The active western half of the lava lake was about 199 m (653 ft) deep this morning (Jan. 15) while the stagnant eastern half of the lake remains several meters (yards) lower. The whole lava lake—including the stagnant eastern half—is perched at least 1–2 m (yards) above the crust between the perched lake and the crater wall.
All of the islands have been stationary over the past week as if frozen in the eastern stagnant portions of the lava lake. The dimensions of the main island remained unchanged with its edges several meters (yards) above the lake surface. On January 12, the west end of the island was measured as 8 m (26 ft) above the lava lake surface, with the highest point at 23 m (75 ft) above the surface.
Near-real time webcam views of the lava lake can be found here: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams.
Hazard Analysis: High levels of volcanic gas, rockfalls, explosions, and volcanic glass particles are the primary hazards of concern regarding this new activity at Kīlauea’s summit. Large amounts of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)—are continuously released during eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano. As SO2 is released from the summit during this new eruption, it will react in the atmosphere with oxygen, sunlight, moisture, and other gases and particles, and within hours to days, convert to fine particles. The particles scatter sunlight and cause the visible haze that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea, known as vog (volcanic smog), during previous summit eruptions. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock operations. Rockfalls and minor explosions, such as the ones that occurred during the 2008–2018 lava lake eruption at Kīlauea summit, may occur suddenly and without warning. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007. Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from the lava fountains within Halemaʻumaʻu will fall downwind of the fissure vents and lava lake, dusting the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent. High winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances. Residents are urged to minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation similar to volcanic ash.
Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.
Please see this Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Press Release “How to Safely View the New Eruption in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park” at https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/news/20201221_nr_new-summit-eruption-kilauea.htm.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea’s seismicity, deformation, and gas emissions for any sign of reactivation, and maintains visual surveillance of the summit and the East Rift Zone. HVO will continue to issue daily updates and additional messages as needed.
MORE INFORMATION:
Kilauea Activity summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8862
Other Hawaiian volcanoes summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8877
Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Kilauea Webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
Kilauea Photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-video-chronology
Kilauea Lava flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
Haleakala Summary: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/haleakala
Hualalai Summary: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/hualalai
Loihi Summary: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/loihi-seamount
Mauna Kea Summary: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-kea
Definitions of terms used in update: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/extra/definitions.pdf
Summary of volcanic hazards from Kīlauea eruptions: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/extra/hazards.pdf
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/earthquakes
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/about-alert-levels
CONTACT INFORMATION:
askHVO@usgs.gov
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawaiʻi.
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Book: Chasing Lava: A Geologist's Adventures at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Book: Hawai'i's Volcanos: Legends and Facts
Book: Hawai'i Volcano Watch: A Pictorial History, 1779-1991
Book: Mauna Loa: World's Largest Active Volcano
Book: Hawai'i's Kilauea Volcano: The Flow to the Sea
Video: Volcano - Fountains of Fire 
Video: Lava Flows and Lava Tubes
Video: 2003 Eruption Update: A Firsthand Account of the Current Eruption of Kilauea Volcano
Video: 2004 Eruption Update: A Firsthand Account of the Current Eruption of Kilauea Volcano