Picnic Food for VNP day trip

Several people have suggested picking up a picnic lunch before spending the day at VNP. What a great idea since from what I gather, there isn%26#39;t anywhere in the park to get food. I will be staying at a B%26amp;B close to Volcano Village. So, where just outside the park can I pick up some picnic food (i.e. sandwiches, fruit, etc) that morning?

Picnic Food for VNP day trip

There are a couple general store type places in the village where you can get premade sandwiches. We got ours from one, but they were not very good. Maybe someone else has a suggestion. We were wishing we would have stopped in Hilo beforehand for picnic items, because the selection in Volcano was pretty lame.

Picnic Food for VNP day trip

There are two stores in Volcano Village where you can buy sandwiches, they are merely ok with selections. There is also a snack bar at Volcano House inside the Park, again selections are so-so. My husband and I flew into Hilo, so we stopped at the KTA to pick up picnic food, fruits, snacks (mac nut and chocolate chip cookies and Maui potato chips), and bottled water before heading up to Volcano Village. KTA has great selection for a picnic lunch including fried chicken, cold soba noodles, sushi, and of course sandwiches and salads. If you are staying at a B%26amp;B with use of a fridge, I recommend you pick up the food at KTA. Just keep in mind that you have about 45 minute drive between KTA and Volcano Village, so depending on the temperature, you might want to get something to keep certain things from spoiling in transit.

We will be in Hilo before we head over to VNP, and the B%26amp;B does have a fridge, so I%26#39;ll make sure we pick up something there. Great ideas. Many thanks to you both!

Aloha Demi,

If you use a picnic cooler as luggage, you will have it available to use when you get here. They are usually pretty indestructible and easy to spot on the luggage carousel at the airports. We use them a lot when flying interisland. Plus you can use them all the time instead of ';real'; luggage that gets stored between trips.

There really aren%26#39;t that many places to get food directly outside of Volcanos park. Not too many in Volcanoes Village, either. There is a grocery store in Keaau, which is halfway between Hilo and Volcanoes.

The best choice would be as folks have mentioned, KTA. The biggest KTA in Hilo is on the road towards Volcanos behind Pizza Hut. They have a lovely deli section as well as fresh produce. There is also a Subways sandwich shop at the other end of the same strip mall if you wanted quicker food. If you have the time, the Farmer%26#39;s Market in downtown Hilo (along the bayfront) has loads of inexpensive really fresh vegetables.

A hui hou,

Hotzcatz

Note: The Hilo Farmer%26#39;s Market is on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Thanks Hotzcatz %26amp; Travelhappy. I have been reading this forum for many months, and you both always post such great advice. I really appreciate your suggestions and help. Bringing our own cooler is a great idea, and we will be flying in to the BI on Wednesday morning - so we could stop by the farmer%26#39;s market before heading off to VNP. Many thanks again!

I have also been following this thread since we have an overnight to BI and a picnic to Volcano NP planned at the end of the month.

At Walmart back with the camping supplies and coolers i found a big tote bag type of thing that folds up and is lined with silver insulation stuff. They advertise it is to keep your groceries frozen until you get home from errands. It was less than 8 bucks, and you could use it as a regular tote bag probably (we are going to carry on our food for our 16+ hour flight)

Thanks on the tips on where to buy picnic supplies.. much appreciated!