Chain of Craters Road is a long winding paved road through the East Rift and coastal area of the

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

on the

island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...

, in the state of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The original road, built in 1928, connected Crater Rim Drive to Makaopuhi Crater. The road was lengthened to reach the tiny town of Kalapana in 1959. As of 2018, the road has had parts covered by

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

in 41 of the past 53 years, due to

eruption Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...

s of

Kīlauea volcano Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. ...

Route description

The road has paths and road offshoots that allow access to features such as

pit crater A pit crater (also called a subsidence crater or collapse crater) is a depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. Pit craters are found ...

s, dormant lava flows, plumes from

lava tube A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. Formation A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...

s and geographic sites that can be accessed by trails from the road. There are also scenic views through

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

s, and the coast. Next to the park's visitor center is the paved Crater Rim Drive around Kilauea

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

, off which a short paved road leads to a viewpoint overlooking

Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Hi ...

, the origin of the 1995 eruption that closed the Chain of Craters Road. The road begins at the highest part of the eastern

rift zone A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially shield volcanoes, in which a set of linear cracks (or rifts) develops in a volcanic edifice, typically forming into two or three well-defined regions along the flanks of the vent. Believed t ...

where frequent rains created a rainforest. down the road is the

vent Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal *Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology *Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water ...

. The road goes another , passing the group of

crater Crater may refer to: Landforms *Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet *Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...

s for which the road is named, and then crosses a narrow flow of pāhoehoe lava that erupted in 1974, before it reaches Lua Manu, the first

. The crater formed through a sinking of the earth surface and not as a vent for lava. MaunaUlu

Here lava spilled into the crater in 1974 but did not fill it. The collapsed rubble-filled Puhimau, the second pit crater, is deep. This crater and the next, a dirt pit crater, Kookoolau, give no indications of recent eruptions. However, Kookoolau has

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

cones on the rim that suggest it formed originally as an eruptive vent. The road runs into Hilina Pali Road, a winding road that dead ends. The road passes Pauahi crater, and fresh

fault scarp A fault scarp is a small step or offset on the ground surface where one side of a fault has moved vertically with respect to the other. It is the topographic expression of faulting attributed to the displacement of the land surface by movement al ...

that have been active for more than 1000 years. The road continues through a forest, Kipuka Nene, where 1,100-year-old trees are surrounded by fresh lava. Toward the sea the road crosses a pāhoehoe lava flow. In the early 2000s, steam from

s could be seen. ChainofCratersflows

Lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...

s from the

eruption closed the road in 1969. In 1979, the road was reopened, but it was cut again in 1986 by a lava flow from another eruption of Kīlauea. , Chain of Craters Road is about 19 miles (30 km) long to Holei Sea Arch where it terminates, with a further 7.5 miles (12 km) now buried by lava from different flows from Puu Ōō since 1986. In all, it descends 3,700 feet (1,130 m) between Crater Rim Drive and the south coast. Holei Sea Arch, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Holei Sea Arch, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Between September and November 2014, work was carried out to reopen Chain of Craters Road, initially as a one-lane graveled surface, to serve as an emergency road for the residents of Lower Puna, who were in danger of being cut off if the June 27 flow had crossed Highway 130 at Pāhoa. The flow ultimately stalled on the outskirts of Pāhoa, however, removing the immediate threat, and the route was again buried by lava by the "61G" flow in 2016. The

2018 lower Puna eruption The 2018 lower Puna eruption was a volcanic event on the island of Hawaiʻi, on Kīlauea volcano's East Rift Zone that began on May 3, 2018. It is related to the larger eruption of Kīlauea that began on January 3, 1983, though some volcanolog ...

prompted a similar repair, but the road remains closed to non-emergency use by automobiles.

Conditions

The 35-year Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruption ended in 2018, but even without active lava, Chain of Craters Road is regarded as a scenic drive, but it can be hazardous under poor conditions. Because of the dangers posed by an active volcano, the US Geological Survey posts a daily conditions report. In April 2008, the area was rated as dangerous with a high alert, because of volcanic activity and sulfuric gas.

Services

There are no services such as shops or gas stations along the road, except a refreshment kiosk and public toilets at the bottom end of the road, at the point where further access is for emergency only, as it was blocked by lava.

References

External links

A Tour of Loihi: The New Summit Pit CraterKilauea VolcanoCurrent Recent Kilauea Status Reports, Updates, and Information Releases
*
Summary of the Pu`u `O`o-Kupaianaha Eruption, 1983-present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chain Of Craters Road Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Transportation in Hawaii County, Hawaii Roads in Hawaii Tourist attractions in Hawaii County, Hawaii Kīlauea

Route description

Conditions

Services

See also

References

Further reading

External links