Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a national park of the United States located in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
on the
island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...
. The park encompasses two active volcanoes:
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
, the world's largest shield volcano. The park provides scientists with insight into the development of the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
and access for studies of
volcanism Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a he ...
. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, glimpses of rare flora and fauna, and a view into the traditional Hawaiian culture connected to these landscapes. The park was originally established on August 1, 1916, as ''Hawaii National Park'', which was then split into this park and
Haleakalā National Park Haleakalā National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Named after Haleakalā, a dormant volcano within its boundaries, the park covers an area of , of w ...
. In recognition of its outstanding natural values, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was designated as an
International Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...
in 1980 and a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
in 1987. In 2012, the park was depicted on the 14th quarter of the America the Beautiful Quarters series. On May 11, 2018, the park was closed to the public in the Kīlauea volcano summit area, including the visitor center and park headquarters, due to explosions and toxic ash clouds from
Halemaʻumaʻu Halemaumau (''six syllables: HAH-leh-MAH-oo-MAH-oo'') is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was before collapses that ro ...
crater, as well as earthquakes and road damage."Area Closures, Advisories, Drones/Unmanned Aircraft & Other Policies"
''nps.gov''. National Park Service. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
Portions of the park, including the visitor center, reopened to the public on September 22, 2018. As of early 2025, most of the park is open; however, some road segments and trails are still closed to visitors. The Jaggar Museum and buildings of
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii on the Island of Hawaii, the obser ...
were too damaged by the 2018 events to be used further and were torn down in 2024. Eruptive activity, ground collapses and explosions in the park ceased in early August 2018, and the lull in eruptive activity at Kīlauea continued"Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Weekly Update"
''volcanoes.usgs.gov''. U.S. Geological Survey. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
until an eruption on December 20, 2020, at the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Since then, the crater has been intermittently eruptive with lava fountains and flows, though the activity has not been on the scale of the 2018 events.


Environment

The park includes of land. Around half of the park () was designated the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness area in 1978, providing solitude for hiking and camping. Wilderness designation covers the northwestern extension of the National Park, including Mokuaweoweo, the summit of the volcano
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
. In the southwestern portion of the park, a large chunk of wilderness includes several miles of coastline and a small portion southeast of the visitors center. The park encompasses diverse environments from sea level to the summit of the Earth's most massive active volcano,
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
, at . Climates range from lush tropical rain forests, to the arid and barren Kaū Desert. Recently eruptive sites include the main caldera of
Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ...
and a more active but remote vent called Puu Ōō. The main entrance to the park is from the Hawaii Belt Road. The Chain of Craters Road leads to the coast, passing several craters from historic eruptions. The road had continued to another park entrance near the town of Kalapana, but that portion is covered by a lava flow, and is only available as an emergency evacuation route. The park's Kahuku District is accessible via Kahuku Road off Highway 11 near mile marker 70.


Climate


History

Kīlauea and its
Halemaʻumaʻu Halemaumau (''six syllables: HAH-leh-MAH-oo-MAH-oo'') is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was before collapses that ro ...
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
were traditionally considered the sacred home of the
volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
goddess Pele, and
Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was settled at least 800 years ago by Polynesians ...
visited the crater to offer gifts to the goddess. In 1790, a party of warriors, along with women and children who were in the area, were caught in an unusually violent eruption. Many were killed and others left footprints in the lava that are still visible. The first western visitors to the site, English
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
William Ellis and American Asa Thurston, went to Kīlauea in 1823. Ellis wrote of his reaction to the first sight of the erupting volcano:
″A spectacle, sublime and even appalling, presented itself before us. 'We stopped and trembled.' Astonishment and awe for some moments rendered us mute, and, like statues, we stood fixed to the spot, with our eyes riveted on the abyss below.″
The volcano became a tourist attraction in the 1840s, and local businessmen such as Benjamin Pitman and George Lycurgus ran a series of hotels at the rim. Volcano House is the only hotel or restaurant located within the borders of the national park. Lorrin A. Thurston, grandson of the American missionary Asa Thurston, was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the park after investing in the hotel from 1891 to 1904. William R. Castle first proposed the idea in 1903. Thurston, who then owned ''
The Honolulu Advertiser ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions. ''The ...
'' newspaper, printed editorials in favor of the park idea. In 1907, the
territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...
paid for fifty members of Congress and their wives to visit
Haleakalā Haleakalā (; Hawaiian: ), or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive, active shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by another volcano, Mauna Kahalawai, als ...
and Kīlauea, including a dinner cooked over lava steam vents. In 1908, Thurston entertained Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield, and another congressional delegation the following year. Governor Walter F. Frear proposed a draft bill in 1911 to create Kilauea National Park for $50,000. Thurston and local landowner William Herbert Shipman proposed boundaries, but ran into some opposition from ranchers. Thurston printed endorsements from
John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...
,
Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850November 9, 1924) was an American politician, historian, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A member of the History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served in the United States ...
, and former President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
. After several attempts, the legislation introduced by delegate Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole finally passed to create the park. House Resolution 9525 was signed by
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
on August 1, 1916. Hawaii National Park became the eleventh national park in the United States, and the first in a territory. As stated in the foundation document: Within a few weeks, the
National Park Service Organic Act The National Park Service Organic Act,An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes. . https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-1725/pdf/COMPS-1725.pdf or the Organic Act as referred to within the National Park Service, i ...
created the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
to run the system. The park was officially renamed Hawaii Volcanoes National Park after being split from
Haleakalā National Park Haleakalā National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Named after Haleakalā, a dormant volcano within its boundaries, the park covers an area of , of w ...
on September 22, 1961. An easily accessible
lava tube A lava tube, more rarely called a pyroduct, is a 'roofed conduit through which molten lava travels away from its vent'. If lava in the tube drains out, it will leave an empty cave. Lava tubes are common in low-viscosity volcanic systems. La ...
was named for the Thurston family. An undeveloped stretch of the Thurston Lava Tube extends an additional beyond the developed area and dead-ends into the hillside, but it is closed to the general public.


Painting of Pele

About 1929,
D. Howard Hitchcock David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii. Life David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861, in Hilo, Hawaii. Since his father was also named Dav ...
made an oil painting of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes. In 1966, the artist's son, Harvey, donated the painting to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where it was displayed in the visitor center from 1966 to 2005. The painting was criticized for portraying the Hawaiian goddess as a Caucasian. In 2003, the Volcano Art Center announced a competition for a "more modern and culturally authentic rendering" of the goddess. An anonymous judging panel of Native Hawaiian elders selected a painting by Arthur Johnsen of Puna, Hawaii from 140 entries. In Johnsen's painting, the goddess has distinctly Polynesian features. She is holding a digging stick (''ōō'') in her left hand and the egg that gave birth to her younger sister Hiiaka in her right hand. In 2005, the Hitchcock was replaced with Johnsen's painting.


Kahuku District expansion

In 2003, an additional of the Kahuku Ranch were added to the park, the largest land acquisition in Hawaii's history. Now named the Kahuku District, the park was enlarged by 56% with the newly acquired land, which is west of the town of Waiōhinu and east of Ocean View. The land was purchased for $21.9 million from the estate of Samuel Mills Damon, with financing from
The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...
.


Recent events

On March 19, 2008, there was a small explosion in Halemaʻumaʻu, the first explosive event since 1924 and the first eruption in the Kīlauea caldera since September 1982. Debris from the explosion was scattered over an area of . A small amount of ash was also reported at a nearby community. The explosion covered part of Crater Rim Drive and damaged Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook. The explosion did not release any lava, which suggests to scientists that it was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources. This explosion event followed the opening of a major
sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...
gas vent, greatly increasing levels emitted from Halemaʻumaʻu. The dangerous increase of sulfur dioxide gas prompted closures of Crater Rim Drive between the Jaggar Museum south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road, Crater Rim Trail from Kīlauea Military Camp south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road, and all trails leading to Halemaʻumaʻu, including those from Byron Ledge, Iliahi (Sandalwood) Trail, and Kaū Desert Trail. In mid-May 2018, the Kīlauea District of the park was closed due to explosive eruptions at Halemaʻumaʻu, though the Kahuku District remained open. The Kīlauea District, including the visitor center, reopened to the public on September 22, 2018. Eruptive activity, ground collapses and explosions in the park had ceased in early August. At the summit, seismicity and deformation are negligible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates at both the summit and the Lower East Rift Zone are drastically reduced; the combined rate is lower than at any time since late 2007. Earthquake and deformation data show no net accumulation, withdrawal, or significant movement of subsurface magma or pressurization as would be expected if the system was building toward a resumption of activity. A small water pond appeared in Halemaumau in the summer of 2019. The pond deepened and enlarged into a small lake since it was first observed, measuring deep as of December 1, 2020. An eruption in the crater that began on December 20, 2020, boiled away the water lake completely and began to partially refill the crater with lava. As of 2025, most of the park is open, although some road segments, trails, and the Jaggar Museum of the
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii on the Island of Hawaii, the obser ...
remain closed. The Thurston
Lava Tube A lava tube, more rarely called a pyroduct, is a 'roofed conduit through which molten lava travels away from its vent'. If lava in the tube drains out, it will leave an empty cave. Lava tubes are common in low-viscosity volcanic systems. La ...
(Nāhuku) was reopened to the public on February 21, 2020. Several large
rockfall A rockfall or rock-fallWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984. . is a quantity of Rock (geology), rock that has fallen freely from a cliff face. The term is also used for collapse of rock from roof or wa ...
s were cleared and sensors were installed to monitor new cracks, along with improvements to water drainage and parking. The rockfalls and cracks had been caused by some of the 60,000 earthquakes recorded during the Kīlauea eruption. In 2022, the Mauna Loa volcano erupted, after many years.


Pohue Bay expansion

The park expanded in 2022 when
The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
transferred its ownership of to the National Park Service. Pōhue Bay is home to numerous well-preserved and significant Hawaiian cultural sites, including the largest recorded abrader
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...
in Hawaiʻi, lava tubes, burial site, mauka-makai (mountain to sea) trails, fishing shrines, remains of once-thriving coastal villages, and
petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s. A well-preserved portion of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail or Ala Loa, an ancient coastal trail system, hugs the coastline. The Pōhue coastline is critical habitat for federally listed endangered Hawaiian species, including the Hawaiian hawksbill turtle (honu‘ea) and Hawaiian monk seal. Rare endemic opae'ula (red shrimp) live in the area's anchialine ponds, and the bay is often frequented by native and migratory birds, including ʻiwa ( frigate bird), koaʻe kea (white tailed tropic bird), kōlea (golden plover), 'ulili (wandering tattler) and ʻaukuʻu ( black crowned night heron).


Historic places

Several of the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii are located within the park: *
1790 Footprints The 1790 Footprints refer to a set of footprints found near the Kīlauea volcano in present-day Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii. Resulting from an unusually explosive eruption, they may be associated with a series of battl ...
* Ainahou Ranch * Ainapo Trail * Kīlauea Crater * Puna-Kāʻu Historic District * Volcano House * Whitney Seismograph Vault No. 29 at the
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii on the Island of Hawaii, the obser ...
* Wilkes Campsite


Visitor center and museums

The main visitor center, located just within the park entrance at , includes displays and information about the features of the park. The nearby Volcano Art Center, located in the original 1877 Volcano House hotel, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
and houses historical displays and an art gallery. The Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, now closed due to damage from the 2018 eruptive events, is located a few miles west on Crater Rim Drive. The museum featured more exhibits and a close view of Kīlauea's active vent
Halemaʻumaʻu Halemaumau (''six syllables: HAH-leh-MAH-oo-MAH-oo'') is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was before collapses that ro ...
. The museum is named after scientist
Thomas Jaggar Thomas Augustus Jaggar Jr. (January 24, 1871 – January 17, 1953) was an American volcanologist. He founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and directed it from 1912 to 1940. The son of Thomas Augustus Jaggar, Jaggar Jr. graduated with a Ph ...
, the first director of the
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii on the Island of Hawaii, the obser ...
, which adjoins the museum. The observatory itself is operated by the
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
and is not open to the public. The Kilauea Military Camp provides accommodations for U.S. military personnel. Volunteer groups also sponsor events in the park.


Superintendents

National park superintendents:New Superintendent Named For Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
National Park Service Press Release: Jan. 5, 2004.
* 1922–1922 — Albert O. Burkland * 1922–1926 — Thomas Boles * 1926–1926 — Albert O. Burkland * 1927–1928 — Richard T. Evans * 1928–1931 — Thomas J. Allen * 1931–1933 — Ernest P. Leavitt * 1933–1946 — Edward G. Wingate * 1946–1946 — Gunnar O. Fagerlund * 1946–1953 — Francis R. Oberhansley * 1953–1959 — John B. Wosky * 1959–1965 — Fred T. Johnston * 1965–1967 — Glen T. Bean * 1967–1970 — Daniel J. Tobin * 1970–1971 — Gene J. Balaz * 1971–1975 — G. Bryan Harry * 1975–1978 — Robert D. Barbee * 1979–1987 — David B. Ames * 1987–1987 — James F. Martin * 1987–1993 — Hugo H. Huntzinger * 1993–2004 — James F. Martin * 2004–2019 — Cynthia Orlando * from 2019 — Rhonda Loh.


See also

*
List of national parks of the United States The United States has 63 national parks, which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique g ...
* Devastation Trail * Holei Sea Arch * Kilauea Iki * Kamoamoa * Olaa Forest in the Park


References


External links

* of the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
*
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory


Photo Gallery, Volcano Live Cam, Eruption Update and Park Information.




Historic American Engineering Record

* * * * * *


Historic American Buildings Survey

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Protected areas of Hawaii (island) National parks in Hawaii Geology museums in Hawaii Museums in Hawaii County, Hawaii Archaeological sites in Hawaii Protected areas established in 1916 World Heritage Sites in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Hawaii Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii 1916 establishments in Hawaii Kīlauea