Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, home of the world's most active volcano, is the state's number one visitor attraction for good reason. Kilauea's Pu'u O'o vent (outside of Park boundaries) has been erupting for over 20 years, and visitors often have a chance to experience the results... from roads covered over with cooled black pahoehoe and 'a'a lava... to steam clouds rising into the heavens where hot lava enters cool sea... to glowing orange and red lava creating the newest land on earth. Since Hawai'i's volcanoes are "gentler" than those of most others around the world, with relatively "quiet" eruptions that rarely endanger lives, volcanic activity is frequently accessible by Park visitors. For more information on the park visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

From nesting, endangered Hawksbill turtles at sea level to winter snows atop 13,677 foot Mauna Loa, the Park's nearly 333,000 acres includes coastal, desert, rainforest, and alpine areas. Mauna Loa, descending more than 8 miles below the ocean's floor, is the earth's most massive volcano and the second-tallest mountain in the world (measured from the ocean's floor). Shield volcanoes, calderas, pit craters, spatter vents, cinder cones, steam vents, sulfur banks, kipuka, tree molds, pali, and black sand beaches are just some of nature's marvels waiting to be explored. Endemic (found nowhere else on earth) species abound in this unique island ecosystem, from bright red 'apapane flitting through the branches of blooming 'ohi'a lehua trees to nene waddling across the lava in search of 'ohelo berries.

Visitors have been drawn to the fiery realm of Pele, Hawaiian goddess of the volcano, long before the Park's founding in 1916. In the 1820s, Western visitors began journeying from far and wide to behold the wonders and majesty of Kilauea, including such luminaries as Mark Twain and Isabella Bird. For native Hawaiians, who first landed on the Big Island ca. 400 C.E., Kilauea has always been a revered and sacred site. Halema'uma'u pit crater is considered Pele's home, and hula, chant, and ritual continue today on its rim. Special events like the Na Mea Hawai'i Hula Kahiko series and the Annual Cultural Festival offer the public a chance to be a part of these traditions. Petroglyphs and other archaeology sites abound in the Park, highlighting Hawai'i's distinct native culture.

Driving Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road--and stopping for scenic vistas, short walks, and longer hikes--is the most common way to explore this magnificent volcanic landscape. There are also plentiful backcountry opportunities, since over half the Park is designated wilderness. Ranger led hikes and Tuesday evening After Dark in the Park programs can deepen understanding of the Park's numerous treasures. For those wishing to stay in the area, a variety of accommodations are available both inside the Park and in nearby Volcano Village

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is located in the south-east part of the Big Island. The Park Entrance Station is just off Highway 11 between mile markers 28 & 29, approximately 30 miles south of Hilo (about a 45 minute drive) and 100 miles south of Kailua-Kona (about a 2 1/2 hour drive). The Kilauea Visitor Center, located a quarter mile from the Park's entrance, is open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call (808) 985-6000 for 24 hour Park information.

 

Kilauea is the most visited area in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, which is located in the south-east part of the Big Island. The Park entrance is off Highway 11 between mile markers 28 & 29, approximately 30 miles south of Hilo (about a 45 minute drive) and 100 miles south of Kailua-Kona (about a 2-1/2 hour drive). The Volcano Art Center Gallery is located next to the Kilauea Visitor Center and shares its parking lot, just past the Park's entrance stations. Crater Rim Drive circles the summit caldera, offering many scenic stops, short and long walks, varied terrain (from desert to rainforest), and interpretive signs and exhibits.