Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is preparing for a busy December as Kilauea’s ongoing summit eruption approaches its one-year anniversary, with major construction projects, holiday events and increased visitor traffic all converging on the park.
The current eruption, which began Dec. 23, has produced more than 35 lava-fountaining episodes from the north and south vents within Halemaumau crater.
“The one-year anniversary of the eruption falls right in the middle of the busy holiday travel season,” park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane said. “The park definitely experiences surges in visitation during eruptions and during the holiday travel season and has mitigations in place just like every year to help keep visitors and resources safe and to direct visitors to available parking and overlooks.”
The park remained open and accessible during the recent federal government shutdown.
A spokesperson from the Office of Communications of the National Park Service said, “Families, visitors, and small businesses were still able to experience one of America’s greatest natural treasures … Construction projects stayed on track, our partners remained open, and visitor access was protected.”
The 2018 Kilauea eruption and summit collapse severely damaged parts of the park’s infrastructure, launching its Disaster Recovery Project, which the park is tackling in two phases. Phase One construction costs total $18.5 million, and an estimated $17.8 million will be required for Phase Two.
Phase One, completed in mid-October, included the Uekahuna restrooms and observation deck, a new park entrance roundabout, an exit pullout lane, and a new administrative lane to ease congestion.
Phase Two will focus on the rehabilitation of the Kilauea Visitor Center and remains on track for late 2026 completion, Ferracane said.
Visitors can expect several new features once the center reopens: a covered halau, or pavilion, on the west end; new restrooms on the east end; expanded visitor space; full accessibility and new bilingual exhibits in English and Hawaiian; and more space for the Hawaii Pacific Parks Association store. Some exhibits will be installed at a later date, and rangers, visitor services, restrooms and the store will operate from the renovated facility.
“Overall, visitors are pleased that visitor services, including information, the NPS Passport Stamp counter, Junior Ranger books, ranger-guided programs and the park store operated by Hawaii Pacific Parks Association, are open and available during the KVC renovations,” Ferracane said. “The Welcome Center is also an ideal place to go when there is an eruption. There is ample parking at the adjacent ballfield and the eruptions are easily viewed from several overlooks a short walk across Crater Rim Drive along the caldera rim. HPPA, one of the park’s nonprofit partners, is sponsoring the costs associated with the temporary Welcome Center.”
The park is also upgrading the western switchbacks of the Kilauea Iki Trail. The repairs, which focus on rock stair replacement and safety upgrades, will partially close the switchbacks Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the rest of the trail remaining open. Work should conclude by Dec. 31. Other high-use summit trails are regularly monitored and repaired as needed.
Traffic improvements are under way as well. Hawaii Electric Light Company’s power pole replacement along Highway 11 is nearly complete, and the park plans to relocate a lighted sign to better direct visitors to the Welcome Center. Minor closures, including a one-day re-striping of the west KVC parking area, are expected closer to the end of construction.
Since the eruption that began just before last Christmas, lava fountains have soared between 164 feet and about 1,500 feet, creating a cone nearly 150 feet above the crater rim. While the eruption area remains closed for safety, it is visible from several open areas along the caldera rim. Visitors are urged to stay out of restricted areas due to volcanic gases, unstable cliffs, earth cracks and potential airborne rockfall.
Next month, the park offers a variety of activities, including on Dec. 13 when actor and playwright Dick Hershberger will perform his final “A Walk into the Past” portraying Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar.
To mark the eruption’s one-year anniversary, U.S. Geological Survey geologist Kendra J. Lynn, University of Hawaii at Hilo assistant professor Lis Gallant, and park staff will host a public geology talk on Dec. 23 at Wahinekapu — also known as Steaming Bluff — highlighting the eruption’s progression and hazards. Ranger-guided programs are also available almost daily at the Kilauea summit.
Ferracane said the park and the National Park Service are developing a new Kilauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan aimed at addressing congestion, safety, resource protection and the overall visitor experience in the heavily visited summit area.
“We are early in the planning process,” she said, noting that the park recently sought public feedback and received 60 comment forms — 51 from Hawaii residents, several from other states and one from Germany.
The park’s December calendar also includes:
• Stewardship at the Summit Rainforest Restoration: Dec. 6, 13, 20 at 8:45 a.m.; meet project leaders Paul and Jane Field at the Kilauea Visitor Center parking lot.
• Santa Comes to Kahuku: Dec. 6 at 11 a.m.; Kahuku Visitor Contact Station. Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5-mile marker on Hwy 11 in Ka‘u.
• A Walk into the Past: Dec. 13 at 11 a.m.; Kahuku Visitor Contact Station. Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5-mile marker on Hwy 11 in Ka‘u.
• USGS Geology Talk: Dec. 23 at 10 a.m.; Wahinekapu, or the Steaming Bluff. Park at the Steam Vents parking lot and take a short walk out to the bluff. Overflow parking available at Kilauea Visitor Center.
• Ranger-Guided Programs at Kilauea Summit: Almost daily; Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea summit
For information on eruption viewing, temporary facilities and December events, visit the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website at nps.gov/havo. All programs are free, though standard park entry fees apply. Visitors are encouraged to check the park website for updated schedules, parking guidance, and safety information.
Source: The Garden Island
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