It was all but silent on a recent morning at Uekahuna, the newly restored viewing area overlooking the summit of Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii island. A few visitors trickled onto the lookout, sitting on benches and gazing at the steam rising from Kaluapele, the summit caldera.
“It would have been huge (for us) if it erupted,” said Catherine Kays, 57, of Texas, who visited Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on June 9 with husband Dan Kays, 54, checking off the 46th national park on their quest to visit all 63.
The Kays were bound for the National Park of American Samoa the following day and missed Kilauea’s 25th explosive episode just two days later that saw lava blasting up to 1,000 feet in the air, followed by ash crashing to the ground. That episode ended in a span of hours.
Unpredictability is Pele’s trademark. It’s a “Got chance?” game for those hoping to catch the action, according to Jessica Ferracane, HVNP public affairs specialist.
Since the start of the on-again, off-again eruption Dec. 23, Halemaumau Crater within Kilauea has seen fountaining episodes that have lasted anywhere from hours to days, with molten lava spraying up to 1,200 feet.
The opportunity to see the eruption from close range and the extreme fountaining are unlike any since 1959, when for about a month Kilauea Iki crater displayed fountaining of 1,900 feet — the highest recorded in Hawaii during the 20th century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website.
The rare and spectacular phenomenon pushed recreational visitor numbers to HVNP by 47% in May compared with the same month last year, Ferracane said.
While the park usually sees an uptick of visitors in the summer and winter holiday seasons, the latest eruptive episodes have brought in crowds of both locals and tourists that, coupled with extensive renovations and detours currently in the park, on occasion have caused four-mile-long lines of vehicles trying to enter the park.
Around-the-clock livestreaming of the volcano on the USGS YouTube channel and the agency’s spot-on predictions of the eruptive episodes have only heightened awareness of the recent activity and fueled an acute sense of FOMO — fear of missing out.
During Memorial Day weekend, for example, an eruption at around 4:30 p.m. brought over 4,000 vehicles — the equivalent of about 8,000 visitors — into the park, according to Ferracane.
“It was the perfect storm,” she said. “The eruption started at a decent hour, so people are like, ‘OK, let’s go.’ And it was a graduation weekend, so people are looking for things to do — kids are out of school, people have family in for graduation parties.”
While some visitors have had to wait hours to get into HVNP, others, like lava-chasing photographers, camp out for long stretches, surviving on Spam musubi and growing more grizzled by the day, not wanting to risk missing the latest fireworks, according to Ferracane.
“You can’t blame them,” Ferracane said. “This is one of the most historic, spectacular eruptions in Kilauea’s history in modern times.”
While that’s good news for HVNP and the businesses inside the park, it doesn’t necessarily mean a major shift in what already appears to be a grim summer travel season for Hawaii, according to an updated projection by the state Department of Business, Economic and Tourism released in late May.
DBEDT Director of Tourism Research Jennifer Chun said that while seeing the volcano is a top motivator for all visitors to Hawaii island, the current eruption has not led to any unique spending habits or visitor behavior, at least judging by the most up-to-date data from January to March.
Many of the out-of-state visitors to HVNP interviewed by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said they booked their trips more than a year in advance.
Among them was Jen Fischer, 39,and her extended family of 12 from Chicago. She said her father, a science teacher, used to bring students to the volcano to teach them about geology. Her family booked their flights and accommodations in May 2024, but her father died in December before he could return with Fischer’s children.
“We just wanted to show the kids where he’d go,” she said.
The National Park Service does not track where visitors are coming from — if they are local residents or from off-island — but Ferracane said eruptions tend to bring more locals into the park who just come for the day or when USGS livestream cameras capture exciting activity.
Kaylene Yee, 77, traveled with her kids and grandkids from Oahu to kick off their summer break. She said they booked their flights about six weeks ago, not necessarily because Kilauea was erupting. But Yee admits she was extensively tracking the fountaining episodes, and seeing one “would just be the perfect extra addition.”
“Any time Kilauea erupts, you just want to hop on a plane and get over here,” Yee said.
Ka‘aina Smith, a cashier at Cafe 100, a Hilo eatery known for its loco mocos, said he and a co-worker visited the park in March during a minor event in the evening before returning home later that night.
“We had to wait like 45 minutes in traffic to get into the park, but it was worth it,” Smith said. “You could see her glow a little bit, which was really nice.”
Regardless of where visitors are coming from, any activity at the summit bodes well for Hawaii Volcano House, which has 33 guest rooms, 10 cabins and 16 campsites located in HVNP, and a restaurant, Uncle George’s Lounge, which offers panoramic views of Kilauea through floor-to- ceiling windows.
Tina Balubar, the restaurant’s food and bar director, said business is usually steady in the summer but recent crowds are unlike anything she’s seen in a while. “You’ll have everybody standing at the stone wall just waiting,” Balubar said. “We’ve been doing pretty good.”
One recent episode brought a large family of 20 tourists late at night into the main lobby, she recalled, where they camped out in front of the large viewing area waiting for a glimpse of the orange glow.
The nearby Volcano Arts Center also has seen an uptick in local visitors, according to sales associate Claudia Schonbrod.
Manager Shelby Weitz said the center’s showcased artists — an exclusive roster of ceramicists, photographers, painters and jewelers — has taken inspiration from the awe-inspiring lava fountains. Large paintings near the gallery’s fireplace depict the explosive episodes, while on the checkout counter, small heart-shaped glass ornaments are filled with fiery oranges.
“You can feel it,” Weitz said. “Everyone just gets excited. The energy goes up in the whole place and the artists get inspired.”
Even when the volcano is relatively quiet, visitors have been snapping up souvenirs and art commemorating the recent thousand-foot-high fountaining, she said.
“We’re coming out of slower months and are anticipating the summer going up,” Weitz said. “We’re doing really well.”
About 30 miles northeast of the national park, tourism-oriented businesses in Hilo are not experiencing the same bump in sales from the ongoing eruption, according to shop attendants on Kamehameha Avenue along the bayfront.
Tiarae Guiteras, owner of Nalani Farm Store and a cashier at Hulakai Surf and Paddle, said the town is more dependent on the large cruise ships that dock at Hilo Harbor during the winter and spring months.
While visitors to Kilauea often make day trips to Hilo and foot traffic has been up, “it doesn’t mean that there’s more spending,” she said.
Down the block, Taj Johnson, a cashier at gift and clothing store Jungle Love, said she’s been seeing an influx of tourists window shopping, but “I just don’t see that much difference (in business) when (Kilauea) is going off.”
“I think it’s politics right now,” Johnson said. “It’s the economy. People just aren’t spending.”
Former state Sen. Russell Ruderman, who owns Island Naturals Market &Deli with locations in Hilo, Kailua-Kona and Pahoa, said his business isn’t benefiting from the larger crowds. That’s less of a concern for him, though, Ruderman said.
Ever since the 2018 eruption in Lower Puna destroyed 723 structures, many of them primary residences, Ruderman said there’s always some anxiety for residents who live downslope of the volcano whenever Kilauea goes off.
Now, he’s just grateful that the fountaining eruptions have been contained to the Halemaumau Crater.
“I always like to say, ‘That’s where Pele’s supposed to be,’” Ruderman said.
IF YOU GO
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s Jessica Ferracane encourages all visitors to plan ahead and check the national park’s website for road closures and eruption updates.
>> Stay on marked trails, cliff edges and overlooks and take notice of signage posted around the park. Unstable cliff edges and earth cracks, which may not be visible, can cause serious injury or death.
>> When visiting at night, bring a flashlight or headlamp to avoid accidental injury.
>> During an eruption, visitors should wear protective clothing and equipment to protect against tephra-like volcanic ash and volcanic glass slivers, known as Pele’s hair. Exposure to both can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation.
>> Expect congested parking and delays for entry into the park.
Source: The Garden Island