Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Lore & Background

Kīlauea and its Halemaʻumaʻu caldera were traditionally considered the sacred home of the volcano goddess Pele, and Hawaiians visited the crater to offer gifts to the goddess. The name 'Kīlauea' means 'much spreading', referring to how often it erupts; Mauna Loa means 'long mountain', referencing its great height. In 1790, a party of warriors, women, and children were caught in an unusually violent eruption, with many killed and others leaving footprints in the lava still visible. The first western visitors, English missionary William Ellis and American Asa Thurston, went to Kīlauea in 1823. Ellis wrote of his reaction: '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 ran a series of hotels at the rim; Volcano House is the only hotel or restaurant within the park borders. Lorrin A. Thurston, grandson of Asa Thurston, was a driving force behind establishing the park after investing in the hotel from 1891 to 1904. William R. Castle first proposed the idea in 1903. After several attempts, legislation introduced by delegate Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole passed, and House Resolution 9525 was signed by Woodrow Wilson on August 1, 1916. The Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment trailblazed and built infrastructure, including the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Kilauea Military Camp, and the Mauna Loa trail, from 1915 to 1917. The park formally opened in 1921. It was officially renamed Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park after being split from Haleakalā National Park on September 22, 1961.

Reader's Guide

The park's significance lies in its protection of two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, which offer scientists insight into the development of the Hawaiian Islands and volcanism. Its designation as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987 recognizes its outstanding natural values. The park encompasses diverse environments from sea level to Mauna Loa's summit, including tropical rain forests and the arid Kaʻū Desert. The indigenous Kanaka Maoli believed in living a life that did not take up resources, and volcanic eruptions are seen as sacred. The park aims to preserve Native Hawaiian culture by revitalizing traditional practices. In 2003, an additional 115,788 acres of the Kahuku Ranch were added, the largest land acquisition in Hawaii's history. The park was depicted on the 14th quarter of the America the Beautiful Quarters series in 2012. In 2018, the Kīlauea summit area closed due to explosions and toxic ash clouds; portions reopened in September 2018. As of 2026, most of the park is open, though some road segments and trails remain closed. The Jaggar Museum and buildings of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory were too damaged by the 2018 events and were torn down in 2024. Eruptive activity at Kīlauea resumed on December 20, 2020, at Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with intermittent lava fountains and flows since then.

Did You Know?

• The park was originally established on August 1, 1916, as Hawaii National Park, the eleventh national park in the United States and the first in a territory.
• An oil painting of Pele by D. Howard Hitchcock, displayed from 1966 to 2005, was replaced in 2005 by a painting by Arthur Johnsen with distinctly Polynesian features.

The Land and Its Two Giants

The park stretches across 354,461 acres on the island of Hawaiʻi, a territory that spans from sea level all the way up to the 13,679-foot summit of Mauna Loa, the largest shield volcano on Earth. Within this vast expanse, two active volcanoes dominate the landscape. Kīlauea, whose name translates to "much spreading" in reference to its frequent eruptions, ranks among the most active volcanoes anywhere on the planet. Mauna Loa, meaning "long mountain," towers above it as the world's most massive active volcano. The park's environments shift dramatically: lush tropical rain forests give way to the stark, arid expanse of the Kaʻū Desert. Roughly half the park—130,790 acres—was set aside as the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness in 1978, preserving solitude for hikers and campers across the northwestern reaches near Mokuaweoweo, the summit of Mauna Loa, and along several miles of southwestern coastline. The Chain of Craters Road threads toward the coast past historic eruption craters, though the segment once leading to Kalapana is now buried under lava and serves only as an emergency evacuation route.

Sacred Ground and Ancient Memory

For the Kanaka Maoli, the indigenous people of Hawaiʻi, the volcanic landscape is not merely scenery but a living spiritual realm. Kīlauea and its Halemaʻumaʻu caldera were traditionally understood as the sacred dwelling of Pele, the volcano goddess, and Hawaiians traveled to the crater to present offerings. Eruptions themselves were regarded as sacred events, and the indigenous philosophy emphasized living in a way that did not deplete the land's resources. The name Kīlauea, meaning "much spreading," captures the relentless rhythm of its activity, while Mauna Loa, "long mountain," honors its towering stature. The land also carries tragic memory. In 1790, an unusually violent eruption caught a party of warriors along with women and children in the area; many perished, and the footprints of those who fled remain visible in the hardened lava to this day. This deep cultural layer sits beneath the park's modern identity as a site of scientific study and public recreation, reminding every visitor that the ground beneath their feet holds stories far older than the national park designation.

Building a Park from Fire and Politics

The path to a national park began with wonder. In 1823, English missionary William Ellis and American Asa Thurston stood before the erupting Kīlauea and described the sight as "sublime and even appalling," standing mute and fixed like statues. By the 1840s, the volcano had become a tourist draw, and local entrepreneurs such as Benjamin Pitman and George Lycurgus operated hotels at the rim. Lorrin A. Thurston, grandson of Asa, invested in the hotel from 1891 to 1904 and became the park's most determined champion. Using his ownership of The Honolulu Advertiser, he printed editorials and secured endorsements from John Muir, Henry Cabot Lodge, and former President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1907, the territory of Hawaii hosted fifty members of Congress and their wives for a visit that included a dinner cooked over lava steam vents. After years of lobbying, opposition from ranchers, and multiple legislative attempts, delegate Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole's bill finally passed, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it on August 1, 1916. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment had already been shaping the park's physical infrastructure, pushing trails through crushed lava with gunny sacks and twelve-pound hammers in cold, rainy conditions, forging a thirty-mile route between Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

The 2018 Eruption and What Remains

On May 11, 2018, the park's Kīlauea summit area—including the visitor center and park headquarters—was shut to the public after explosions and toxic ash clouds erupted from Halemaʻumaʻu crater, accompanied by earthquakes and road damage. Portions of the park, including the visitor center, did not reopen until September 22, 2018. Eruptive activity, ground collapses, and explosions in the park ceased in early August 2018, and a lull followed until December 20, 2020, when Halemaʻumaʻu erupted again. Since that date, the crater has produced intermittent lava fountains and flows, though nothing approaching the scale of the 2018 events. The physical toll of 2018 proved lasting: the Jaggar Museum and the buildings of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory sustained damage too severe for continued use and were demolished in 2024. As of 2026, most of the park is open to visitors, yet certain road segments and trails remain closed. The park's earlier recognitions—a 1980 International Biosphere Reserve designation, a 1987 World Heritage Site status, and a 2012 appearance on the America the Beautiful Quarters series—stand as testaments to its enduring significance, even as the landscape continues to be reshaped by the very forces that made it remarkable.