Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. States of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. The park encompasses 333,000 acres from the summit of Maunaloa(Is one of five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the pacific Ocean) to the sea. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kilauea(One of the world´s most active volcanoes) and Mauna Loa(The world´s most massive subaerial volcano).

Here you´ll find 150 miles of hiking trails through volcanic craters, scalded deserts and rainforests as well as a museum, petroglyphs, a walk-in lava tube and two active vocanoes. 

The park gives scientists insight into the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and ongoing studies into the processes of vulcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes as well as glimpses of rare flora and fauna.

In recognition of its outstanding natural values, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987. In 2012 the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was honored on the 14th quarter of the America the Beautiful Quarters series. 

History

Kilauea and its Halema´uma´u caldera were traditionally considered the sacred home of the volcano goddess Pele(In the Hawaiian religion is the goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes), and Hawaiians visited the crater to offer gifts to the goddess.

Volcano goddess

The first western visitors to the site, English missionary William Ellis and American Asa Thurston, went to Kilauea in 1823.

The volcanoe 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.

volcano house 1866

Lorrin 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 newspaper, printed editorials in favor of the park idea.

volcano house 1904

In 1907m the territory of Hawaii paid for fifty members of Congress and their wives to visit Haleakala and Kilauea. It included a dinner cooked over lava steam vents. In 1908 Thurston entertained Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfieldm and in 1909 another congressional delegation. 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.

Kīlauea kaldeera.

Thurston printed endorsements from John Muir, Henry Cabot Lodge, and former President Theodore Roosevelt. After several attempts, the legislation introduced by delegate Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana´ole finally passed to create the park. House resolution 9525 was signed by Woodrow Wilson on August 1, 1916. It was the 11th National Park in the United States, and the first in a Territory. Within a few weeks, the National Park Service Organic Act would create the National Park Service to run the system. Originally called "Hawaii National Park", it was split from the Haleakalā National Park on September 22, 1960.

Kilauea volcano crater.

Environment

The park includes 323,431 acres (505.36 mi²; 1,308.88 km²) of land. Over half of the park is designated the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness area and provides unusual hiking and camping opportunities. The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the Earth's most massive active volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 ft. (4,169 m). Climates range from lush tropical rain forests, to the arid and barren Kaʻū Desert.

Active eruptive sites include the main caldera of Kīlauea and a more active but remote vent called Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

Park view

The main entrance to the park is from the Hawaii Belt Road. The Chain of Craters Road, as the name implies, leads past several craters from historic eruptions to the coast. It used to continue to another entrance to the park near the town of Kalapana, but that portion is now covered by a lava flow.

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 and now houses historical displays and an art gallery.
• The Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, located a few miles west on Crater Rim Drive, features more exhibits and a close view of the Kīlauea's active vent Halemaʻumaʻu. The museum is named after scientist Thomas Jaggar, the first director of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which adjoins the museum. The observatory itself is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and is not open to the public. Bookstores are located in the main visitor center and the Jaggar Museum.
• The Kilauea Military Camp provides accommodations for U.S. military personnel.

As of 2008 the superintendent was Cindy Orlando. Volunteer groups also sponsor events in the park. 

Kilauea Visitor Center

Recent events

On March 19, 2008, there was a small explosion in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, 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 74 acres (300,000 m2). 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.

Lava fountain and flow from the Pu'u O'o vent of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii.

This explosion event followed the opening of a major sulfur dioxide gas vent, greatly increasing levels emitted from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The dangerous increase of sulfur dioxide gas has 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 crater, including those from Byron Ledge, ʻIliahi (Sandalwood) Trail, and Kaʻū Desert Trail.

Kilauea erupting 1959

Places in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Kilauea Visitor Center

Begin your visit at the Kilauea Visitor Center where you can watch an hourly film from 9 am to 4 pm to introduce you to the park. Ranger talks are offered and ranger-guided activities can be scheduled. Pick up maps, learn about the park's hikes and get the latest eruption updates here.

Kilauea crater

Crater Rim Drive

Crater Rim Drive is the 10.6-mile drive that circles Kilauea Caldera. Driving around this loop will take you to the park's main attractions: the Kilauea overlook, Jaggar Museum, Halemaumau Crater, Devastation Trail, Kilauea Iki Crater Overlook and the Thurston Lava Tube.

Thomas A. Jaggar Museum

Thomas A. Jaggar pioneered the study of volcanology here at Kilauea. Here you can find geologic displays, maps and videos about the study of volcanoes.

Halemaumau Crater

Steam vents plume from this massive crater, known as the home of Pele, the volcano goddess. In 1967, this crater was filled with a lake of lava that eventually drained away. Great respect should be paid at this sacred site.

Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku)

Walk through a 500-year old lava cave formed when an underground channel of molten lava drained from its cooled walls forming a massive, hollow chamber. A tropical rainforest awaits you at the end of the tube.

Puu Oo Vent

Currently Kilauea's lava activity isn't centered in its caldera (the large depression at the top of the volcano) but at the Puu Oo vent in the East Rift Zone. Puu Oo's lava flood underground tubes that empty dramatically into the sea. You can watch this spectacle at the end of Chain of Craters Road or get a closer look from the new Kalapana viewing site outside the park.

Chain of Craters Road

Ranger station open daily: 10:00 am to 9 pm

Veering south of Crater Rim Drive is Chain of Craters Road. This 3,700-foot drive eventually ends where a lava flow has literally overtaken the road.

Volcano House

The Volcano House hotel overlooking Halemaumau Crater has been operating since it was a grass shack in 1846. Even Mark Twain once stayed here on his visit to Hawaii. The hotel has recently undergone renovations and is open under new management.

For more information you can visit:

• NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
• HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

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