HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – Park rangers reopened part of Kīlauea volcano’s east rift zone over the weekend, but areas east of Makaopuhi crater remain closed due to volcanic and wildfire-related hazards.
Maunaulu parking lot, Puʻuhuluhulu, and Maunaulu have reopened. Nāpau Trail is open to the junction with Nāulu Trail, which also reopened. However, Nāpau Trail past Makaopuhi crater, Nāpau campground and Nāpau crater all remain closed due to hazards that include scalding steam vents, new ground fractures, burning vegetation and fire-weakened trees, fresh pāhoehoe lava crust that can cause serious cuts, and rough, uneven terrain that can cause falls.
Nāpau crater and most of the campground were inundated by lava during four eruptive episodes between September 15 and 20. A wildfire ignited by the eruption burned about 90 acres of forest and continues to smolder in the remote area. Only one campsite remains at Nāpau.
Kīlauea is not currently erupting. According to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, lava flows from the September eruption covered 2/3 of Nāpau crater floor, and about 630,000 square meters (156 acres) in the crater and areas just west of Nāpau.
Visitors should always plan ahead and check the park website: www.nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes.
News release by the National Park Service.
Thank you. This is a favorite spot of mine when I visit the big island.