News Release

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Resumes Normal Operations

Rangers open gates and reopen Chain of Craters Road

NPS Photo/Jessica Ferracane

News Release Date: January 28, 2019

Contact: Jessica Ferracane/Public Affairs Specialist, 808-985-6018

Hawaii National Park, HI – With the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park resumed normal operations today, and have re-opened sections of the park that were closed during the government shutdown.

Rangers re-open Chain of Craters Road

NPS Photo/Jessica Ferracane

Chain of Craters Road, most backcountry campsites, Mauna Ulu and other park features are now open. Mauna Loa Road remains closed to motorists due to elevated fire risk, but is open to pedestrians and bicyclists. The summit of Mauna Loa was closed today due to dangerous high wind conditions, but Red Hill Cabin is open. The collection of entrance fees has also resumed.

The Kahuku Unit will open on Wednesday, per its usual schedule, at 9 a.m. Kahuku is open five days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There are no entrance fees at Kahuku.

Visitors are reminded to drive cautiously, heed all posted signs and look out for Hawaiian geese, the endangered nēnē, on park roadways. Do not feed nēnē.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park employees and volunteers are happy to be back at work, welcoming visitors from around the world and protecting the natural and cultural resources in the park, a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
The park remained partially open for visitors during the government shutdown, thanks in part to support from our non-profit partners, the Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association and the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

-NPS-

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 employees care for America’s 418 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.

Visitors from China on pose for photos on lava fields

NPS Photo/Jessica Ferracane