News Release

December 2025 events & updates at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Lava fountains from Kīlauea reached over 1,000 feet during Episode 34 of the ongoing eruption

NPS Photo/J.Wei

News Release Date: November 19, 2025

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park announces updates and events for December 2025. Photos are available.

Kīlauea Volcano’s Ongoing Eruption. December 23 marks the one-year anniversary of the current Kīlauea summit eruption, with more than 35 eruptions so far from the north and south vents within Halema’uma’u crater. Eruptions have lasted between eight days to just 4 ½ hours, producing spectacular lava fountains ranging from 50 meters (164 feet) to 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) high. The eruption is in a closed area but is easily visible from many open areas along the caldera rim. Stay out of closed areas! Hazards include volcanic gas, steep unstable cliff edges, earth cracks and the potential for falling airborne rock material.

During eruptions, park visitation surges, traffic increases and parking is limited. Plan ahead and check the park website for eruption viewing locations, parking tips, and more. Want the inside scoop when Kīlauea is erupting? Sign up for free Volcano Notification Service emails through the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
  
Construction Updates  
 
Disaster Recovery Project Milestones. Phase One is done! The Phase One Disaster Recovery construction projects resulting from the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse are complete and include: 

•  Uēkahuna restrooms: Open
•  Park entrance roundabout: Open
•  Uēkahuna observation deck: Open
•  Exit pullout lane: Open
•  New administrative lane to reduce congestion at the entrance: Open


Phase Two of the Disaster Recovery Project is well underway and includes the rehabilitation and redesign of Kīlauea Visitor Center (KVC). The structural steel support for the covered hālau (pavilion) on the west end of KVC is up, the wood framework on the new restrooms is visible on the east end, and septic installation is underway. Work to convert offices into visitor areas, increase space for the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA) store, and exhibits in English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is ongoing. KVC, its restrooms and sidewalks, are closed during the project, and should reopen in late 2026. In the meantime, park rangers and the HPPA store have relocated to a temporary Welcome Center in the park and continue to serve visitors.

Make Your Way to the Welcome Center! Kīlauea Visitor Center is closed for renovation, but park rangers, the NPS Passport stamp station, Junior Ranger books, visitor services and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store have relocated to the Welcome Center at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC). Take Crater Rim Drive West, a little over a mile from the park entrance and park at the adjacent ballfield. Parking in front of KMC is for registered guests only. The Welcome Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Switchback Work Continues on Kīlauea Iki Trail. The western switchbacks of Kīlauea Iki Trail are temporarily closed for repairs and safety upgrades. The work occurs Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the switchbacks are open to hikers outside of those hours. The rest of the popular 3.3-mile trail is open. The work should be complete by December 31.

Where to Go? The comfort station with flushing toilets is open at Uēkahuna. The Nāhuku comfort station is open. Portable toilets are available behind the Welcome Center at Kilauea Military Camp, at the nearby ballfield parking lot, near Kīlauea Visitor Center and the Volcano Art Center Gallery. Vault toilets are available at Kīlauea Overlook, Kīlauea Iki Overlook, Devastation, Maunaulu, Hilina Pali Overlook, Kulanaokuaiki, the end of Chain of Craters Road, Kīpukapuaulu day use area, and Kahuku. 

Got Water? Visitors should bring their own water to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The water station at Kīlauea Visitor Center is unavailable during renovations. A drinking fountain is available at Uēkahuna, and the bottle-filling station will be reinstalled there soon. Water is available for purchase at Volcano House.  

Highway 11 Power Pole Replacement. HELCO’s Line Relocation and Replacement project continues. Power pole replacement is nearly complete along Highway 11 and almost all the new lines are installed. Pole installation near the park entrance and rainshed will begin soon. The upgrades will provide more reliable electricity for the park and island-wide. More information and the Environmental Assessment can be found online.   

Park Events   
 
All events are free, but park entrance fees apply. Some programs are sponsored by the Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Programs are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Check the park calendar for more information.

Stewardship at the Summit Rainforest Restoration. Volunteer to help remove invasive, non-native plant species that prevent native plants from growing in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, rain gear, day pack, snacks and water. Gloves and tools are provided. Under 18? Parental or guardian accompaniment with written consent is required. Visit the park website for details.  
When: December 6, 13 and 20. Meet at 8:45 a.m.   
Where: Meet project leaders Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center parking lot on the dates above. (The meeting place is open during the visitor center renovation.)  

Santa Comes to Kahuku. Calling all keiki! Santa arrives on his 4WD Kahuku sled bearing gifts for children, merry photo ops and free shave ice, courtesy of the Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Check out the festive decorations and get your special Kahuku NPS Passport stamp in the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store. 
When: Saturday, December 6 from 11 a.m. when Santa arrives to 2 p.m. 
Where: Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5-mile marker on Hwy 11 in Kaʻū.    

A Final Walk into the Past with Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar. Kaʻū resident, actor and playwright Dick Hershberger will give a final performance of his living history program, “A Walk into the Past,” as Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, the founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Hershberger will appear in period costume and deliver his stories in first person at the Kahuku Unit. With support from the Kīlauea Drama and Entertainment Network, he has presented the historical performances for a dozen years.
When: Saturday, December 13 at 11 a.m. 
Where: Meet at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5-mile marker on Hwy 11 in Kaʻū.    

USGS Geology Talk: A Year of Lava fountains at the Summit of Kīlauea. The ongoing historic eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, began the night of December 23, 2024. Since then, more than 35 episodes of lava fountaining from two vents have added nearly 200 feet of lava to the crater floor and contributed to a cone that stands almost 150 feet above the crater rim. Wahinekapu (also called Steaming Bluff) provides a panoramic view of these newest features on Kīlauea volcano. Join USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Kendra J. Lynn, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo geology department assistant professor Lis Gallant and park staff at Wahinekapu to hear how this unique eruption has progressed over the past year, with an emphasis on the far-reaching hazards associated with the lava fountains. 
When: Tuesday, December 23 at 10 a.m. 
Where: Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff). Park at the Steam Vents parking lot and take a short walk out to the bluff. Overflow parking available at Kīlauea Visitor Center.

Ranger-Guided Programs at Kīlauea Summit. Did you know that Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park offers free guided programs nearly every day? Experience Life on the Edge at Uēkahuna, Explore the Summit and other ranger programs by checking the park calendar for dates, times and descriptions or drop by the Welcome Center to read the program board.   
When: Almost daily   
Where: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kīlauea summit  
 

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