HVNP: More Lodging, Dining & Camping Areas Scheduled to Reopen

Visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will soon enjoy more dining, lodging and camping opportunities as the park continues to move ahead with plans to reopen areas that were closed more than four months due to damaging volcanic and seismic activity.

Dinner service resumes Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, at 5 p.m. at the Volcano House restaurant, The Rim, which overlooks Kīlauea Volcano’s ever-changing summit. On Friday, breakfast, lunch and dinner will again be served at The Rim, and Uncle George’s Lounge—now open for beverages only—will offer its bar menu. Visit the Volcano House website for hours of operation, menu and reservations.

The iconic Volcano House reopened to hotel guests on Oct. 6, and is again accepting reservations. The hotel also manages the park’s Nāmakanipaio Campground. Hotel management expects to fully reopen the popular campground and A-frame cabins the first week of December.

On Oct. 19, the park reopened Kulanaokuaiki Campground and Hilina Pali Road up to the drive-in campground. The road past the campground was severely damaged by earthquakes and remains closed to vehicles, but hikers and bicyclists (on non-motorized bicycles only) can use the road to access Hilina Pali Overlook and Hilina Pali and Ka‘aha trails.

Most backcountry campgrounds and trails are now open in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, including Mauna Loa, the coastal sites and Nāpau. Pepeiao Cabin and the Ka‘ū Desert Trail past the Footprints shelter remain closed. Also closed are Kīlauea Iki Trail which was damaged by large boulders that fell in late September, and Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) which continues to be analyzed for potential hazards. All trails going into Kīlauea caldera remain closed along with sections of Crater Rim Trail.

Other parts of the park, including Kīlauea Visitor Center, reopened Sept. 22 following a record 134-day closure due to hazardous volcanic and seismic activity on Kīlauea Volcano. An average 1,806 people have visited the park each day between Sept. 22 and Oct. 22, 2018.