Uēkahuna overlook, parking lot reopened today at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

The popular Uēkahuna area at the summit of Kīlauea volcano reopened to visitors today in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park after biologists observed that a nēnē family no longer is in the area.

A half-mile of Crater Rim Drive and Crater Rim Trail between Kīlauea Overlook and Uēkahuna parking lot now are open, along with the restrooms and overlook to the east (left of the parking lot if facing the caldera).

A half-mile trail connecting Nāmakanipaio Campground to Uēkahuna also is open.

In addition, tour buses and vehicles over 25 feet in length are permitted to drive to the Uēkahuna parking lot again.

Because the nēnē family may have moved to another location at Uēkahuna away from the parking lot, the westernmost overlook remains temporarily closed for now.

People can help protect nēnē – the rarest goose in the world – by keeping at least four car lengths away from them.

Never feed nēnē or other wildlife. Handouts cause nēnē to seek out people and cars, putting them in great danger. Drivers should be alert for nēnē along park roads, always drive the speed limit, and slow down for all nēnē crossing signs in the park and throughout the island.    

In 1952, only 30 nēnē remained statewide. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park began efforts to recover the imperiled geese in the 1970s. The Nēnē Recovery Program continues today, and nearly 200 birds thrive in the park from sea level to about 8,000 feet.