How to Safely View Hawaii's Kīlauea Volcano While It's Erupting, According to the National Park Service
"Stay on marked trails and overlooks. Do not enter closed areas. Avoid cliff edges and earth cracks,” the NPS advised.
United States Geological Survey/Handout/Getty Images
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano erupted Wednesday, spewing lava as high as 200 feet and prompting the National Park Service to issue an advisory to help travelers safely view the spectacular show.
The volcano, which sits inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park filled the lower-section of the crater with lava in just three hours, according to the National Park Service. The lava lake, which reached 33 feet deep, filled about 370 acres of the crater floor.
Since then, the fountain heights (the bursts of lava) have decreased and now range from 13 to 30 feet high.
United States Geological Survey/Handout/Getty Images
The NPS said it expects the impressive eruption to “draw thousands of visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park” and issued a series of precautions travelers should follow.
“Volcanic eruptions can be hazardous and can change at any time. Stay on marked trails and overlooks. Do not enter closed areas. Avoid cliff edges and earth cracks,” the park service warned, adding, “Hazardous volcanic [gasses] present a danger to everyone, especially people with heart or respiratory problems, infants, young children and pregnant women.”
The NPS said travelers should consider visiting when there are fewer crowds before 5 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
“Slow down and drive safely,” the NPS wrote in its warning. “Expect long waits for parking spaces at popular vantage points like Kīlauea Overlook and Devastation parking lot.”
The park service said “spectacular views” can be found on foot “from almost every vantage point along Crater Rim Trail… including Wahinekapu, Kīlauea Overlook, Keanakākoʻi, Kūpinaʻi Pali, and Uēkahuna.” But the Mauna Loa Trail, the summit cabin, and the wilderness area above Red Hill Cabin remain closed.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sits on the Big Island and features other active volcanoes like Mauna Loa, which erupted last year for the first time in nearly 40 years. The park also includes Mauna Kea, which is a National Natural Landmark and is actually taller than Mount Everest if measured from its base beneath the Pacific Ocean.
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