Kīlauea on Alert: Two Crater Trails Closed at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes

If you're planning a trip to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, there's one thing to check before you lock in your plans. The Halemaʻumaʻu Trail and part of the Byron Ledge Trail are currently closed, and it's not a minor precaution.

The reason is Kīlauea itself. The volcano's summit is going through a phase of continued inflation, meaning the ground is swelling under the pressure of rising magma, along with a rise in seismic activity. These more frequent tremors can trigger rock falls, and park managers consider the risk a serious one for visitor safety.

The choice of these two trails is no accident. Both drop from the caldera rim down to the crater floor, a dramatic but exposed route. These walls have already seen dangerous rock falls in the past, and the volcano's current behavior makes that scenario all the more likely. The closure covers about 1.3 miles of trail in total, until things settle down.

For you, that means holding off for now on the descent to the caldera floor by either of these routes. Follow the barriers and posted signs to the letter. A trail closure on an active volcano is never red tape. It's a response to a danger being tracked in real time.

The good news is the park is still huge, and plenty of caldera overlooks stay open without venturing onto the walls. To build a solid trip around this restriction, lean on the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes park guide, which lists the scenic alternatives and the areas that remain open. And if you're picturing a bigger loop around the islands, our road trip itinerary that runs through this park helps you space out the stops.

As always with Kīlauea, trail conditions shift with the volcano. Check conditions right before you go. What's closed today may reopen, and the other way around.