News Release

April 2025 updates and events at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Dark-sky compliant lights illuminate the path to the soon-to-reopen Uekahuna overlook, set to reopen in Spring 2025

NPS Photo/D.Foster

News Release Date: March 21, 2025

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – There is a lot happening at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in April! Celebrate National Park Week and enjoy a fee-free day, check out Kahuku, and drive safely – there is a lot of construction at the summit! Photos available for download. 

Construction Updates 

Construction Continues. Multiple ongoing construction projects related to the 2018 Kīlauea eruption Disaster Recovery Project continue near the park entrance, including the Kīlauea Visitor Center renovation, deconstruction at Uēkahuna, construction of a roundabout and more. Visitors should expect detours, traffic control and delays near the park entrance.  Bookmark this webpage for updates: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm.  

Kīlauea Visitor Center Renovation. Kīlauea Visitor Center (KVC) is getting a major makeover and is closed for renovation for the next 18 months or so. Also temporarily closed are KVC restrooms, sidewalks, water station and most adjacent parking. The park film and programs held in the KVC auditiorium are also temporarily suspended. Where can you find a park ranger? Park rangers and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association staff and store relocated 1.2 miles west to Welcome Center at Kilauea Military Camp’s Koa Room, adjacent to the lobby. Volcano House and the Volcano Art Center Gallery remain open with parking available, and Hele-On bus will continue to service passengers near KVC. 

Welcome to the Welcome Center! While Kīlauea Visitor Center is under renovation, park rangers, the NPS Passport stamp station, Junior Ranger books, visitor services and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association staff and store have relocated 1.2 miles west of Kīlauea Visitor Center. Find us at the Koa Room Welcome Center at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC), adjacent to the lobby. Parking is available at the adjacent ballfield; parking in front of KMC is for registered guests only. 

Where to Go? 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, and at Uēkahuna. 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. The restrooms at Nāhuku are under renovation but portable toilets and a handwashing station are available.

Got Water? Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park need to plan ahead and bring plenty of their own drinking water for now. The water station at Kīlauea Visitor Center is unavailable during the renovation closure. A bottle filling station will be reinstalled at Uēkahuna once it reopens in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, water is available for purchase at Volcano House. 

Roundabout Work. Construction of a roundabout on Crater Rim Drive just west of the park entrance station will begin impacting traffic patterns starting the week of April 14. Expect detours while the remaining roundabout work is completed. The roundabout, which will improve safety and make driving around the park easier, is part of a larger plan to realign Crater Rim Drive and create an additional administrative lane at the entrance station for park staff and partners. The roundabout work will be finished in September 2025. 

Uēkahuna Update. The deconstruction project to remove buildings and infrastructure damaged by the 2018 summit collapse at Kīlauea volcano is nearly complete. The observation deck and historic stone walls, once crumbling and riddled with fractures from the 2018 earthquakes, are repaired. An outline of the former Jaggar Museum footprint includes stones from the original columns to commemorate the historic building. This area, where Jaggar Museum and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory facilities once stood, is being restored to a more natural landscape, with uninterrupted views of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and improved trail access. Native shrubs and trees have also been replanted on the landscape. Uēkahuna will reopen to visitors in Spring 2025, and the restrooms should be open by Summer 2025. 
 
Park Events  

National Park Week and a Fee-Free Day! National Park Week is April 19 through 27 starting with a fee-free Saturday, April 19. Turn it up! This year’s NP Week theme is music to your ears: National Park Playlist! What songs remind you of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park? Tune in to your top 10 parks on social media for an earful this week! 
When: Saturday, April 19 (fee-free!) through Sunday April 27
Where: Your national parks  
 
Kahuku Coffee Talk: Three Mountain Alliance. Three Mountain Alliance is a watershed partnership formed to mālama (protect) over one million acres across Mauna Loa, Kīlauea and Hualālai volcanoes and our precious native ecosystem resources. Join Corie Yanger, coordinator for TMA, to find out what the organization is doing and how you can help.   
When: Saturday, April 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. 
Where: Kahuku Visitor Contact Station. Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5 mile marker on Hwy 11 in Kaʻū.  

Painting Workshop with Zuni Pueblo Artist Lakin Epaloose. Lakin Epaloose, a painter and cultural bearer of the Zuni Tribe, is April’s Artist in Residence. Lakin works at Grand Canyon National Park in the cultural demonstration program. A hands-on painting demonstration will follow his presentation. Watercolor supplies will be provided. The park’s Artist in Residence program is sponsored by the National Parks Arts Foundation and Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Reservations required, 20-person limit. Email e-mail us to reserve your space. 
When: Saturday, April 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 
Where: Kahuku Visitor Contact Station. Turn into Kahuku near the 70.5 mile marker on Hwy 11 in Kaʻū.  

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: April 5 & 12. Meet at 8:45 a.m.  
Where: Meet project leaders Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center parking lot on the dates above.  
 
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 and other ranger programs by checking the park calendar for dates, times and descriptions.  
When: Almost daily  
Where: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kīlauea summit 

-NPS-

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