News Release

Kīlauea Visitor Center will close for renovation on February 17, 2025

Artistic rendering of a renovated Kīlauea Visitor Center seen from the parking lot with a new hālau where the restrooms are currently.

OTAK & Mason Architecture

News Release Date: December 17, 2024

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

Note: This news release was updated 1/7/2025 to correct an incorrect day. The correct day for the closure is Monday, February 17, 2025 not Sunday. 

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – Kīlauea Visitor Center (KVC) in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park will close Monday, February 17, 2025 at 5 p.m. for extensive renovations. Photos available for download, and video upon request.  
KVC restrooms, sidewalks, water station and about half of its parking will be unavailable during the construction project. Visitors should plan ahead and be prepared for limited services and parking. Volcano House and the Volcano Art Center Gallery will remain open. 

The KVC renovations include:  
  
•  The addition of a covered hālau (pavilion) on the west end of the building  
•  New and improved restrooms relocated to the east end of the building  
•  Full accessibility  
•  Converting offices to expand visitor space  
•  More space for the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store  
•  New bilingual exhibits in English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi  
 
Park rangers and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store and staff will continue to serve visitors. A few days after KVC closes, they will relocate to a temporary welcome center at Kilauea Military Camp’s accessible Koa Room, just 1.25 miles west of the park entrance. Parking is available at the nearby ballfield.  
 
While some ranger programs will continue, visitors should plan ahead, come prepared and expect limited services. The park film and programs like After Dark in the Park and Nā Leo Manu are suspended until KVC reopens. The project could take up to two years to complete.   
 
KVC is the only visitor center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and is too small and outdated to serve the 1.5 million or so people that venture to the park each year. Jaggar Museum was removed earlier this year due to damage it received during the 2018 eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea. 
 
The deconstruction of the museum and restoration at Uēkahuna is part of the 2018 Disaster Recovery Project. Jaggar Museum and the former USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory buildings have been removed. Workers are currently restoring Uēkahuna to a more natural state that enables uninterrupted views of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera). The restored Uēkahuna is expected to reopen by summer 2025.  
  
The park will continue to share disaster recovery updates through news releases, social media and its website. Construction closures and delays are regularly updated on the park’s construction webpage: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm.

###

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.