Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Join a park ranger for engaging programs that explore the geology, Native Hawaiian history, and unique native plants and animals. Programs are offered daily at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Programs last approximately 30-45 minutes. Program starts at the U.S. Flagpole located at the Kilauea Military Camp. 

Please note: Programs may be canceled due to hazardous weather or volcanic conditions. Stop by the Welcome Center for the latest updates, locations, and details. 

Lava fountains have been episodically active in the summit of Kīlauea since the night of December 23, 2024. Geologists monitor these eruptions, measuring lava fountain heights, installing webcameras, and collecting samples. Come talk story with USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists Drew Downs and Mike Zoeller, as they describe the monitoring and science done behind the scenes of these fascinating fountaining episodes.

When: Table 10–11 a.m.

Where: Kīlauea Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Kahuku Hike: ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua.

Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree, and the threat of a new fungal disease, Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku on this program, which is an easy, one-mile (or less) walk.

Attendees should be prepared for sun, rain, hot & cold conditions. Wear sturdy footwear and bring water.

This section of the park is located an hour's drive from Kīlauea Visitor Center. Enter the Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the ma uka (uphill) side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area.

Lava fountains at the summit of Kīlauea over the past year have blanketed the area immediately downwind with tephra—a word for materials erupted by a volcano that travel through the air before being deposited on the ground. Tephra has buried monitoring equipment, shattered solar panels, and melted webcameras. Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers Kevan Kamibayashi and Miki Warren as they describe the challenges this historic Kīlauea summit eruption has posed to maintaining the volcano monitoring network, particularly in the downwind area.

When: 10–11 a.m.

Where: Uēkahuna Overlook

Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas specialists Tricia Nadeau and Christine Sealing on a 2-mile/2-hour walk through the fumarolic area of Kīlauea volcano’s summit known as Haʻakulamanu on the Sulphur Banks trail. Why do volcanoes emit volcanic gases? How does the composition of gases at Sulphur Banks differ from gases being emitted from within Kīlauea’s caldera? Come on this walk to learn the answers to these questions and more. We will meet at the Kīlauea Visitor Center and end at Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff).

Start/end location: Start at Kīlauea Visitor Center and end at Wahinekapu.

Walking distance: 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip.

For your safety: wear sturdy closed-toe walking shoes; bring protective gear for sun and rain; bring drinking water

in the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Lava fountains from two eruptive vents have built an impressive cone on the crater rim and incrementally filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater with stacks of lava flows. Volcanic gas emissions and particles of lava are carried in downwind directions. Have there been similar eruptions in the history of Kīlauea? What are the hazards associated with this activity? How could this eruption potentially end? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Katie Mulliken as she answers these questions and more.

When: 9:30 a.m.

Where: Visitor Contact Station in the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Join University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo geologist Meghann Decker for a comparative walk down the Devastation Trail. Learn about the geologic features along the trail and compare the 1959 Kīlauea Iki tephra field and cone (Puʻu Puaʻi) created by lava fountains up to 1,900 feet high, to those forming from the ongoing 2024-2025 Kīlauea summit eruption. Discover how lava fountains and falling tephra have similarly and dramatically altered the landscape during the 1,500-foot-high fountaining episodes of the current eruption. 

Time/duration: 10 a.m.; 2 hours long Start/end location: Start at the Devastation Trail parking area.

Walking distance: 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip

For your safety: wear sturdy closed-toe walking shoes; bring protective gear for sun and rain; bring drinking water

During eruptive episodes at the summit of Kīlauea over the past year, volcanic gas and tephra are carried downwind. During trade wind conditions, most material is transported to the southwest. Larger tephra particles fall on the ground within 1- 3 miles (1-5 kilometers) of the eruptive vent(s), with the highest concentrations immediately downwind of the vent(s) in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Light particles, including Pele's hair, can be transported greater distances, 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the vent downwind. As sulfur dioxide is transported downwind, it reacts in the atmosphere to form the visible haze that is observed downwind of Kīlauea, known as vog. Come talk story with USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Natalia Deligne and volcano gas specialist Tricia Nadeau, as they describe the far-reaching hazards associated with lava fountaining episodes at the summit of Kīlauea.

When: 10–11 a.m.

Where: Uēkahuna Overlook.