North Crater Rim Drive - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

During our February 2014 visit to the Big Island of Hawai'i, we spent a few days at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.  The Kīlauea Visitor Center was built in 1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and was extensively remodeled in 2005.  The complex houses the park headquarters, an information desk, bookstore, exhibits, auditorium and restrooms.  Even though the visitor center hosts over a million visitors per year, it has been designed to allow visitors to move freely from one area to another without feeling cramped.  The twenty minute movie "Born of Fire...Born of the Sea" is shown on the hour in the auditorium.  As usual for the park service, the production quality is excellent with a compelling storyline.

The Volcano House℠ directly across Crater Rim Drive from the visitor center is the only lodging available within the park although additional lodging options in Volcano Village are only ten minutes away.  The Nāmakanipaio Campground in the park is also managed by Volcano House℠.

Three miles west of the visitor center is the Jaggar Museum.  The museum once housed the offices and equipment of the Hawai'i Volcano Observatory.  Since 1985, the observatory has been housed in a more spacious and modern complex next door to the museum, but still on the rim of Kīlauea.  The museum contains numerous exhibits about volcanology as well as a small bookstore.  Restrooms are housed in an adjacent building.  The naming of the museum and some history of the observatory is related in one of the exhibits:

Thomas Augustus Jaggar (1871-1953), founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), laid much of the foundation for what is known today as the science of volcanology.  For these reasons, amongst others, this museum was dedicated in his name.  Prior to his arrival in Hawai'i in 1909, Dr. Jaggar was a prominent professor and later director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....After establishing the first U.S. volcano observatory at Kīlauea in 1912, Dr. Jaggar proceeded to conduct a plethora of creative experiments which over time provided essential insight into the dynamic processes of Hawai'i's volcanoes.  During his time as director of HVO (1912-1940), he pioneered the study of earthquakes and volcanology.  One such experiment involved the successful measurement of molten lava temperatures using Seger cones (cones that melted at different temperatures) attached to the end of a pipe.

The Kīlauea Crater or caldera is approximately 1.9 miles by 2.7 miles with 400 foot cliffs in some areas.  It was formed when the summit of Kīlauea collapsed long ago.  Near its western end is the active Halema'uma'u Crater.  For over 100 years from 1823 until 1924, this smaller crater within a crater contained a molten lava lake during a period of continuous eruption.  According to the Hawai'i Volcano Observatory, a vent on the east side of Halema'uma'u "has been mostly active since opening with a small explosive event on March 19, 2008."  Although there is a small lava lake inside the vent, the most visible evidence of the eruption is the smoke rising from the vent.  The vent releases between 3,000 and 5,000 metric tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) per day.  The SO₂ concentrations downwind, usually west, of the vent are so high that the park service has had to close a major portion of Crater Rim Drive to all human activity except permitted scientific excursions with special equipment.  As the SO₂ reacts with oxygen and water vapor in the presence of sunlight, it creates a potent volcanic smog that the locals call "vog".

On the edge of a rain forest and at an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet, the weather on the rim can quickly turn cool and damp so dressing in layers and carrying rain gear is encouraged.  As is typical with most of our national parks, there is more to see, learn and do here than can be possibly fit into a short visit.

Kīlauea Visitor Center

Sign proclaiming the Jaggar Museum

One of many exhibits inside the museum

Halema'ua'u Crater inside Kīlauea Crater

The closed portion of Crater Rim Drive crosses the 1921 lava flow inside Kīlauea Crater

Byron Ledge separating Kīlauea Crater from Kīlauea Iki Crater with Pu'upua'i on the right

Looking east toward Volcano House℠ and the Kīlauea Visitor Center

A closeup view of Halema'ua'u Crater

Smoke reflects the red hot lava of Halema'ua'u Crater after dark

An entrance fee of $10 provides a seven-day pass to visit the park.  Other entrance options include the Hawai`i Tri-park Annual Pass for $25 for twelve month access to three parks in Hawai'i, an America the Beautiful Annual Pass for $80 for twelve months access to most national parks and forests or a Senior Pass for a one-time fee of $10 for those age 62 or over for access to most national parks and forests.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.