1. Crater Rim Road around Kilauea Caldera
The 11-mile-long Crater Rim Road, which circles Kilauea Caldera, is the starting point for visiting major attractions in the park. It takes visitors past several of the key sights in the park, including Halema’uma’u Crater, Devastation Trail, Thurston Lava Tube, and the Kilauea Visitor Center. Along the way are several viewpoints over the volcanic landscape.
2. Halema’uma’u Crater
The very active Halema’uma’u crater, an enormous steaming sulfur scented hole spanning 2,625 feet, is, according to legend, inhabited by Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. It was filled until 1924 with a bubbling sea of lava, but this eventually sank with a mighty roar beneath the floor of the volcano, and the lava flowed away. The hole filled up again in the 1960s but soon sank again and then was filled with water.
In late December 2020, the Halemaumau crater lake water was vaporized as the crater filled up with red hot lava. The lava lake remains as of writing and is estimated to be nearly 450 feet deep.
