Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park invites everyone to join special hikes and programs offered at the park during National Park Week, April 20-28. Entrance fees are waived Monday through Friday, April 22-26.
This year’s theme, “Did You Know,” provides a fun way to get to know the park, for both visitors and local residents. For example, did you know that Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is 520 square miles, nearly as large as the entire island of O‘ahu (597 square miles)?
The special, free programs during National Park Week include the following. Please wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks and water.
Kīlauea Iki trail and crater will be explored in the Kīlauea Ik hike with Charlene Meyers on April 23, during National Park Week. NPS Photo/Michael Szoenyi.
Kīlauea Iki Crater Hike. Join master ranger volunteer Charlene Meyers on an invigorating four-mile, three-hour hike through the rain forest and onto the crater floor of Kīlauea Iki. Learn how the 1959 eruption forever changed this landscape.
Where: Meet Charlene at the Kīlauea Iki Overlook Parking lot (on Crater Rim Drive)
When: Tuesday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Amazing Mauna Ulu. Explore fascinating volcanic features like fissures and lava trees that were formed during the 1969-74 Mauna Ulu eruption with master ranger volunteer Noel Eberz. The one-mile, one-hour round-trip hike will highlight the amazing process of plant survival on this harsh lava landscape.
Where: Meet Noel at the Mauna Ulu parking lot, four miles down Chain of Craters Road.
When: Wednesday, April 24 at 11 a.m., and again at 1 p.m.
Park Ranger Adrian Boone will lead a special trek to the Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs during National Park Week, on April 25. NPS Photo/Jay Robinson.
Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs. Join Park Ranger Adrian Boone for a two-hour, 1.5-mile round-trip trek across ancient lava flows to the largest petroglyph field in Hawai‘i. Discover the meanings inherent in these rock carvings and gather a greater understanding of the native people who created them.
Where: Meet Ranger Adrian at the Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs parking area, near the end of Chain of Craters Road. (A 45-minute drive from the park entrance).
When: Thursday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
NPS Volunteer Day. Save Hawai‘i’s native rainforest, and join forces with volunteers Jane and Paul Field to remove Himalayan ginger, faya, strawberry guava, and other invasive non-native plants that threaten the native understory alongside Halema‘uma‘u Trail. Bring garden gloves. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, rain gear, day pack, snacks and water.
Where: Meet the Fields at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Tools will be provided.
When: Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon.
There are also regularly scheduled programs in the park, and at the Kahuku Unit, during National Park Week. For a complete listing, visit the park website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/parknews/20130319_pr.htm. In addition, the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has special programs during National Park Week: http://fhvnp.org/events/.
The National Park Service will waive entrance fees again on July 13 (Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s 33rd Annual Cultural Festival), August 25 (NPS Birthday), Sept. 28 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 9-11 (Veteran’s Day weekend).
Hawai‘i Volcanoes is one of five national park units on Hawai‘i Island. Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is also free of charge on the NPS fee-free 2013 dates. There is no admission at Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, or along the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.
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