Puʻuʻōʻō is a cinder-and-spatter cone on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, built by lava fountains early in an eruption that lasted for decades. That eruption is over: the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory records that the crater floor and lava lake of Puʻuʻōʻō collapsed and the eruption ended. Over its long run, lava from the eruption destroyed homes and other buildings, buried the Kalapana community and stretches of highway, flowed over Chain of Craters Road again and again, and added new land to the southeastern shore of Kīlauea. The park closes the slopes of Puʻuʻōʻō to all visitors unless they hold a permit from the superintendent for scientific research or cultural practices.
Slopes closed to all visitors unless they hold a permit from the park superintendent.
