Kaluapele is the summit caldera of Kīlauea, which the National Park Service calls the youngest volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Halemaʻumaʻu, within Kaluapele, is the home of Pelehonuamea (Pele of the red earth), the Hawaiian elemental force of creation that appears as red molten lava. The summit collapse enlarged and deepened Halemaʻumaʻu, and later eruptions there have been slowly filling it. An eruption has been active on and off within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with every vent and lava flow inside the crater in the national park. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory posts the alert level and each new episode, so check it before you go. The eruption area is closed, but you can watch from open overlooks along Crater Rim Drive, and the rim around Halemaʻumaʻu itself has been closed to the public for years. Kīlauea Overlook, Uēkahuna and the Welcome Center on Crater Rim Drive West usually have more open parking during eruptions. Volcanic gas, including sulfur dioxide, can stay hazardous right downwind of the vents even between eruptions. Tephra (ash, rock and glassy strands) at the summit can irritate skin, eyes and lungs, so do not handle it, and keep back from loose cliff edges and ground cracks. The park asks visitors to watch quietly and with respect for the eruption's cultural significance to Native Hawaiians.
View from overlooks on Crater Rim Drive; Kīlauea Overlook, Uēkahuna and the Welcome Center usually have more parking during eruptions.
