Kilauea trails closed after summit quakes

On 7 October Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park temporarily closed the Halemaʻumaʻu Trail and part of the Byron Ledge Trail near the summit of Kīlauea. Together the closures cover 1.3 miles (about 2.1 km) of paths that drop from the caldera rim to the floor. The reason is ongoing summit inflation and a burst of shallow earthquakes: in one week the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded more than 200 quakes beneath the caldera, plus six more in the 24 hours before the announcement.

Both trails have seen dangerous rockfalls before. A magnitude-3.4 quake on the evening of 30 September shook loose small rock along the north wall of the caldera; the park warns that fresh seismicity could trigger larger falls. Visitors must stay out of closed areas and away from cliff edges, which are unstable and can collapse without warning.

This follows the short magma intrusion of 30 September–1 October, when viewing areas on the Keanakākoʻi side were already shut (our earlier note). New cracks opened on the caldera floor between Uēkahuna and Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff). The last high lava fountain was on 25 August — the longest pause since the eruptive cycle began on 23 December 2024; HVO says fountains could resume inside Halemaʻumaʻu, or magma could break out again along the weak summit crack system.

Anyone planning a park day or a trip such as our Hawaiian Islands itinerary should check current NPS closures before setting out: summit conditions can shift quickly, and HVO is not forecasting an exact time for the next episode.