Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Closes Two Kīlauea Summit Trails as a Precaution
As of October 7, 2026, the park is closing Halemaʻumaʻu Trail and part of Byron Ledge Trail, 1.3 miles in all, for safety.
By Erika Müller,
If you're planning a visit to the Kīlauea summit, here's something to fold into your itinerary right away. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has decided to close two summit trails starting October 7, 2026, late in the afternoon. The move is precautionary, and it answers to what the scientists on site watch around the clock.
Two stretches are affected. Halemaʻumaʻu Trail and part of Byron Ledge Trail are closed until further notice, which adds up to 1.3 miles of trail you can't reach. These aren't minor paths. They're part of the routes that take you closest to the caldera, the very place people come to see the crater. So their closure really does change how you'll organize your day in this area.
The reason comes down to the volcano itself. Kīlauea's summit is going through a phase of ongoing inflation right now, meaning the ground is swelling as magma rises beneath it, along with heightened seismic activity. Put simply, the ground is moving and shaking more than usual. Faced with that uncertainty, the park chose to restrict access rather than take a risk with visitors. That's standard practice on this volcano, one of the most active on the planet.
For you, that means adjusting your plans without giving up on the park. The rest of the site, its scenic drives and its other trails, is still the heart of a visit, and the activity at the summit is, in its own right, a rare geological show. Check the closure status right before you head out, because things can change fast from one day to the next depending on what the instruments are reading.
To plan the rest of your trip, lean on our guide to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and if you're putting together a bigger loop around the island, take a look at our road trip itinerary that runs through the park.