This monthly program on second Sundays is aimed at bringing together the members of the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to explore the park’s beautiful trails.

Join us for an exploration of Keanakākoʻi crater.  Walk through native forest and take in the breathtaking views.  Keanakākoʻi, meaning “cave of the adzes”, likely formed during the 1400s, during Kīlauea’s great summit collapses. Until 1877, Hawaiian kahuna kākoʻi (carving experts) sought the crater’s superior and rare basaltic rock for making koʻi, or adze heads. Bound to a sturdy ʻau koʻi (wooden handle), this valuable tool was used to carve vital objects like canoes and houses. But the famous adze quarry was covered by lava, first in 1877, then again during the fissure eruption in July 1974. Today, the crater floor is 115 feet deep.

The park closed portions of Crater Rim Drive for public safety after Halemaʻumaʻu began to erupt in March 2008. During the summit collapses of 2018, the road was damaged further. A portion of Old Crater Rim Drive is now open to foot and bicycle traffic to a point just beyond Keanakākoʻi. Distance from Devastation Trail parking area is one mile (1.6 km) each way.

This event is presented by the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  Program cost is $5.00 for Friends members.  Non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to attend.  And, of course, additional donations are always accepted.  Park entrance fees apply.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED