Kīlauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park » Kīlauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan » Document List

The National Park Service (NPS) has initiated the Kīlauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan to address visitor circulation, parking and roadway congestion, and potential improvements for transportation infrastructure within the Kīlauea summit area road corridor.

Crater Rim Drive provides access to unique volcanic, scenic, natural, and cultural features such as Uēkahuna (summit region of Kīlauea volcano), Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), Kīlauea Iki, Devastation (large expanse of recovery through deep cinder deposited in 1959), and Kīlauea Visitor Center. As part of the park's purpose to perpetuate endemic Hawaiian ecosystems and the traditional Hawaiian culture, it is important to find a balance of appropriate visitor use while protecting the park's sensitive resources. The entire park is eligible as a Traditional Cultural Property and Native Hawaiians hold sacred the lands and resources within the park boundary, including the Kīlauea summit.

The Kīlauea Summit Area CMP will address visitor circulation, parking and roadway constraints, and potential improvements for transportation infrastructure within the Kīlauea summit area road corridor following the damage incurred from the 2018 eruption. In addition, the plan will address the statutory requirement for general management planning for types and intensities of development and visitor capacities for the Kīlauea summit area.

The plan's visitor use and transportation issues are complex and interrelated. This project illustrates how visitor use and transportation management must be considered within an integrated framework that addresses issues related to key destinations in this area and the transportation systems that connect them.

The project will take approximately two and a half years to complete and will be accomplished by an interdisciplinary team consisting of staff from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Pacific West Regional Office, Park Planning and Special Studies, and the Denver Service Center. Public and stakeholder involvement will be key to the success of developing and implementing this plan.

To submit comments, click on "Open For Comment" on the left side of the page and then click on the Newsletter link under "Documents Open For Comment." On the next page, click the "Comment Now" button. Although submitting comments through this website is preferred, comments may also be mailed to: 

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Attn: Kīlauea Corridor Management Plan
P.O. Box 52
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718

The public comment period starts on February 22, 2024, and ends on March 22, 2024. Please be as specific as possible in your suggestions.

Contact Information

Danielle Foster
HAVO Environmental Protection Specialist
(808) 985-6303