Closed since May 11th because of ongoing violent volcanic eruptions, Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii’s ‘Big Island’ re-opened to visitors Saturday, a bit bigger than ever, but with plenty of changes.
The eruptions of molten lava have added about 700 acres of land to the park where lava flowed into the ocean. Other changes include a number of roads that have disappeared, changing access to different parts of the park. Areas of the large caldera and trails around it are now considered safe.
In one surprising development, not only has the major eruption of Kilauea ceased and the lava lake it created in the caldera drained, but the slower flows from another of its vents, the Pu’u O’o cone, which had been putting on a show since 1983, have also stopped. At this point, there is no molten lava visible anywhere in the park.
