Kalapana, Big Island

This former fishing village was being developed into a suburban town. Between 1983 and 1990, however, lava flows from the erupted Kilauea Volcano repeatedly and relentlessly invaded Kalapana through one of the volcano’s Puu Oo vent. In 1990, from April through December, lava moved into the entire community burying the town and the nearby Royal Garden Subdivision under 30 – 75 feet of molten rock.

Homes were burned, leaving 181 residential properties destroyed. Some of the public structures razed by lava include the town’s community center, a visitor center, and a maintenance shop found in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Parks, roads, gardens, beaches, oceanfront properties, and archaeological and historical sites were all covered by lava.

Only a few residential properties survived. Today, a few families still reside in the ghost town, in unharmed places where the subdivision once stood. They have no water utilities and no access to electricity. They move in and out of the town using four-wheel drives. Visitors will also find bed and breakfast here, as well as makeshift tents of “rangers” who monitor the traffic of visitors who tour the site.

Though the lava destroyed Kalapana’s black sand beaches, it had created a new one. However, you should take extreme caution when going near the ocean; the land is still unstable and may cave in.

Kalapana’s zip code is 96778.

Kalapana in Bullet Points

Kalapana Location

Kalapana Map (top)

Kalapana Weather (top)

Now 71°F Windchill: 71°F Mostly Cloudy

Location: Pahoa, HI, US Wind: 3 mph SW Humidity: 84% Visibility: 0.1 mi Pressure: 30.08 in rising Sunrise: 6:31 am Sunset: 5:40 pm

Fri Hi: 78°F Low: 66°F Showers

Sat Hi: 79°F Low: 67°F Showers

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