NPS · Hawaii

Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness

The Big Island of Hawaii is home to Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness and its volcanoes. This Wilderness is fragmented into four areas lying within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. In order to protect humans...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byNational Park Service
StateHawaii
Size123,100 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1978, by Congress
Center point19.4791, -155.4991
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness40°50°January: 1.10 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.04 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.94 inches of precipitationApril: 0.87 inches of precipitationMay: 0.60 inches of precipitationJune: 0.43 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.27 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.38 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.67 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.47 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.21 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.32 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 43.2°F averageFebruary: 42.2°F averageMarch: 42.7°F averageApril: 44.8°F averageMay: 47.4°F averageJune: 49.3°F averageJuly: 49.1°F averageAugust: 49.0°F averageSeptember: 48.6°F averageOctober: 47.7°F averageNovember: 44.8°F averageDecember: 43.4°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Mauna Loa 5 NNE, 6 miles from the center point at 11,179 feet, station USW00021514 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 14 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 6 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

123,100 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

The National Park Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness in?

Hawaii.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1978.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 19.479, -155.499. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is 5 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 13 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (5 mi), Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (17 mi) and Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness?

6 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Wilkes Campsite and Ainahou Ranch.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.