Ranger station · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The stop for backcountry permits and a ranger safety briefing.
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes audio tourRecorded for this place
Backcountry Permit Office: Before an Overnight Trip“The Backcountry Permit Office is ahead, the check-in stop for overnight wilderness trips. Even with a reservation, you come here to collect your permit and get a ranger briefing before setting out.”
Plays as you drive up to Backcountry Permit Office in the Parkwolf Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Backcountry Permit Office is the park's public check-in for overnight backcountry trips. Visitors pick up their permit and get a ranger safety briefing here before heading out. If you're camping in the park's backcountry, this is the office you need, not the Kīlauea Visitor Center.
From the Kīlauea Visitor Center parking lot, follow the Backcountry Office signs along Crater Rim Drive to a separate parking area just before the park entrance station. A paved path leads to the low brown building, marked by a gabled porch with two stone-based columns.
Wildlife
600 sightingsHawaiian Goose (Nēnē)Most seen around 5 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
36 sightingsHawaiian Hawk ('Io)Most seen around 11 AMSighting map
41 sightingsBlack NoddyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
96 sightingsWhite-tailed TropicbirdMost seen around noonSighting map
24 sightingsHawai'i 'ElepaioMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyKūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge) Trail1.2 mi · 54 min · 0.5 mi awayA short paved route to a broad caldera view
ModerateHalemaʻumaʻu Trail1.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short rainforest descent opens onto Kīlauea’s caldera floor.
EasyHaʻakulamanu (Sulphur Banks) Trail1.2 mi · 36 min · 0.9 mi awayA short boardwalk walk past yellow sulfur and rising steam.
ModerateKīlauea Iki Trail3.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayCross a solidified lava lake beneath Puʻupuaʻi
EasyEscape Road Trail3.8 mi · 2 hr · 1.3 mi awayA gentle forest descent from Nāhuku toward Mauna Ulu.
EasyNāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 1.3 mi awayA short ferny walk leads into a 500-year-old lava tube.
EasyKeanakākoʻi Crater Trail2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.3 mi awayAn easy walk on a former road reaches a 115-foot crater.
ModerateUēaloha (Byron Ledge) Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayOpen cinder, forested ledge, and views of Puʻupuaʻi.
Entrance station · 0.2 mi awayHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Entrance StationSave your pass offline; reception is limited at the entrance.Sight · 0.3 mi awayKūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge)A broad Kaluapele view along the cracked, abandoned Crater Rim road.
Visitor center · 0.3 mi awayKīlauea Visitor CenterStart here to plan a day around Kīlauea summit.
Lodging · 0.3 mi awayVolcano HouseA historic hotel on Kīlauea’s rim, with the caldera at the table.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayVolcano Art Center Gallery (1877 Volcano House)Local art fills a small gallery inside Kīlauea’s 1877 hotel.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayKaʻaueaA raised hula platform and traditional hale facing Halemaʻumaʻu.Sight · 0.6 mi awayHaʻakulamanu (Sulphur Banks)A short walk to yellow sulfur, altered rock and rising steam.
Sight · 1 mi awayKūkamāhuākea Steam Vents and WahinekapuA short walk pairs summit steam with a view into Kīlauea's caldera.Parkwolf’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
