#5 of 35 sights in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Sight · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The sea arch is gone; the black-lava coast remains.
Overview
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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
Hōlei Coast: After the Sea Arch“You're approaching the Hōlei coast at the end of Chain of Craters Road, where the famous sea arch once stood. The arch collapsed into the ocean in September twenty twenty-six, so there's no arch left to look for.”
Plays as you drive up to Hōlei Sea Arch 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
Hōlei Sea Arch was a roughly 90-foot lava arch at the end of Chain of Craters Road, projecting from steep sea cliffs into the Pacific. It collapsed into the ocean between September 23 and 27, 2026; there is no arch left to see. If you're already exploring Chain of Craters Road, the black cliffs and open surf still make the coast worth a stop. I wouldn't add the long drive just for the vanished landmark.
The arch sat within a lava flow roughly 550 years old. Softer layers eroded faster than harder ones, gradually opening the rock over the sea. The cliffs have been changing for years: earthquakes in 2018 damaged nearby cliffs, cracks led to a new viewing area in 2020, and Tropical Storm Darby broke part of the arch later that year. Other arches may form as the coastline retreats, but there is no promise of a replacement at this spot.
Hōlei is the name of a small plant endemic to Hawaiʻi in the milkweed family, Ochrosia. It’s a useful reminder that this coast has stories beyond the rock formation that drew most visitors here.
Use the asphalt parking area at the end of Chain of Craters Road as your navigation point. Older directions describe a short walk beyond the gate to the former viewing area; they predate the collapse. Follow current park signs, stay out of closed sections, and keep well back from unstable cliff edges. For a photo, leave some surf below the dark wall—the water makes the height of the cliffs easier to read.
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
ModeratePuʻuloa Petroglyphs Trail1.4 mi · 1.3 hr · 2.1 mi awayRough lava footing leads to Hawaiʻi’s largest petroglyph field.
ChallengingPuna Coast Trail to ʻĀpua Point10.8 mi · 6.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA long lava coast walk ends beneath ʻĀpua’s coconut grove.
ChallengingNāulu Trail6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayA steady climb over rough lava links Kealakomo with the Nāpau junction.Parkwolf’s Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
