map courtesy National Park Service

(BIVN) – With the holidays right around the corner, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park says it will add 20 new parking stalls to the overflow parking lot east of Kīlauea Visitor Center.

There was a loss of parking capacity at the park due to the seismic activity from the eruption of Kīlauea Volcano and the collapse of the summit in the summer 2018. The closure of Jaggar Museum and Kīlauea Overlook for safety reasons greatly reduced the number of available parking spots for visitors.

Park officials expect heavy visitation during the upcoming holiday season. The National Park Service says:

Construction on the new gravel lot begins this week on previously disturbed land. Impacts to natural resources will be minimal, and there will be no impact to cultural resources. The park plans to open the new gravel lot by Thanksgiving.

Long-term planning to address parking and post-eruption recovery continues at the park, and is being tracked on the HVNP website.