Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide pouring from Kilauea volcano forced the evacuation of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for the second time this month. About 2,000 people were forced to leave the park when a lack of wind kept the noxious gas from Halemaumau Crater lingering over the Big Island volcano, park spokeswoman Mardie Lane said.

Academic researchers and federal scientists have for the first time come up with direct evidence of feral cats killing endangered Hawaiian petrels. The study, by scientists from the University of Hawaii, the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, confirms what has been widely suspected, that wild cats are playing an important role in the population decline of the rare birds. The study involved monitoring of 14 Hawaiian petrel burrows with digital infrared video cameras in 2007 and 2008 on the island of Hawaii.

A California teenager is lucky to be alive, officials say, after falling 25 feet down a scorchingly hot crack in the Earth's surface at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii . Rescuers were summoned shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday to a steam vent between the Kilauea Visitor Center and the Volcano House hotel , not far from the park's main entrance. The 15-year-old boy from San Rafael, who was not identified, fell into the crack while trying to leap over the protective railing that's intended to keep visitors away from the hole.

A California teenager is lucky to be alive, officials say, after falling 25 feet down a scorchingly hot crack in the Earth's surface at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii . Rescuers were summoned shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday to a steam vent between the Kilauea Visitor Center and the Volcano House hotel , not far from the park's main entrance. The 15-year-old boy from San Rafael, who was not identified, fell into the crack while trying to leap over the protective railing that's intended to keep visitors away from the hole.

Academic researchers and federal scientists have for the first time come up with direct evidence of feral cats killing endangered Hawaiian petrels. The study, by scientists from the University of Hawaii, the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, confirms what has been widely suspected, that wild cats are playing an important role in the population decline of the rare birds. The study involved monitoring of 14 Hawaiian petrel burrows with digital infrared video cameras in 2007 and 2008 on the island of Hawaii.

I could see a river of flame below me, a glowing red lava tube that sliced across the jagged black landscape of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The seething, molten rock was so close I could feel the heat and smell the sulfur. Nearby, a stand of eucalyptus trees erupted in flames as lava touched it. I was whirling above Kilauea — one of the most active volcanoes in the world — in a helicopter that had no door. In the seat in front of me sat a pilot and a Times photographer, who leaned precariously out of the cabin of the chopper to shoot pictures.

Author Mark T wain slept here -- in 1866. "The surprise of finding a good hotel at such as outlandish spot startled me, considerably more than the volcano did," Twain wrote. He was describing the dramatic setting of the Volcano House, a 19th-century hotel that started life as a grass shack overlooking the Kilauea caldera on the island of Hawaii. Now Volcano House and 10 camping cabins in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that have been closed since 2010 will partly reopen Saturday. The National Park Service announced Tuesday that it had signed a 15-year contract with the Hawaii Volcanoes Lodge Co. to renovate and refurbish the lodgings that include the 32-room hotel and the cabins at Namakanaipalo Campground.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remained closed for a second day Wednesday as officials waited for a change in wind direction to blow away sulfur dioxide belching from Kilauea volcano. The National Park Service said air conditions were worse than Tuesday, when 2,000 people were evacuated from the park.

A major lava bench along the coastline of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park collapsed into the ocean this week, possibly shaken loose by several earthquakes, volcanologists said. The East Laeapuki delta, an unsteady feature built by lava from the Kilauea volcano flowing into the ocean, has disappeared, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Nearly 44 acres of the bench vanished, perhaps because of a 5.

Explore Hawaii 's Big Island on a two-wheel tour to see the rim of Kilauea Crater, sea turtles at Walohinu and Kona's lush coffee country. The seven-day Hawaii Classic Bike Tour from Bicycle Adventures features a circumnavigation of the perimeter of the island, with rides averaging 45 miles a day. Off-bike activities include a hike into Kilauea Crater, with two nights spent at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park , and a catamaran trip to go snorkeling. The tour begins in Waikoloa.

WHERE AM I? Well lighted and high up This man is changing a lightbulb in one of the country's best-loved national parks. (Bring on the ranger jokes.) This fancy lamp hangs in a signature park hotel, well above sea level, somewhere west of the Mississippi and east of the Ginza (in Tokyo). But which hotel is it, in which park? (Hints: The park was founded in 1890. The hotel opened in 1927 and was used as a Navy hospital during World War II.) Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, Calif.

Author Mark T wain slept here -- in 1866. "The surprise of finding a good hotel at such as outlandish spot startled me, considerably more than the volcano did," Twain wrote. He was describing the dramatic setting of the Volcano House, a 19th-century hotel that started life as a grass shack overlooking the Kilauea caldera on the island of Hawaii. Now Volcano House and 10 camping cabins in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that have been closed since 2010 will partly reopen Saturday. The National Park Service announced Tuesday that it had signed a 15-year contract with the Hawaii Volcanoes Lodge Co. to renovate and refurbish the lodgings that include the 32-room hotel and the cabins at Namakanaipalo Campground.

Kilauea volcano 's eruption Sunday means the spectacular lava show continues on Hawaii's Big Island . The volcano, which has been erupting since the early 1980s, spewed lava 65 feet into the air after the Puu Oo Crater collapsed this weekend, media reports said.  Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in a recorded message reports that as of Monday, steam, sulphur oxide and other volcanic gases continue to erupt from the summit. The park has closed Chain of Craters Road, all coastal trails in what's called the east rift zone and the Kulanaokuaiki Campground as a result.

Man does not live by bread alone, and families can't count on theme parks for all their adventures. Here are 10 relatively unthemed Western destinations, all best enjoyed in the company of a 10-year-old: Cable cars, San Francisco: Of the three routes in operation, the classic Powell-Hyde Line begins at Powell and Market streets near Union Square, climbs Nob Hill, then descends dramatically to end at Aquatic Park, near Ghirardelli Square and...

I could see a river of flame below me, a glowing red lava tube that sliced across the jagged black landscape of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The seething, molten rock was so close I could feel the heat and smell the sulfur. Nearby, a stand of eucalyptus trees erupted in flames as lava touched it. I was whirling above Kilauea — one of the most active volcanoes in the world — in a helicopter that had no door. In the seat in front of me sat a pilot and a Times photographer, who leaned precariously out of the cabin of the chopper to shoot pictures.

Hawaii--Tim and Pam Strawn, Los Angeles: "Carson's Volcano Cottage, P.O. Box 503, Volcano, 96785. (800) 845-5282. Two miles from Kilauea/Hawaii Volcanoes National Park." Rates: $65 to $95. New Mexico--John Brodhead, La Canada: "The Desert Rose Restaurant, 4515 Corrales Road, Corrales, 87048; (505) 898-2269. Outstanding food and service and the world's best homemade salsa." $32 for two.

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide pouring from Kilauea volcano forced the evacuation of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for the second time this month. About 2,000 people were forced to leave the park when a lack of wind kept the noxious gas from Halemaumau Crater lingering over the Big Island volcano, park spokeswoman Mardie Lane said.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remained closed for a second day Wednesday as officials waited for a change in wind direction to blow away sulfur dioxide belching from Kilauea volcano. The National Park Service said air conditions were worse than Tuesday, when 2,000 people were evacuated from the park.