GoKawiilHawaii Volcanoes National Park's 8-mile Great Crack remains largely unexplored by staff
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contains an 8-mile fissure known as the Great Crack, located in Kilauea's southwest rift zone, which measures up to 50 feet wide and 66 feet deep. A writer attempting to hike to the site found that multiple park employees and rangers had never visited it themselves, with no official trail leading there and little documentation available.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account suggests that even within a well-staffed national park, some geological features can remain poorly documented and rarely visited by the very people managing the land. This could reflect the vastness and remoteness of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where safety concerns and lack of formal trails may discourage both staff and visitors from exploring certain areas.
- The Great Crack is an 8-mile fissure in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park's southwest rift zone, reaching up to 50 feet wide and 66 feet deep.
- No established trail leads to the crack, and park staff interviewed had little firsthand knowledge of it.
- Multiple park employees, including rangers at the backcountry permit office, said they had never visited the site themselves.
Garmin inReach Mini 2 GPS — For off-trail adventures like hiking to Hawaii's Great Crack where there's no established trail and cell service is unreliable, a satellite communicator is essential safety gear. It lets you send your location and messages even in remote volcanic terrain, giving peace of mind when exploring areas not on marked paths.
See Garmin inReach Mini 2 GPS on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: sfgate.com — Ashley Harrell, 2026-10-14
Published there as: “The 8-mile hole in a Hawaii national park that no one can explain”
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