Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Hawaii County, Hawaii

Kalapana

Town in Hawaii, United States.

Record

About Kalapana

Kalapana (Hawaiian for 'announce noted place') is a town and a region in the Puna District on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. The town was the original location of the Star of the Sea Painted Church.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Kalapana, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Kalapana is

USGS topographic map around Kalapana
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

10 historic USGS maps cover Kalapana

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Kalapana

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Hawaii index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Kalapana": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Kalapana, Hawaii": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q3192115.
  4. USGS GNIS 365298.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).