Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Kalawao County, Hawaii

Kalawao

Unincorporated community in Hawaii, US.

Record

About Kalawao

Kalawao (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kələˈvɐo̯]) is a location on the eastern side of the Kalaupapa Peninsula of the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, which was the site of Hawaii's leper colony between 1866 and the early 20th century. Thousands of people in total came to the island to live in quarantine.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Kalawao, 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 Kalawao is

USGS topographic map around Kalawao
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

9 historic USGS maps cover Kalawao

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 Kalawao

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Kalawao": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Kalawao, Hawaii": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q6351689.
  4. USGS GNIS 360095.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).