The lighthouse, home to the world's largest clamshell lens, perches on a peninsula 200 feet above the sea. Although a fully automated electronic beacon has replaced the Fresnel lens, the 1913 lighthouse still stands intact. Aviation history credits the lighthouse with saving the first trans-Pacific flight from turning into a disaster. It alerted Army pilots, who had overshot Oahu, to correct their path. Although the lighthouse is not open to the public, the grounds are, and a self-guided path to the point offers interpretive information.
Volunteers point out various seabirds.
The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary also has large interpretive signs on Hawaii's marine nammals and sea turtles. The refuge is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. A two-hour guided Crater Hill Hike is offered daily. Take either for a short, pretty drive.