Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park is one the largest and most captivating attractions on the Big Island. Due to its exceptional geological and geographical qualities, it is the island’s only designated World Heritage site. The park displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration and evolution, processes that have thrust bare land from the sea into a complex and unique ecosystem. The park itself scales 230,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth’s largest volcano, Mauna Loa, which stands at 13,677 feet. Visitors will also be astounded by the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea which provided scientists with an insight to the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and spoils visitors with views of dramatic, volcanic landscapes.
Tour the Big island while staying in one of our Kona vacation rentals.
The National Park is a great combination of astounding natural beauty in the form of the volcanoes, and natural wilderness. Over half of the park provides visitors with opportunities to hike and camp in extraordinary surroundings. However, those who wish to immerse themselves in the history of the volcanoes can gain insight into the how the islands came to be and explore the volcanic terrain which surrounds them. One of the most notable features of the Hawaiian Islands is that they have been created by a volcanic mountain range which comprises of five volcanoes in total, with the volcanoes categorized as active, dormant and extinct. Active volcanoes are those which have erupted in the last few hundred years, such as Kilauea which can be found on the Big Island. Dormant volcanoes are those which have erupted in the last few thousand years and extinct volcanoes like Kohala, have not erupted for thousands of years.
Get close to the volcano action in a Big Island luxury rental.
Due to its large scale, visitors can take a number of days to explore the entire park. Those who are planning on hiring a car during their stay on the Big Island can explore the island for a couple of days in order to explore all that the park has to offer. Visitors who are only on the Big Island for a few days may only have a few hours to spare and so should waste no time in visiting the Kilauea crater summit which is located through Crater Rim Drive. The drive is an eleven mile course which loops around the peak and passes through a desert landscape and tropical rain forest. The loop then passes over the caldera bottom, a sunken area caused by the collapse or eruption of a nearby volcano. However, there is also plenty to see on foot and many opportunities in which to venture out on foot throughout the course.
Exploring the volcanoes on the Big Island is a great experience which should not be missed while vacationing in Hawaii. With a range of hiking trails which provide breathtaking backdrops and a great combination of historical volcanic ruins and beautiful wilderness, this is the ideal way to spend a few days for the explorative tourist. If timed correctly, visitors may even be lucky enough to see a rare viewing of lava from the active volcanoes on the island. Even if this is not the case, tourists will still be provided with a sight not to be missed.