Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for December 5, 2024. This week we’re featuring a park that contains the largest active volcano on the planet.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Location
Island of Hawai’i, Hawai’i, United States
Claim to fame
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is the largest national park site in the US Pacific islands. The park contains two active volcanoes: Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, and Kīlauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The park is famed among native Hawai’ians as the home of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and fire and the creator of the Hawai’ian Islands.
Reason to visit
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is a popular destination for those visiting the Big Island of Hawai’i, as it is one of the most likely spots to witness volcanic activity. Eruptions occur frequently, and their aftermath–including fields of barren lava rock and the hikeable Nāhuku lava tube–provide visitors with an up-close experience with the awesome power of volcanoes.
Hawai’i Volcanoes also features scenic drives, like the Chain of Craters Road, which leads visitors into the heart of the park and by a coastal lava rock arch and ancient petroglyphs.
Wild Fact
Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano. With a volume estimated at around 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km3), Mauna Loa makes up a little over half of Hawai’i Island. Though it stands 13,681 feet (4,170 m) above sea level, the volcano itself rises 30,000 feet (9,144 m) from the sea floor, a greater height than Mount Everest.
Mauna Loa has likely been erupting for over 700,000 years.
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