Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4
The Big Island of Hawaii
T
he Big Island of Hawaii—the island
that lends its name to the entire
1,500-mile-long Hawaiian archipel-
ago—is where Mother Nature pulled
out all the stops. Simply put, it's spec-
tacular. Because it's so big and so
diverse, you will most likely enjoy the
family vacation of your dreams here.
The Big Island has it all: fiery
volcanoes and sparkling waterfalls,
black-lava deserts and snowcapped
mountain peaks, tropical rainforests
and alpine meadows, a glacial lake and
miles of golden-, black-, and green- (!)
sand beaches. A 50-mile drive will
take you from snowy winter to sultry
summer, passing through spring or fall
along the way.
The Big Island is the largest island
in the Hawaiian chain (4,038 sq.
miles—about the size of Connecti-
cut), the youngest (800,000 years),
and the least populated (with 30 peo-
ple per sq. mile). It has the nation's
wettest city, the southernmost point in
the United States, the world's biggest
telescope, the ocean's biggest trophy
marlin, and America's greatest collec-
tion of tropical luxury resorts. It also
has the highest peaks in the Pacific,
the most volcanoes of any Hawaiian
island, and the newest land on earth.
Five volcanoes—one still erupt-
ing—have created this continental
island, which is growing bigger daily.
At its heart is snowcapped Mauna Kea,
the world's tallest sea mountain (meas-
ured from the ocean floor), complete
with its own glacial lake. Mauna Kea's
nearest neighbor is Mauna Loa (or
“Long Mountain”), creator of one-sixth
of the island; it's the largest volcano on
earth, rising 30,000 feet out of the
ocean floor. (Of course, you can see
only the 13,796 ft. that are above sea
level.) Erupting Kilauea makes the Big
Island bigger every day—and, if you're
lucky and your timing is good, you
can stand just a few feet away and
watch it do its work. (In just a week,
Kilauea volcano can produce enough
lava to fill the Astrodome.)
The things to keep in mind when
planning a trip is just how big the
island is (lots of driving) and how
young it is (there are some but not a
lot of white-sand beaches). On the
other hand, if your family loves water-
sports, this is paradise. The two tall
volcanoes mean 350 days of calm
water on the leeward side. The under-
water landscape of caves, cliffs, and
tunnels attracts a stunning array of
colorful marine life. The island's west
coast is one of the best destinations in
the world for big-game fishing. And
its miles of remote coastline are a
kayaker's dream of caves, secluded
coves, and crescent-shaped beaches
reachable only by sea.
On land, hikers, bikers, and horse-
back riders can head up and down a vol-
cano, across black-sand beaches, into
remote valleys, and through rainforests
without seeing another soul. Where else
can you witness fiery creation and swim
with dolphins; ponder the stars from
the world's tallest mountain and catch
a blue marlin; downhill ski and surf
the waves in a single day? You can do
all this, and more, on only one island
in the world: the Big Island of Hawaii.
