While the State of Hawaii is comprised of an archipelago of small islands, it is the big island of Hawaii that is the main island and gives the state its name. While Hawaii is undoubtedly a beautiful place and the perfect destination for a tropical holiday, it was created by five separate volcanoes – three of which are still active today. The Volcanoes of Hawaii The five volcanoes that created this island are Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Kohala is an extinct volcano, and Mauna Kea is considered to be dormant. Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea are all currently active – Kilauea has been erupting continuously since 1983 and continues to shape the landscape of the island. Experiencing the Volcanoes The best way to explore the volcanoes of Hawaii and witness the phenomenal power that they have the potential to unleash is through a visit to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The national park was established in 1916 and encompasses the volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea. Points of interest within the park include the main visitor center, the Volcano Art Center, and the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, which as well as featuring key exhibits also gives you fantastic views of Kilauea’s active vent which is known as Halema’uma’u. Access the park’s coastline along Chain of Craters Road which takes you past several impressive craters that were created by past eruptions down to the coast where lava took over the road years ago. More than just Volcanoes The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a lot more than just a celebration of Hawaii’s famous volcanoes – this is an enormous wilderness area that provides unique hiking and camping opportunities. Ranging from sea level to the top of Mauna Loa (13,677 feet above sea level), the national park includes diverse landscape from lush tropical rain forests to arid and barren desert areas. Footsteps into History One of the features of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the 1790 Footprints. While there is some debate as to exactly who left these footprints in the lava, the popular theory is that they can be associated with a series of battles that took place in the area around the year 1790. This was a period of conflict on the island of Hawaii as competing warriors sought to exert their control over the island. The footprints are believed to have been left by a warrior called Keoua and his forces who had come to the volcano to make offerings to the goddess Pele. Trapped by the erupting volcano, many of Keoua’s warriors were killed by the explosion and the footprints show how they tried to escape across the desert. Modern forensic techniques have shown that the footprints aren’t actually fossilized, but were probably made as a result of the layer of fine ash that had been deposited by the erupting volcano. The ash was turned into thick mud by the rain that was triggered by the eruption and it was in the mud that the escaping warriors left their footprints. In the tropical sun the mud was quickly solidified and preserved in the arid heat of the desert which gives them the fossilized appearance that we see today. There is a lot more to Hawaii than just surfing, beaches, and sunshine. Come and explore the geological wonders that are the volcanoes of Hawaii as they continue to build and shape this extraordinary island.