Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park is a must-see on the Big Island.
A Hawaii vacation is expensive under the best of circumstances. The plane tickets, the hotel rooms, the luaus and fishing excursions can add up to several thousand dollars for a family visiting the islands. One of the best things about visiting Hawaii, though, is the availability of self-guided tours that you can do without adding a dime to your travel expenses. Many of Hawaii's best experiences are free or will cost you very little money.
Hawaii Volcanoes
Entry to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the southern end of the Big Island is available 24 hours a day at the cost of just $10 per carload. The pass is good for seven consecutive days if you choose to prolong your exploration.
The park is located on active volcanoes. The world's most active volcano, Kilauea, and the world's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, are located within the park. Explore the erupting crater of Halemaumau where ash and smoke billow daily, or take a drive down the Chain of Craters Road to see the active, glowing red lava flows pour into the ocean, where they explode into a mushroom cloud of steam. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park can be a dangerous place and you should follow all safety precautions provided at the visitor center.
Haleakala Summit
Haleakala is Maui's tallest peak. This dormant volcano serves as a major tourist attraction for the island, and a trip to the summit is a must for anyone visiting Maui. Haleakala is easily accessible by any type of private vehicle. You can tour this national park for $10 per car on a three-day pass.
A trip to the summit area is the highlight of the tour. Stand above the clouds to gaze down into the summit crater and become awestruck at a volcanic crater large enough to fit the entire island of Manhattan inside. Carefully walk among a species of plants known as the Haleakala Silversword and you'll discover that you are standing on the only soil in the world that can grow this rare plant.
Mauna Kea Sunrise
Mauna Kea means "white mountain" and it is so-called because the winter storms often dump considerable snow on the Big Island peak. One of the best ways to experience Mauna Kea is a self-guided tour to the summit in the pre-dawn hours. It is completely free, but it is not free of danger. You'll need a four-wheel drive vehicle and confidence in your driving skills. The pavement ends at 9,000 feet, but you'll still have 5,000 more feet of elevation to conquer on a rough, narrow and treacherous road in the dark.
Once atop the mountain, you can watch the sunrise as it breaks through the clouds and paints the sky in unimaginable colors. Dress warm, because the temperature up here is often freezing. You'll also want to pause on your way up and down at the 9,000-foot visitor center, and adjust to the new altitude to avoid feeling ill.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is one of the most visited sites in all of Hawaii. This Oahu landmark is still a working harbor, but in December of 1941 it was a war zone as the Japanese attacked Hawaii in an act of aggression that drew America into World War II.
Tickets are required to tour the USS Arizona, Oklahoma and Bowfin Memorials, as well as other sites within the harbor, but they are free on a first come, first served basis. You can spend the majority of a whole day seeing the ships and memorials related to the attack on the Honolulu harbor.
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