Mauna Kea Lake Waiau

About this spectacle

Perched near the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaiʻi's Big Island, Lake Waiʻau is one of the highest lakes in the United States, sitting above 13,000 feet in a volcanic cinder cone depression. The lake is strikingly small and ethereal — a still, dark pool set against rust-red cinders, snow-dusted ridgelines, and the vast Pacific sky. At this altitude, the air is thin and the light is intense, giving the landscape an otherworldly quality. The lake surface can mirror passing clouds and the surrounding alpine desert, creating scenes of stark, surreal beauty. Temperatures drop sharply even in summer, and sudden weather changes are common. Visitors who make the arduous trek to reach it are rewarded with one of the most remote and visually arresting bodies of water in the Pacific, surrounded by silence broken only by wind.

When to go

May — Oct, peak Jun — Sep

Getting there

Nearest airport: KOA. Nearest city: Hilo.

Booking options

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