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Hawaii, USA · North America · northern hemisphere
Hawaiʻi, the Big Island is at its best for swimming in April to October. Good but not prime in March and November. Crowds peak in December and bottom out in April.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | 15 | 41 | 65 | 92 | 81 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 97 | 99 | 69 | 43 |
| Lakes & Coastline | 15 | 42 | 77 | 86 | 85 | 57 | 56 | 56 | 87 | 95 | 78 | 42 |
| Hiking | 42 | 42 | 76 | 88 | 83 | 57 | 15 | 14 | 62 | 92 | 97 | 77 |
| Wildlife | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 42 | 67 |
| Crowds |
Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.
Almost every climate zone on earth on one island — the Kona side is desert, Hilo is one of the wettest cities in America, and Mauna Kea gets snow. The coordinate here is Kona
Day walks over lava and crater floors, plus a high-altitude summit. No guide needed; 4WD only above the visitor station.
Assuming the whole island is like Kona. Hilo, two hours east, gets over 3,000mm of rain a year — many times the Kona coast — and the volcano is in between.
July above all, then Christmas and New Year
The leeward beaches are calm and the manta ray night snorkel is extraordinary for older children. Distances are large — this is an island the size of Connecticut with one road round it.
Kona and the Kohala resorts are the dry, sunny, expensive side. Hilo is cheaper, far wetter, and far closer to the volcano — and Volcano village itself is cheap and cool at 1,200m.
Vog — volcanic haze from Kīlauea — drifts down the Kona side whenever the volcano is active. It affects asthma and it is not seasonal.Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.
Check the National Park’s status before planning around the volcano — eruptions and vog close trails at short notice. Mauna Kea is high enough that people get genuinely ill on it, and under-13s are not allowed above the visitor station.
0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: NPS HAVO