When you think of Hawaii, one thing that surely doesn’t come to mind is SNOW! But we DO get snow up at the top of Mauna Kea and sometimes even Mauna Loa. The snow cap comes after a heavy storm and usually does not stay long so when it comes… we go! Only in Hawaiiwill you see kids sledding down a snowy hill on a boogie board! Imagine building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate in the morning and lying on a sandy beach and swimming in the ocean in the afternoon. Only in Hawaii!
At 13,796 feet above sea level, the peak of Mauna Kea is the highest point in the United States. As a precaution, I do not take my children up to the summit due to possible altitude sickness but when there has been a particularly heavy snow and it comes down low on the mountain, there can be snow at 10,000 to 11,000 feet. We stop for about an hour or so to acclimate them at the visitor center. Toddlers should not be taken up past the visitor center.
