Kohala Mountains

Kohala Mountains, volcanic range, northern Hawaii island, Hawaii, U.S. The mountains extend 21 miles (34 km) north from Waimea to Upolu Point and reach a high point at Kaumu o Kaleihoohie (5,480 feet [1,670 meters]). The mountains consist of an eroded dome 22 miles (35 km) long and 15 miles (24 km) wide and cover an area of 234 square miles (606 square km).

The younger western slopes have a thin soil covering unlike the lush eastern slopes. The southern slopes have been buried under later Mauna Kea lavas, forming the Waimea Plateau (2,875 feet [876 meters]). The building of the Kohala Ditch (1906) channeled water along the mountaintops to the northern sugarcane fields, which spurred the development of the sugar industry (which has since declined).