10 Highest Volcanoes in America

From Iceland and Italy to Indonesia and Hawaii, stunning volcanoes dot the world, but some of Earth’s most breathtaking ones can be found along a 700-mile stretch of land in western North America that extends from southwestern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. This volcanic arc constitutes the Cascade Volcanoes, of which several buzzing urban metropolises lie atop, including Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

But despite their seeming peacefulness, the Cascade volcanoes are some of the most dangerous; they have an eruptive past, and still pose threats. Of the 20 major volcanoes along the arc that is also frequently called the Pacific Ring of Fire, Mount St. Helens was the last to erupt in 1980, killing 57 people. Don’t let that deter you from exploring these magnificent monsters though, especially when they offer some of the most spectacular scenery known to mankind.

Curious about how to pay homage to these volcanic beauties in the best way possible? Your much-anticipated answer: By hiring a guide who specializes in volcano tours. Wise adventure guides like Erik Storm and Neil Brauer will take you within arm’s reach of lava at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Ian McAlpine will take you across the plains bordering Mt. Taranaki in New Zealand to the Tasman Sea, and Maria Grazia will take you to explore Mt. Etna in Sicily. Whether you want to see volcanoes by boat (for example with Luigi, a marine biologist and tour guide who takes guests to visit the remnants of an ancient volcano on the Italian Island of Panarea on his sea boat) or by land, volcano-loving tour guides will be there to give you the lowdown on everything there is to know about each mountain, be it facts about its eruptive past…or when it’s next purported to explode!