KAILUA, Kona, Hawai'i — Many visitors come to Hawai'i to escape the snow, but on the Big Island these days, it's always in sight.

Winter atop Hawai'i's highest volcano regularly brings a dusting of snow, but it usually comes late in the season and disappears in a day or two. Now, regular volcano watchers and tourists are surprised to see an accumulation stretching down 3,000 feet from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Since mid-December, snow storms have piled up several inches on the 13,796-foot summit, visible from nearly everywhere on the northern end of the otherwise tropical island.

"Local people love it when it snows," said Ron Koehler, general manager for Mauna Kea Observatories Support Services. "From sliding around to skiing and snowboarding ... and it's very popular to fill up a pick up truck and drive back down to the beach," where temperatures remain balmy.

Koehler said Tuesday that although the one summit access road has been intermittently closed, a constant stream of people has made the trek in recent days.

"It's got to be in the thousands," he said.

No major incidents or injuries have been reported from the unusually lengthy icy conditions at higher elevation, he said.

Koehler said Mauna Kea typically gets more snow in February and March, which makes this December dump unusual. As of Tuesday morning, the summit road was open, with temperatures hovering in the mid to high 30s and plenty of snow down to the 12,000-foot level.

Chris Colvin, sales and marketing manager for Hawai'i Forest and Trail, said the sunset summit tour has been sold out every night since New Year's Eve.

"Some people are shocked by the snow," he said. "Most people think of Hawai'i as sun, surf, palm trees and golf, so it's nice to be able to surprise them."

Warren Higuchi, manager at Whaler's General Store in the Kings' Shops mall, said he can see snow on the peaks of Mauna Kea and adjacent Mauna Loa from the parking lot of the shopping center near the Kohala Coast resorts, and the view is a topic of conversation in the store.

"Some of the local guys here rush up to play in the snow," he said. "But the visitors, when they come here they don't expect to see snow in Hawai'i."