#9 of 10 sights in American Samoa
Sight · American Samoa National Park
Two guns still overlook the harbor from a short, steep ridge walk.
Overview
Blunts Point held two of four naval guns protecting Pago Pago Harbor; the other two were across the entrance at Breakers Point. Together they guarded a strategic sea route linking the United States with Australia and New Zealand. Each gun had a 25-foot barrel with a six-inch bore. Its barrel and breech weighed about 19,000 pounds without the mount, and a shell weighed 105 pounds with a 39-pound powder charge.
Parkwolf’s verdictA harbor worth defendingMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
American Samoa Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for American Samoa National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
A Harbor Inside a Volcano“Pago Pago Harbor sits inside the remains of a volcano. The water occupies a caldera, a broad hollow formed when the volcano's summit collapsed as magma drained from beneath it.”
Plays on the road 1.2 mi from Blunts Point Battery in the Parkwolf American Samoa Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Blunts Point Battery is a World War II coastal gun site on Matautu Ridge, above the west entrance to Pago Pago Harbor. Two six-inch naval guns remain in their concrete emplacements. It's a worthwhile short stop if military history interests you: you can see the guns in place with the harbor and South Pacific beyond. The site sits outside the park's designated lands, though it's part of the park visitor route.
Take the signed Blunts Point Trail off Route 001 between Faga'alu and Utulei. The sign is beside IBM Laundromat; the public harbor-side parking lot is about 100 yards from the trailhead. The battery walk is 0.6 miles round trip, with a short, steep uphill approach. At the guns, frame the barrel with the harbor behind it for the view that explains why this ridge mattered.
The guns and their building materials had to be hauled 150 to 200 feet above sea level through heavy jungle and muddy slopes. Samoans cut paths and supplied ifi lele hardwood for improvised flatcars and track parts. That work is an easy thing to picture when you're standing beside the emplacements.
The separate World War II Heritage Trail is listed as a 1.7-mile round trip past several installations, not an extension of the short battery walk. Its current condition hasn't been confirmed, so check locally before adding it to your plans.
Wildlife
19 sightingsNoddyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsSamoan StarlingMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
17 sightingsButterflyfishMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
18 sightingsHermit CrabMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMigratory ShorebirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsCane ToadMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across American Samoa. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingOld Vatia Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA steep rainforest climb from Vatia to the ʻAlava ridge.
ChallengingMount ʻAlava Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 2.4 mi awayRainforest ridge hiking leads to a wide view of Pago Pago Harbor.
ChallengingUpper Sauma Ridge Trail2.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA steep rainforest climb to views of Vatia and Pola.
ModerateLower Sauma Ridge Trail0.4 mi · 38 min · 2.8 mi awayA half-hour walk to Samoan archaeology and Pola Island views.
ChallengingMount ʻAlava Adventure Trail5.6 mi · 5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA hard ridge loop with 56 ladders, 783 steps, and a summit.
EasyPola Island Trail0.1 mi · 20 min · 3 mi awayA short rocky-shore walk with views of Pola Island.
Visitor center · 0.7 mi awayTauese P.F. Sunia Ocean CenterA six-foot globe connects reef science with Samoan culture.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayHistoric Tramway LookoutFollow the old cableway story to a wide Pago Pago Harbor view.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayJean P. Haydon MuseumA museum cannon and Apollo artifacts open onto Samoa’s wider history.
Visitor center · 1.5 mi awayNational Park of American Samoa Visitor CenterBilingual displays and ranger advice make this a useful first stop.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayMount Alava SummitA hard rainforest climb earns a wide view over Pago Pago Harbor.
Scenic pullout · 1.9 mi awayAfono Pass OverlookA quick harbor view between Tutuila's green ridges.
Restaurant · 2.5 mi awayTisa’s Barefoot BarA beachside restaurant with Samoan umu and a conservation story.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayLower Sauma Ridge OverlookA roadside view across Vaiʻava Strait to Pola Island’s sea cliffs.Parkwolf’s American Samoa ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
