Tips for Hike to the Top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s Highest Peak

Hike to the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is becoming increasingly popular with visitors to Hawaii. Its attraction is understandable, at 13,796 feet above sea level, the summit of Mauna Kea is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Since its base is 19,000 feet below sea level, it has a base-to-summit height of 33,000 feet, making it the tallest mountain in the world. The views from the top are indescribably beautiful, the notion of being in an alpine setting in the tropics is unique enough, and it’s simply one of my favorite places on earth too.

Mauna Kea began to form at the bottom of the sea about a million years ago. Its name means “White Mountain” in the Hawaiian language and it is snowed for much of the winter, and the top is covered in 35-foot-deep permafrost. During the ice ages, the summit of Mauna Kea was glacial 3 times, starting about 200,000 years ago and ending only 11,000 years ago. You can see the valleys and U-shaped cirques, the striated bedrock, the glacial lakes that cover the summit area, and the remnants of ice-doomed lava flows from that time. There are even remnants of extinct rock glaciers near the summit.

The Visitor Center and summit are reached via a road that veers off Saddle Road at about 6,600 feet near the 28-mile marker and twists its way up the south side of Mauna Kea to the Information Station for Visitors at about 9300 feet. The path, although steep, is paved to the Visitor Center. Above that the trail is leveled with dirt for about 5 miles, returning to asphalt pavement for the final sprint to the rim of the summit crater. Road conditions for the summit road are available at 808.935.6263.

The visitor center is open from 9 am to 10 pm, 365 days a year. Informative multimedia presentations, souvenirs and some food are available here, as well as clean toilets and drinking water. Every night after dark, the center allows visitors to gaze at the stars through various telescopes, and informative talks are occasionally scheduled by visiting scientists. Center staff on Saturdays and Sundays lead guided tours to the summit, but visitors must provide their own vehicle. Call 808.961.2180 for information. It is suggested that visitors bound for the summit stop at the Visitor Center for at least half an hour before heading to the summit so that they can acclimatize.

Above the visitor information station there are no public places, no water, no food, no gasoline service; the observatory buildings are closed to the public and generally locked. There are no public telephones or toilets, only port toilets. There is an emergency telephone at the entrance of the U of H 2.2-meter telescope building.

Driving the road from the summit to the top of Mauna Kea is not as dangerous as the car rental companies want you to believe, nor as casual as many Big Islanders will tell you. It is true that the road to the top is not paved most of the way, it is steep and winding with limited views; The road is extremely dangerous when wet or icy, which it often is, and is subject to frequent heavy clouds, snow, rain, and fog that obscure all vision. Plus, pleasant summer conditions can turn into deadly winter ravages in a matter of minutes with little to no warning.

However, the road is generously wide, routinely leveled, and poses no real threat to the cautious driver. The safe driver can expect to reach the top in about half an hour after exiting the visitor information station. Remember, it is not the roughness of the road that will get in the way of your car; it is the elevation that will starve you of oxygen. To be safe, take all the time you took on your way back up the mountain, using the lowest gear to avoid brake wear. Check your car rental agreement; many forbid you to drive on this road. If you go anyway, your insurance is void and you do so at considerable financial risk. Remember, people DO FIND craters in their cars.

If the weather turns dire, just head downstairs immediately. Relax, stay calm and drive carefully; you can be sure that even if you have to slow down to 10 miles per hour in some places, you will be in the safety of the Visitor Center in as little as 40 minutes or so.

The summit of Mauna Kea, home to the largest array of astronomical instruments and telescopes in the world, is truly an amazing place; a seductive juxtaposition of icy heights rising from the smoky tropical jungle; the thousand-year-old altars of the Hawaiian sacred gods next to the buildings of the most modern sciences; of icy landscapes carved during ancient ice ages alongside fiery volcanic forms; all wrapped up in a fabulous ride with a little rumor of danger, just for spice! The beautiful and breathtaking 360-degree views of the entire Big Island also include the islands of Maui, Kaho’olawe, and Lana’i on clear days. The glow of the Kilauea volcano can be seen on clear nights. Although daytime temperatures during the summer can peak at 60 degrees Celsius, it is generally cold to icy, often wet and windy at the top. Plan and dress accordingly.

The summit area is also culturally and religiously important to Native Hawaiians, as it is home to many religious Heiau, an obsidian adze quarry, and many other archaeological sites. Remember that this landscape, and the archaeological sites above it, are sacred; do not take more than photographs, do not even leave footprints.

Parking is limited, but the hike from the top of the road to the actual summit is a must for anyone who has ventured here and is in good shape. A stone altar and a USGS inspection point mark the actual summit of the mountain, about a 15-minute walk down an ash trail from the top of the road. A trail around the summit crater takes about 30 minutes to go through a very wild country with incredible views. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water and hydrate frequently to help avoid altitude sickness. Do not leave the security of the parking lot if you feel unwell or if the weather is hazardous; in fact, in conditions of deterioration or bad weather, or at the onset of nausea, one must leave the top immediately and descend.

Alternatively, for those in excellent physical condition, you can walk to the top from the visitor center. With unmatched views, wild landscapes, archaeological sites, and more, the hike is approximately 4,500 feet high and takes 6-10 hours to get up, depending on the hiker. There is no water available anywhere above the Visitor Center so take enough to get up and back. Frankly, many people choose to hitchhike up the mountain after climbing. In fact, for people with little time, or for whom the scenery and not the conquest of the summit are the main goals, taking a walk to the summit and walking down is an excellent alternative, and it only takes about 3 1 / 2 hours.

Another absolutely stunning hike in the summit area, one that is accessible to almost anyone in reasonable condition, is Lake Wai’au. Park in the lot at about 12,000 feet, near the 5-mile marker, or in the lot at about 13,000 feet, near the 7-mile marker. It goes without saying that one hike is uphill and the other uphill; but both are less than a mile long and have similar elevation changes. I prefer the upper trail because the view of the astronomical complex from the summit on the hike is phenomenal. An absolute gem of an alpine tarn in its own right, at 13,020 feet, Lake Wai’au is one of the highest permanent lakes in the world … permafrost seals the lake bed in loose tephra and glacial drift in the that settles. Are they about 300? for 150? by 8 feet deep and, yes, I can personally attest that snorkelling has been done. However, there is not much to see there.

There are also some health concerns about visiting the Mauna Kea summit. Bottom line: Children under the age of 16, pregnant women, and people with respiratory, heart conditions, or severely overweight are advised not to climb beyond the Visitor Information Station. Divers must wait at least 24 hours after their last dive before traveling to the summit.

Acute mountain sickness, resulting from exposure to high altitudes, includes nausea, headache, drowsiness, shortness of breath, and poor judgment. Aspirin and lots of water are palliative for altitude sickness, but the cure is immediate and rapid descent. Victims will notice an almost complete cessation of symptoms when recovering The Saddle. Altitude sickness can be dangerous, even deadly, and the rapid onset of the coma condition, or even death, can be unexpectedly quick.

Lastly, there is a serious risk of severe sunburn and eye damage, especially when there is snow on the ground. Make sure to wear sunglasses with a rating of at least 90% IR and 100% UV (both UVA and UVB); wear sunscreen with a rating of at least SPF 30. Long sleeves and pants help reduce susceptibility to sunburn.

Most visits to the Mauna Kea summit are extremely enjoyable experiences, encompassing easy adventures that can feature a mild euphoria of altitude, fabulous views, and a great sense of relief upon reaching the paved road and public restrooms at the station. information for visitors after leaving the summit.