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Your Visitor Friendly People & Places
Mauna Kea
The summit of Mauna Kea has been a celestial observatory since ancient times and is considered to be one of the best astronomical sites in the world. For this reason it is home to many of the world's leading astronomical observatories. The summit is above approximately 40% of Earth's atmosphere and 90% of the water vapor, allowing for exceptionally clear images of the night sky. Additionally, the peak is well above the inversion layer, which leads to approximately 300 clear nights per year. Also, at 20°N latitude, all of the northern sky and most of the southern sky is visible. The fact that it is a shield volcano has meant that road transportation to the summit is relatively easy. The low population density of the Island of Hawaii means that there is little light pollution from man-made sources. All of these factors have made Mauna Kea an ideal location for state-of-the-art astronomy.
Visiting the Summit
If you are planning to visit the summit, it is highly recommended that you stop at the Visitor Information Station (VIS) at 9,200 ft to receive a current weather update, safety information, and to adjust to the change in altitude. Mauna Kea is unique because it is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet in about 2 hours, so altitude sickness is a high possibiliy. At 14,000 feet, there is 40% less oxygen than at sea level, so visitors should acclimatize to the altitude before proceeding further up the mountian. Anyone in poor health should consult their physician before planning a visit to Mauna Kea. We do not recommend anyone who is pregnant to go further than the VIS. People under the age of 16 should not go any further because their bodies are still developing and they are affected more rapidly when going to a high altitude. If you plan to scuba dive, do not plan to go up to the summit within 24 hours of your dive. Furthermore, we do not recommend anyone with a heart or respiratory problem to travel above the VIS. The visitor’s center is open from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. 365 days a year.
We also highly recommend that only 4 wheel drive vehicles travel beyond the VIS. About 300 yards beyond the station, the pavement ends and the next 4 and a half miles are a steep graded-gravel road. It is recommended that you check with your car company to see if you are allowed to travel on Mauna Kea.
If you are visiting the summit area, please leave the landscape as you find it. Do not disturb the terrain or build rock piles. Please stay on designated roadways and trails. Off-road driving is prohibited. Mauna Kea is a sensitive enviornment, so please treat it as such. Do not litter.
Saddle Road
Some parts of Ala Mauna Saddle Road, including segments not yet bypassed, are very narrow with rough pavement edges, that make head-on collisions a real problem. Dense fog, as moist air rising upslope from the coast meets cold air rolling downslope from Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, can make for dangerously low visibility.
The road had an accident rate 80% higher than the Hawaii average for two-lane rural highways, though the recently-opened bypasses of some of the worst sections hopefully will lower that statistic.
Most rental car companies prohibit taking their vehicles on this road. Also, there are no travel services at all on Ala Mauna Saddle Road, so make sure to refuel in Hilo before heading west, or Waimea, Waikoloa, or Kailua-Kona before heading east (especially if you plan to take the side roads to the observatories on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa -- the high altitude can increase your fuel consumption quite a bit).
