Mouprise.com

Tips for hiking to the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s tallest peak

Hiking 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 height from base to top of 33,000 feet, making it the tallest mountain in the world. The views from the summit are indescribably beautiful, the notion of being in an alpine setting in the tropics is quite unique, and quite simply, it’s also one of my favorite places on earth.

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 covered in snow for much of the winter, with the summit covered with permafrost 35 feet deep. During the ice ages, the summit of Mauna Kea was glaciated 3 times, beginning about 200,000 years ago and ending only 11,000 years ago. One can see the U-shaped valleys and cirques, ridged bedrock, glacial tills covering the summit area, and remnants of ice-cursed lava flows from those times. There are even remnants of extinct rock glaciers near the summit.

The Visitor Center and summit are reached via a road that branches off Saddle Road at about 6,600 feet near the 28-mile marker and winds 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 level dirt for about 5 miles, returning to asphalt paving for the final sprint to the rim of the summit crater. Road conditions for Summit Highway 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 restrooms and drinking water. Every night after dark, the center allows visitors to gaze at the stars through various telescopes and informative talks by visiting scientists are occasionally scheduled. Staff from the Saturday and Sunday Center lead guided tours of the summit, but visitors must bring their own vehicle. Call 808.961.2180 for information. Visitors heading to the summit are suggested to stop at the Visitor Center for at least half an hour before heading to the summit to allow acclimatization.

Above the Visitor Information Station there are no public accommodations, no water, no food, no gasoline service; the observatory buildings are closed to the public and generally closed. There are no public phones or toilets, only portable toilets. There is an emergency phone located at the entrance to the U of H 2.2-meter telescope building.

Driving the Summit Road to the top of Mauna Kea is not as dangerous as car rental companies would have you believe, nor as casual as many Big Islanders will tell you. Admittedly, the summit trail is unpaved for the most part, steep and winding with limited view planes; the road is extremely dangerous when wet or icy, which is often the case, and is subject to frequent dense clouds, snow, rain, and fog that obscure vision. Additionally, mild summer conditions can turn into deadly winter tantrums in minutes with little or no warning.

However, the road is generously wide, regularly level, and poses no real threat to the cautious driver. The prudent driver can expect to reach the top in about half an hour after leaving the visitor information station. Remember, it’s not the roughness of the road that will hinder your car; it is the elevation that will deprive you of oxygen. To be safe, take as much time going down the mountain as you did going up, using the lowest gear to avoid brake wear. Check your car rental agreement, many prohibit you from driving on this road. If you go anyway, your insurance is voided and you do so at considerable financial risk. Remember, people DO hit craters in their cars from time to time.

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

Home to the world’s largest array of astronomical instruments and telescopes, the summit of Mauna Kea is truly an amazing place; an alluring juxtaposition of icy heights rising from the smoky tropical jungle; the thousand-year-old altars of the sacred Hawaiian gods next to the most modern science buildings; of icy landscapes sculpted during the ancient glaciations along with burning volcanic formations; all wrapped up in one fabulous ride with a little rumble of danger, just for flavor! 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 in the 60s, it is generally cool to frigid, frequently wet and windy at the summit. Plan and dress accordingly.

The summit area is also culturally and religiously important to Native Hawaiians, being home to many religious Heiau, an obsidian adze quarry, and many other archaeological sites. Remember that this landscape and the archaeological sites on it are sacred; don’t take anything but pictures, don’t even leave footprints.

Parking is limited, but the hike from the top of the road to the actual top is a must for anyone who has ventured this far and is in good shape. A stone altar and USGS survey 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 that leads around the summit crater takes around 30 minutes to walk through some very wild country with amazing views. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water and hydrate frequently to help avoid altitude sickness. Do not leave the safety of the parking lot if you feel sick or if the weather is unstable; in fact, in case of deterioration or bad weather, or at the onset of nausea, one should immediately leave the summit and descend.

Alternatively, for those in excellent physical condition, the summit can be hiked from the Visitor Center. With unparalleled views, wild landscapes, archeological sites, and more, the hike is about 6 miles long, gains about 4,500 feet in elevation, and takes 6 to 10 hours to get up, depending on the hiker. There is no water available anywhere above the Visitor Center, so take enough to go up and back down. Frankly, many people choose to hitchhike down the mountain after climbing it. In fact, for people who are short on time, or for whom the scenery and not conquering the summit are the main goals, taking a ride to the summit and walking back down is a great alternative, taking only about 3 1 /2 hours.

Another absolutely stunning hike in the summit area, accessible to almost anyone in reasonable conditions, 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 walk is uphill and the other is 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 lake 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 over the that sits Are they like 300? for 150? by 8 feet deep and, yes, I can personally attest that it has been dived. However, there is not much to see there.

There are also some health concerns about visiting the summit of Mauna Kea. In short: it is recommended that children under the age of 16, pregnant women, and people with respiratory, cardiac, or severely overweight problems not step over the Visitor Information Station. Divers must wait at least 24 hours after their last dive before traveling to the top.

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 palliatives for altitude sickness, but the cure is immediate and rapid descent. Victims will notice an almost complete cessation of symptoms upon retrieving The Saddle. Altitude sickness can be dangerous, even life-threatening, and the sudden onset of a comatose condition, or even death, can be unexpectedly quick.

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

Most visits to the summit of Mauna Kea are extremely pleasurable experiences, encompassing easy adventures that can feature a mild high-elevation, fabulous views, and a great sense of relief upon reaching the paved road and public restrooms on the summit. Visitor information station after leaving the summit.