Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is an outdoor activity in Hilo, HI, part of the Island of Hawaiʻi guide. Cost: free.

Visitor Information Station, Mauna Kea Access Rd · Hilo, HI

Why you should go…

Mauna Kea is a dormant shield volcano and the highest point in Hawaii at 13,803 feet, with thirteen observatories at its summit. Your first stop is the Visitor Information Station at 9,200 feet, where you get current safety information and spend at least 30 minutes adjusting to the altitude. The eight-mile summit road beyond climbs nearly 5,000 feet and requires a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle. The mountain is sacred to Native Hawaiians.

#stargazing
#volcano
#observatories
#summit drive
#big island

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mauna Kea, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area
Under $25
Swim, bodysurf and picnic on one of the few white-sand beaches along the Big Island's west coast, south of Kawaihae.
26 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Kīlauea
$25–$50
See one of Earth's most active volcanoes and its summit caldera inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
30 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
$25–$50
Drive and hike around Kīlauea's summit caldera, then follow Chain of Craters Road down to the sea.
30 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Kealakekua Bay
Free
Snorkel a protected marine bay and see the white monument marking where Captain Cook was killed in 1779 on the Kona coast.
38 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Under $25
Walk the Royal Grounds and a centuries-old place of refuge guarded by carved wooden kiʻi on the Kona coast.
40 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing