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Mauna Kea, Hilo, HI

Photo: Vadim Kurland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor AdventureFree

Mauna Kea

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

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

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