Stargazing and How to Visit MaunaKea: DIY Guide + Summit Tours

The Big Island is a fantastic place for looking at the stars and hosts some of the world’s best telescopes. This makes stargazing a natural thing to do while on Hawaiʻi island and there are a few obvious stargazing-related activities you can fit it into your itinerary ranging from a (free) nighttime picnic to an adventurous sunset visit to the summit of MaunaKea.

In this guide we explain how you can visit the Maunakea Visitor Center and see the telescopes and sunset at the summit.

Frequently Asked Questions about visiting MaunaKea

Our MaunaKea guide is quite extensive so to save you time we have summarized the most frequently asked questions (with their answers) below:

Do you have a question about MaunaKea that is not answered by our guide? Please get in touch with us so we can answer it for you.

How to visit the MaunaKea summit yourself

There are two logical destinations on MaunaKea if you want to visit for stargazing: the visitor station halfway up the volcano and the telescopes at the summit. You can reach the visitor station with any car. To get all the way to the summit you need a 4WD vehicle with good brakes to navigate the steep and winding gravel road to the summit.

In this section we discuss:

• How to get up to the MaunaKea Visitor Center (MKVIS)
• The free stargazing program at the VIS (currently suspended)
• How to drive up to the Maunakea summit
• Seeing the sunset: from the visitor center and from the summit.

Ps. going to the summit yourself requires a 4WD car, good driving skills, and planning, so many people prefer joining a tour to the summit.

How to drive to the MaunaKea Visitor Information Station (MKVIS)

To reach the visitor station (website) follow Saddle Road (Hwy 200) until you get to the Mauna Kea access road (around mile marker 28, across the street from the Puʻu Huluhulu Cinder cone parking lot) and follow that road up. The visitor center is located ~halfway up the volcano at 9,200 ft elevation. Make sure that you have a full tank of gas before you start the ascent, as the nearest gas station is ~35 miles (50 km) from the visitor station.

A view of the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station on the ascent of MaunaKea, taken from a Puʻu at the 9300 ft. level. Credit: Madereugeneandrew – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Did you know? The visitor information station is officially called the “Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station”. It was named after the Hawaiʻi-born astronaut Ellison Onizuka who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

The purpose of the visitor center is to educate the visitors on the cultural importance of the mountain. You can also watch a video about astronomy in the center, and find a small shop where you can buy souvenirs, hot and cold drinks, and snacks.

Free stargazing program at the VIS (currently suspended)

Important: Due to COVID restrictions the free star gazing program described below is currently NOT offered.

At night, local volunteer astronomers set up telescopes outside of the station and let visitors use them under supervision as part of their free stargazing program (website).

The stargazing program is organized four nights per week between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. These nights are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (weather permitting), and reservations are not needed. There are special stargazing program events some Saturdays.

Directions from Kona (64 mi) and Hilo (43 mi) to the summit of MaunaKea. Be aware that you need to stop at the visitor center for a while to help your body acclimatize to the large altitude difference between Kona/Hilo and the summit (13,796 ft). Image credit: OMKM

Please be aware of the possibility of long lines and scarce parking at the Visitor Information Station (VIS) on these evenings until ~1.5 hours after sunset. Parking at the VIS is available for up to 115-vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the parking lots are full, all vehicles will be turned away.

Did you know: that you can actually see more stars from the visitor station than from the Maunakea summit? Your vision at the summit is less acute because of the lack of oxygen there, meaning you can see less stars even though your are at higher elevation. Telescopes are obviously not bothered by a lack of oxygen so the summit *is* the best place for them.

How to drive to the MaunaKea summit yourself: 8 things to know

You can visit the summit and see the telescopes during daytime and stay for up to 30 minutes after the sun has set. Take the following things into account when doing so:

1. Please be respectful. To Hawaiians the summit of MaunaKea is sacred: it is the place where Poli‘ahu (the goddess of snow) lives.
2. You need a 4WD vehicle to drive to the summit of MaunaKea. No 2-wheel drive vehicles are allowed past the end of the paved road just above the VIS.
3. Stop for at least half an hour at the visitor station to acclimatize to the altitude. The summit is at 4,205 m (13,796 ft) elevation and high altitude carries serious health risks, most of which can be mitigated by a short stop.
4. Sometimes the summit road is closed due to bad weather. The observatories at the Mauna Kea summit maintain a website showing the conditions of the road up to the summit. Please have a look here to see if the road is open and to find out what conditions you can expect. High winds, ice, and snow on the road are all within the realm of possibility.
5. You cannot use the telescopes on the summit or to enter the buildings. ~30 minutes after sunset the summit becomes off-limits and visitors are expected to drive down.
6. The Subaru telescope organizes visits to its telescope during daytime. There is limited availability but, especially if you like planning ahead, this could be something for you. See the ” visiting the Subaru telescope” website for more information.
7. Scuba diving and high altitude visits are extremely incompatible. Wait at least 24 hours before going to the summit after you have been scuba-diving. Snorkeling is no problem.
8. Dress warm! After the sunset temperatures can drop as low as 30-40 degrees F (between -1 and +4 Celsius). Also, make sure to bring enough snacks, sunscreen, and water.

In the following informative 6-minute video you can see how two Oʻahu residents, Devon and Irina, make it to the Mauna Kea summit themselves:

Devon and Irina have their own very informative Youtube channel Just be Out about visiting Oʻahu, so check them out if you are planning to go there and you like their style.

Seeing the sunset from Maunakea (from the summit vs. from the visitor center)

If you are looking for an epic sunset spot Maunakea should definitely be on your list. The best sunset viewing is from the summit but getting there is difficult because you need to either have a 4WD vehicle or join a tour. A good alternative to the summit is to see the sunset from the visitor center.

We discuss both options below.

Seeing the sunset from the Maunakea summit

The Maunakea summit is in our opinion one of the best places to see the sunset on Hawaiʻi, and considering the competition that says a lot! You can see the sun dip below the clouds in a spectacular explosion of color, framed by (snowy) peaks, old volcanoes, and futuristic world class telescopes.

To get to the summit you either need to join a tour (see below) or drive a 4WD vehicle. The 4WD requirement is for good safety reasons (brakes overheating on the way down) and park rangers often check the cars on the summit road. Scroll up for 8 tips on how to drive to the summit yourself.

Make sure to dress warm (many layers) and bring a good camera because it gets really cold up there as soon as the sun is gone.

Telescopes of the MaunaKea Observatory, Hawaii. From left to right: the Subaru Telescope, the W. M. Keck Observatory (2 domes), and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

Seeing the sunset from the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station (VIS)

Seeing the sunset from the Mauna Kea visitor center is a good alternative is you do not want to go all the way to the summit. There are cinder cones that block the view of the sunset from the visitor center itself, but you can get to a good sunset viewing spot close-by with an easy hike.

Parking at the visitor center is limited and it gets busy here around sunset, so make sure to arrive early. Make also sure to bring warm clothes and a windbreaker to stay comfortable as it can get cold and windy.

MaunaKea Stargazing Tours

Tours going up Mauna Kea have several advantages over planning a visit yourself. For example, no organizing is needed from your part, tours often pick you up at your hotel, and the guides really are added value as they often have an astronomy background and can give you a lot of background on the scientific and cultural significance of the summit.

Depending on your preferences there are 3 ways you can visit MaunaKea as part of a tour:

1. Summit + Stargazing Tours
   
2. Stargazing Tours that don’t go to the summit
3. Summit tours for Hawaiʻi residents

Maunakea Summit + Stargazing Tours

There are currently seven tour operators that are permitted to take people to the MaunaKea summit. These operators are guaranteed to employ knowledgeable guides and bring their own portable telescopes. This means that you will get to experience a personal lesson in stargazing from a seasoned expert, next to a visit to the summit during the sunset.

Tours typically supply arctic parkas and thick gloves to keep you warm, snacks, and water. Depending on the tour you choose, dinner can also be included. Expect the tour to last an average of 8 hours.

Our favorite tours are organized by the professionals of Hawaii Forest and Trail because they employ knowledgeable and interpretive guides and respect the local customs and habits:

The complete list of permitted commercial tour companies is (last updated: January 2023 from source):

1. Hawaii Forest & Trail (more information on our website)
2. Mauna Kea Summit Adventures (website)
3. Arnott’s Lodge & Hiking Adventures (website)
4. Hawaiian Haoles, inc. dba Hawaiian Eyes Tours (website)
5. Robert’s Hawaii Tours (currently not organizing their own tours)
6. Taikobo Hawaii (English and Japanese language tours)
7. Super Vacation Hawaii LLC (LA based travel agency and wholesaler) – reachable by email at [email protected].

You can compare several of the above tours to the Maunakea summit on the HawaiiActivites¹ website.

Good to know: children under the age of 13 cannot take a summit tour

Summit tours do not allow children under 13 years of age on their tours because they have a much higher incidence of high altitude problems. Consider stargazing tours that do not go to the summit (see below) if there are young stargazers in your group.

The sunsets from MaunaKea are out of this world, making a trip to the summit even more attractive

Stargazing tours that don’t go to the summit

A stargazing tour does not need to include a visit to the summit. While a summit visit obviously offers added value, including it in a tour is also a trade-off with tour duration.

For both types of tours the stargazing itself happens at comparable elevation (so the quality of the night sky is the same), but tours that go to the summit must leave there within 30 minutes after sunset, and thus their stargazing always happens early in the night.

Tours that don’t go to the summit do not have the sunset constraint and can organize our tours late at night which is good because it helps to (A) see many interesting night sky objects and to (B) avoid almost all of the other tour companies, giving you a more private and unique experience.

Another advantage of not going to the summit is that all ages are welcome. Tours to the summit in comparison only allow 13+ year olds.

We highly recommend the following 2-hour long small group tour that gets GREAT reviews from all of their customers. Happy customers often comment on the storytelling aspect of the tour, and on the knowledgeable explanations of objects in the sky and photographic expertise.

Daytime tours to the MaunaKea summit for Hawaiʻi residents

The Kama‘āina Observatory Experience is a free monthly community event that provides local residents with an opportunity to visit the summit, see world-class telescopes, and learn about the mountain in a holistic manner. It is organized by the Maunakea Observatories and the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.

Tours are scheduled every third Saturday of the month for individuals 16 and older with a valid Hawai‘i ID. You will need to show your Hawaii state ID or drivers license on the day of the tour.

Reservations are required and will be available on a first come, first served basis, with a maximum of 24 available reservations per tour date. The maximum group size per reservation is 2 people.

Read more about the Kama‘āina Observatory Experience.

Sunsets from the MaunaKea summit are without exception breathtaking. Here you can see the JCMT and CSO telescopes, a snowy cinder cone and the sun setting below the clouds (not the ocean!)

MaunaKea facts and trivia

MaunaKea last erupted more than 4,000 years ago and is no longer considered an active volcano. The MaunaKea summit is the highest point of the state of Hawaiʻi at 13,796 ft above sea level. There have even been glaciers on the volcano during past colder periods. (source)

The story of Maunakea gets better. Because the volcanoes on the Big Island are so heavy and because large parts of them are under water, MaunaKea is actually higher than Mount Everest. Measured from the base on the ocean floor, MaunaKea rises over 10,000 m (33,000 ft) high!

If you are in for a hike at high altitude, you can also make a short excursion to the highest lake in the state at 1,3020 ft: Lake Waiau.

Lake Waiau is located on Mauna Kea, more than 13.000 ft above sea level. It is one of very few lakes in the state of Hawaiʻi

List of observatories on the MaunaKea summit

It is no coincidence that some of the world’s most advanced telescopes are built on the Big Island. Few places on earth are better for watching the heavens than from MaunaKea! On top of the volcano and above the clouds observing conditions are close to perfect, with almost no light pollution and only a thin atmosphere between the telescope mirrors and the stars.

The following list contains all the telescopes that are currently in operation on the MaunaKea summit. You can find more information on each of them on this website.

• Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO)
• Canada France Hawai’i Telescope (CFHT)
• Gemini North Telescope
• Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)
• James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT)
• Subaru Telescope
• Sub-Millimeter Array (SMA)
• United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)
• University of Hawai’i 88-inch (2.2 m) telescope (UH88)
• University of Hawai’i 36-inch (910 mm) telescope (Hoku Kea)
• One receiver of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)
• W. M. Keck Observatory

Map with telescopes on the summit of MaunaKea

Which spelling is correct: Mauna Kea or MaunaKea?

Both Mauna Kea and Maunakea refer to the same place on the Big Island. Regardless of the spelling people will know what you mean by using either of the two versions.

According to the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Hawaiian Language and following traditional Hawaiian values and the Hawaiian language, MaunaKea (one word) is the correct designation. Maunakea is a proper noun—the name of the mountain on the Island of Hawaii. “Mauna Kea” spelled as two words refers to any white mountain—it is a common noun (vs. the proper noun) [source].

Safety tips for visiting MaunaKea

The MaunaKea summit at an elevation of 13,796 feet (4205 meters) is an extreme environment with an atmospheric pressure 40 percent lower compared to sea level. People visiting the summit may experience altitude sickness, which is triggered by rapid exposure to lower oxygen levels.

Good to know: a 1-hour stop at the visitor center halfway up the mountain will let your body acclimatize and greatly decreases the chance that you’ll experience altitude sickness while going to the summit.

Altitude sickness

Symptoms of altitude sickness include: headaches, drowsiness, nausea, shortness of breath, and poor judgment. Your age, gender, or physical fitness do not affect your likelihood of getting altitude sickness, and altitude sickness can become a medical emergency if ignored. If you are experiencing any symptoms of altitude sickness you should stop and rest where you are to acclimatize to the altitude. See this resource to learn more about the symptoms, treatment, and prevention of altitude sickness.

High altitudes can also cause the life-threatening conditions pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) and cerebral edema (fluid on the brain). Descend immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• severe headaches,
• vomiting,
• breathing difficulties,
• coughing,
• blue lips or fingernails,
• disorientation,
• extreme drowsiness that may lead to coma.

Other hazards

At the summit the radiation from the sun is stronger and the air dryer. This means that dehydration, sunburn, and eye damage are all possible especially when you spend more time at the summit (for example when hiking to lake Waiau). Bring plenty of water and protect your skin and eyes against the intense UV radiation at the summit with sunscreen and sunglasses.

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