Mauna Kea — Attraction in Hawaii

I visited the Big Island in March 2020, and Mauna Kea was an absolute highlight of the trip. The drive to the summit is definitely worth it, as the views are incredible and the telescope domes are pretty fascinating to look at as well.

Legally, you have to have a vehicle with low range 4WD to drive the access road (per the new rules governing the Mauna Kea summit adopted earlier this year). This is not because of the road surface, which is a mix of pavement and graded dirt road, but because of the steepness of the road. Low range gearing is important to control your speed on the descent without burning up your brakes, same as with the road into Waipi'o Valley.

While you will find plenty of reviews and comments online telling you not to take a rental car up there, the reality is it is perfectly safe and you do not need some special rental from Harpers etc. Any Jeep rented from a mainstream rental company can do it easily (as of early 2020, just about every rental company was renting Jeep Wrangler JLUs). Just make sure to put it in 4-Low on the way down and use manual gear selection to keep it in 2nd or 3rd gear. And know you will be responsible for any damage to the vehicle if you get in an accident.

If you are an experienced off-roader and would like to make a full-day off-road adventure of your trip to Mauna Kea, there is an off-road trail that begins just below the visitor center called R-1 Road. This road takes you on an approximately 35 mile loop around the entire back side of Mauna Kea, crossing a variety of fascinating terrain including a Silversword grove, red lava landscapes that look like you're on Mars, and desert washes reminiscent of Utah or Arizona.

It's not a difficult trail, but it is definitely a true 4WD road, with a few rocky climbs and descents that will require careful tire placement to avoid scraping your undercarriage. I'd rate it about a 3 on the usual 1-10 off-road difficulty scale. I wouldn't recommend this trail for the average tourist, but if you're an experienced off-road driver willing to take the risk, it's...

It is the top destination in the entire Hawaii. The are more wishing stars here than anywhere and they are bigger. Mauna Kea Summit is the tallest on the Earth when it is measured from the base of the mountain. At 33,500 feet (10,210 m) Mauna Kea is taller than Everest with its height at 29,029 feet (8,848 m). Plus it is much cheaper than Nepal adventure. The world’s summit is just across from the University of Hawaii Telescope. According to the “Hawaii the Big Island Revealed” guidebook, it is complete OK to cross the fence from the road to walk a few hundred feet. The warning signs were put here when Hawaiians organized the protests to stop their sacred place being covered by the Thirty Meter Telescope. For now the place is all left for you while scientists are looking for the inspiration on the top of the Canary Islands. For obvious reasons they dropped alternative locations in Chille or India. How to step the foot on the tallest mountain on our home planet: It is a sacred place. The Goddess of Snow Poliahu lives here. Enter with pure heart and gratitude. AWD or 4WD is a must with the close to the full tank is required. They check it at the entrance by the visitor center. The drive will make you remember “shake it up” song. Gloves, hat, and a warm jacket it is the only place on island where it is almost a must. Don’t drink before shortly before you come here, even if they offer an umbrella on your glass to ward off those headache spirits. The altitude is intoxicating. Kids below 13 are discouraged (not banned) from coming to the top for the good reason. Some lose conscience. Even at the visitor center small children cry all the time because of the physical discomfort. If possible, combine it with the sunrise or sunset. Finally, it is awesome. There is no even bad word with the sexual context to describe it. It must be lived to know...

First off, huge thanks to Ranger Argen/Arjun for chatting with us about the most scary part of the whole process (the drive up). Really cool man!

The view was awesome but it could've been better had it not been super cloudy. Here are a few things to note: You'll need to get a full tank of gas first off. We went to Waikoloa Village first (closest station to Mauna Kea from Kona coast side) which was 50 miles ish away. You must have a 4x4 vehicle WHICH CAN SHIFT TO LOW GEAR. That will be necessary to come back down the summit and also from the visitor center down to Saddle Road. The steepest drive will actually be on Mauna Kea Access Road. And then from visitor center to summit, you'll need to use 4 wheel drive mode because it's super gravelly for most of the road. Don't be scared. As an amateur driver, it was quite easy for me to drive up the summit gravel road. If you can rent a Jeep Wrangler, then that baby can take you ANYWHERE. DO NOT use brakes as much as possible when climbing down, otherwise your brakes will overheat. Use the manual low gear shifts to adjust your RPM and speed, and let the engine slow you down with low gears. Most regular rental companies don't allow you to do off road drives. I suggest Joe's Big Island Jeep Rental, super helpful rental place with a lot of information. Feel free to pull over on the side on your drive up in order to catch a breather in case the altitude sickness gets to you. Winter jacket and gloves would be recommended.

You may have seen a lot of scary stuff about this drive up. The Rangers are awesome and will teach you all about the gear shifts. It'll be a very memorable drive up, make sure to have someone take photos of stuff around as you're driving up,...