First Light Bookstore — Local services in Hawaii

A great place to see sunset and stargazing here. You can park your car at the lower level visitor center parking lot for stargazing after sunset. You can walk through a tunnel (so you don’t need to cross the highway road) to the other side of the road to see sunset on the sunset hill and there is only a 10-20min walk. After sunset you can return to the parking lot for stargazing or stay uphill. It can be a little difficult to stargazing at the parking lot because people are coming and going and they turn on their high-bean light which is quite annoying and that definitely affect stargazing. But you can still view lots of stars because the mountain above the clouds. Right now the visitor center has closed for their stargazing program. However, you can stargaze yourself in the parking lot. Be sure to arrive EARLY!!! At least 1 hour before sunset to secure a place in the parking lot as it can get very crowded. Visitor center is very informative and they provide hot water, microwave, water cups, for free until closing around 5:15ish. You can bring some instant noodles, snacks, bento box, etc for a stargazing picnic. You can get very hungry at that altitude on the mountain. It is very important to keep warm! Bring lots of cloth, winter jackets!!! You might also need flashlights for walking uphill/downhill at night. Also bring lots of water as well. If you want to go to the summit for sunset. Make sure you check with your rental company if you can drive there as most of them will not allow you to drive because of the gravel road. Make sure you have a true 4- wheel drive vehicle to travel to the summit. The visiting hours to the summit area are from 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset. So you can only stay there for the sunset. You can stargaze at the visitor center...

Amazing stargazing! It was the most beautiful night sky I have ever seen! BUT BRING WARM CLOTHES!!!

The crew who moderated the star party at the visitor center was very competent and funny. It was an unforgettable experience. You could see so many stars, it's incredible! We were able to see Saturn very clearly through the telescope, we even saw its ring.

But it's getting very cold especially when the sun sets. You should wear long pants, a sweater and I even recommend a jacket and two pair of socks. You can get free hot water at the visitor center and there is a microwave.

Driving to the visitor center should be no trouble at all! Just go early to get a parking spot.

Driving all the way to the top of the mountain is only possible if you have a capable car! It has to be a 4wheel drive car with low 4 gearing for using the engine break when going down! Please INFORM YOURSELF AT THE VISITOR CENTER! Driving up is quite easy, it gets shaky because the road is not asphalted but simply drive at the speed you're comfortable with and you're good. When going down, YOU HAVE to use the engine break to prevent the breaks from overheating and failing. To do this you have to switch your four-wheel car to 4L and manually switch to a low gear. This way the car won't build up speed that much when...

This is one of the go to place on your way to Mauna Kea Summit. You will get to know about the place itself, history behind and some do's and don't. There are times when you will see toad to Sumit is closed but visitor center is still open. Center opens at 12PM. Center is one of the go to places for star gazing. You will get some hands-on session os some local telescope. Star gazing sessions are held on specific days only. So check the schedule first. Visitor center is located at 9200 feet above see level and if like hiking, you can follow a near by trail to go on top of near by peek. It's located on the other side of the road and takes roughly 20 mins to reach at the top. From top you will see a beautiful backdrop of mountains and coupe of dormant craters. Air is thin and you will be able to feel it. By this time you will be at 9400 feet.

Restrooms are located at the visitor center.

If you are interested to visit Mauna Kea Summit instead, call them prior to visit. There are times when wether looks totally different on top. Rangers do update voice recording 8 Am and confirm the status of the road between visitors...