Is hiking Mauna Kea worth it?

Thanks to "kironic" for writing much of the original page text, especially the more entertaining parts!

Overview

Mauna Kea, on the Big Island, is Hawai'i's highest mountain at 13796 ft (4198 m). Rather than a single peak, Mauna Kea is undefined; it is a series of volcanic cinder cones, some red, some black, pasted onto a gargantuan massif. While it is tempting to draw grand analogies about how Mauna Kea embodies the spirit of Hawai'i itself, the real king mountain of the Big Island is Mauna Loa, which regularly spreads lava flows over a radius of 50 miles in almost every direction. However, because Mauna Kea's slopes are steeper than Mauna Loa's, the former's summit views are better, and its hikes shorter.

The maintained Mauna Kea Trail is 6 miles in length (one way) and climbs 4576 ft (1395 m), starting from the Onizuka Visitor Center, which is at 9200 ft (2804 m). The trail loosely parallels a partially paved summit road, and from the Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve boundary at 13200 feet to the summit road's high point of 13700 feet, actually follows the road. Getting to the summit from road's end requires a mere 5-15 minute walk and 100 feet of elevation gan. The vast majority of "mountaineers" drive to road's end, which can be kind of discouraging for hikers, especially when the altitude starts kicking in. Aside from the moral superiority you can enjoy from hiking, you'll take in splendid and wild views along the way. (NB: Hitchhiking is not unheard of.)

An interesting side trip is the short jaunt to Lake Waiau, a very shallow lake (no more than 10 ft deep) about a mile and a half from the summit. You aren't supposed to disturb the lake, and you probably wouldn't want to since Hawaiians used to bring the umbilical cords of their babies here and place them in the lake to give them "the strength of the mountain". If you must drink from the lake, however, today's modern filtration systems should take care of any lingering placental matter.

Getting There

By car: From either Hilo or the Kona/Waimea area, access the Onizuka Visitor Center via Saddle Road (Highway 200). The Visitor Center is 6 miles upslope on Summit Road, the turnoff to which is near the 28-mile marker off of Saddle Road. Warning! As of March, 2003, there are no signs marking the turn to summit road. Apparently, the signs keep getting stolen. The ranger speculates that it's astronomy students from UH-Hilo, but it's anyone's guess. In any case, the road is prominent, and in the author's recollection, there are no others in the area to confuse with.  

Current road conditions - (808)935-6268 (July, 2020)

Previously, most car rental contracts prohibited travel on Saddle Road, although in April, 2015, asaking11 noted:  "Most rental companies now allow rental cars on Saddle Road. There are even a handful of them that will allow you to take them to the visitor center."  A car is definitely the best way to get there. Not by car: The problem is the buses don't use Saddle Road. So, use a car by proxy. (Hitchhike). But seriously, don't worry about the car rental agencies? policy. They don't dust the tires for Mauna Kea dust or anything.

In June, 2021, Pete Grafton noted: "Calling the summit road conditions number, the recorded ranger message warns us a 4x4 is required to drive past the ranger station at 9,200 feet. If not driving the hike is around 11 miles RT with water at the lake. Flatlanders like me need the 4x4."

The trailhead for the Mauna Kea Trail is a hundred yards northwest of Onizuka Visitor Center.

Red Tape

No permits or fees. Rangers do ask that you fill out a Visitor Information Sheet and drop it in a box next to the phone at the Visitor Center, but they will only use this information in case of an emergency. If you want to be really concientious, you can even print out a copy of this form before hand! http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/

Note that Mauna Kea is not in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. You would be thinking of Mauna Loa, the second tallest peak in Hawaii. Mauna Kea is leased to the University of Hawaii from the 12,000-foot level and up. So they generally take a not-for-profit approach. Hallujah.

If you'd like to part with your money, you can use professional guides http://maunakea.com. This would also solve the "how to get there" problem, if you don't have a car, since these guides will pick you up from centrally located STARBUCKS (TM) in three different places on the Big Island, which can be reached by bus.

Wildlife conservation: Outside the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Reserve, hunting is allowed and common. Also, it is interesting to note that there was a very heartfelt and effective campaign to remove mouflon game sheep from Mauna Kea.

When To Climb

Generally avoid January and February, as winter storms can drop up to 2 feet of snow. However, snow flurries are a definite possibility year round, so be prepared for this peak as you would any almost -Fourteen-er.

Camping

No camping in the area. Acclimatizing is very important since you will more than likely be driving up to the mountain from sea level, or, even below sea-level if you have spending your sun-drenched days scuba-diving. So consider camping at the Mauna Kea State Recreation Area, 7 miles west of Summit Road (the road that goes to Mauna Kea), at about the 35-mile marker on Saddle Road.  Try to go during the week, as hunters (of pigs, goats and birds) both local and of the tourist variety usually have dibs on the weekends. If you can't camp, hang out at the Onizuka Visitor Center before making the trek up. You can learn everything you wanted to know, and more, about the different observatories on the summit.

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