Hawaii big island things to do

Ceaselessly Requested Questions on visiting MaunaKea

Our MaunaKea information is kind of intensive so to prevent time we have now summarized probably the most often requested questions (with their solutions) under:

Do you might have a query about MaunaKea that isn’t answered by our information? Please get in contact with us so we are able to reply it for you.

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How to go to the MaunaKea summit your self

There are two logical locations on MaunaKea in order for you to go to for stargazing: the customer station midway up the volcano and the telescopes on the summit. You possibly can attain the customer station with any automotive. To get all the way in which to the summit you want a 4WD automobile with good brakes to navigate the steep and winding gravel street to the summit.

On this part we focus on:

• How to rise up to the MaunaKea Customer Middle (MKVIS)
• The free stargazing program on the VIS (at the moment suspended)
• How to drive up to the Maunakea summit

Ps. going to the summit your self requires a 4WD automotive, good driving abilities, and planning, so many individuals choose becoming a member of a tour to the summit.

How to drive to the MaunaKea Customer Info Station (MKVIS)

To succeed in the customer station (web site) comply with Saddle Highway (Hwy 200) till you get to the Mauna Kea entry street (round mile marker 28, throughout the road from the Puʻu Huluhulu Cinder cone parking zone) and comply with that street up. The customer middle is positioned ~midway up the volcano at 9,200 ft elevation. Just be sure you have a full tank of fuel earlier than you begin the ascent, as the closest fuel station is ~35 miles (50 km) from the customer station.

Do you know? The customer info station is formally known as the “Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station”. It was named after the Hawaiʻi-born astronaut Ellison Onizuka who died within the House Shuttle Challenger catastrophe in 1986.

The aim of the customer middle is to educate the guests on the cultural significance of the mountain. You can too watch a video about astronomy within the middle, and discover a small store the place you should buy souvenirs, cold and hot drinks, and snacks.

Free stargazing program on the VIS (at the moment suspended)

Important: Due to COVID restrictions the free star gazing program described under is at the moment NOT provided.

At night time, native volunteer astronomers arrange telescopes exterior of the station and let guests use them beneath supervision as a part of their free stargazing program (web site).

The stargazing program is organized 4 nights per week between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. These nights are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (climate allowing), and reservations aren’t wanted. There are particular stargazing program occasions some Saturdays.

Please pay attention to the potential for lengthy strains and scarce parking on the Customer Info Station (VIS) on these evenings till ~1.5 hours after sundown. Parking on the VIS is on the market for up to 115-vehicles on a first-come, first-served foundation. As soon as the parking heaps are full, all autos might be turned away.

Do you know: that you would be able to really see extra stars from the customer station than from the Maunakea summit? Your imaginative and prescient on the summit is much less acute due to the shortage of oxygen there, which means you’ll be able to see much less stars though your are at greater elevation. Telescopes are clearly not bothered by a scarcity of oxygen so the summit *is* the very best place for them.

How to drive to the MaunaKea summit your self: 8 things to know

You possibly can go to the summit and see the telescopes throughout daytime and keep for up to half-hour after the solar has set. Take the next things into consideration when doing so:

1. Please be respectful. To Hawaiians the summit of MaunaKea is sacred: it’s the place the place 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. Most 4WD rental agencies do not allow their vehicles to be taken up to MaunaKea but have a look at Harpers Car Rentals for rental cars that you can take up to the summit.
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:

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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.

One more reason to visit the summit: the BEST sunsets!

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.

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.

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 excursions for Hawai’i residents

Maunakea Summit + Stargazing Excursions

There are at the moment seven tour operators which might be permitted to take folks to the MaunaKea summit. These operators are assured to make use of educated guides and produce their very own transportable telescopes. Which means you’ll get to expertise a private lesson in stargazing from a seasoned knowledgeable, subsequent to a go to to the summit throughout the sundown.

Excursions sometimes provide arctic parkas and thick gloves to preserve you heat, snacks, and water. Relying on the tour you select, dinner can be included. Anticipate the tour to final a median of 8 hours.

Our favourite excursions are organized by the professionals of Hawaii Forest and Path as a result of they make use of educated and interpretive guides and respect the native customs and habits:

The whole listing of permitted industrial tour corporations is (final up to date: November 2021 from supply):

1. Hawaii Forest & Path (extra info on our web site)
2. Mauna Kea Summit Adventures (web site)
3. Arnott’s Lodge & Mountain climbing Adventures (web site)
4. Hawaiian Haoles, inc. dba Hawaiian Eyes Excursions (web site)
5. Robert’s Hawaii Excursions (at the moment not organizing their very own excursions)
6. Taikobo Hawaii (English and Japanese language excursions)
7. Tremendous Trip Hawaii LLC (LA primarily based journey company and wholesaler) – reachable by e-mail at [email protected].

You possibly can examine a number of of the above excursions to the Maunakea summit on the HawaiiActivites1 web site.

Stargazing excursions that don’t go to the summit

A stargazing tour doesn’t want to embrace a go to to the summit. Whereas a summit go to clearly affords added worth, together with it in a tour can be a trade-off with tour length.

For each kinds of excursions the stargazing itself occurs at comparable elevation (so the standard of the night time sky is similar), however excursions that go to the summit should depart there inside half-hour after sundown, and thus their stargazing at all times occurs early within the night time.

Excursions that don’t go to the summit do not have the sundown constraint and might manage our excursions late at night time which is nice as a result of it helps to (A) see many attention-grabbing night time sky objects and to (B) keep away from virtually all the different tour corporations, providing you with a extra non-public and distinctive expertise.

One other benefit of not going to the summit is that every one ages are welcome. Excursions to the summit compared solely permit 13+ yr olds.

We extremely suggest the next 2-hour lengthy small group tour that will get GREAT evaluations from all of their prospects. Blissful prospects typically touch upon the storytelling facet of the tour, and on the educated explanations of objects within the sky and photographic experience.

Daytime excursions 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.

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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.

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.

List of observatories on the MaunaKea summit

It is no coincidence that some of the world’s most superior telescopes are constructed on the Big Island. Few locations on earth are higher for watching the heavens than from MaunaKea! On prime of the volcano and above the clouds observing circumstances are shut to good, with virtually no mild air pollution and solely a skinny ambiance between the telescope mirrors and the celebrities.

The next listing accommodates all of the telescopes which might be at the moment in operation on the MaunaKea summit. You will discover extra info on every of them on this web site.

• 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)
• College of Hawai’i 88-inch (2.2 m) telescope (UH88)
• College of Hawai’i 36-inch (910 mm) telescope (Hoku Kea)
• One receiver of the Very Lengthy Baseline Array (VLBA)
• W. M. Keck Observatory

Which spelling is appropriate: Mauna Kea or MaunaKea?

Each Mauna Kea and Maunakea refer to the identical place on the Big Island. Whatever the spelling folks will know what you imply by utilizing both of the 2 variations.

In accordance to the College of Hawaii at Hilo Faculty of Hawaiian Language and following conventional Hawaiian values and the Hawaiian language, MaunaKea (one phrase) is the proper designation. Maunakea is a correct noun—the title of the mountain on the Island of Hawaii. “Mauna Kea” spelled as two phrases refers to any white mountain—it’s a frequent noun (vs. the right noun) [source].

Security suggestions for visiting MaunaKea

The MaunaKea summit at an elevation of 13,796 ft (4205 meters) is an excessive surroundings with an atmospheric strain 40 % decrease in contrast to sea stage. Individuals visiting the summit might expertise altitude illness, which is triggered by fast publicity to decrease oxygen ranges.

Good to know: a 1-hour cease on the customer middle midway up the mountain will let your physique acclimatize and drastically decreases the possibility that you simply’ll expertise altitude illness whereas going to the summit.

Altitude illness

Signs of altitude illness embrace: complications, drowsiness, nausea, shortness of breath, and poor judgment. Your age, gender, or bodily health do not have an effect on your chance of getting altitude illness, and altitude illness can change into a medical emergency if ignored. If you’re experiencing any signs of altitude illness it is best to cease and relaxation the place you might be to acclimatize to the altitude. See this useful resource to be taught extra concerning the signs, remedy, and prevention of altitude illness.

Excessive altitudes also can trigger the life-threatening circumstances pulmonary edema (fluid within the lungs) and cerebral edema (fluid on the mind). Descend instantly in the event you expertise any of the next signs:

• extreme complications,
• vomiting,
• respiratory difficulties,
• coughing,
• blue lips or fingernails,
• disorientation,
• excessive drowsiness that will lead to coma.

Different hazards

On the summit the radiation from the solar is stronger and the air dryer. Which means dehydration, sunburn, and eye harm are all potential particularly once you spend extra time on the summit (for instance when mountaineering to lake Waiau). Carry loads of water and defend your pores and skin and eyes in opposition to the extraordinary UV radiation on the summit with sunscreen and sun shades.

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