Talk about a harsh environment! At the summit, the air is extremely thin (almost guaranteeing an altered state of mind) and so dry you become dehydrated rapidly. Combine this with a wind chill factor keeping the temperature near or below freezing all the time, on 5/14/99 and there were still small patches of snow. These conditions tend to keep tourist-types far away. Remember,
Dec.- Mar. is snow season (Snowboarding anyone?).
First order of business is to be prepared.
Take your warmest clothes and maybe even borrow the blanket off
your bed. A heater in your vehicle is nice too.
If you are leaving from Kailua-kona, give yourself at least two and a half to three hours to reach the
summit. There is a sign at 9000ft. warning you that four wheel drive is needed.
However, unless the conditions are bad (you should turn around now), it won't
be necessary. I have been there too many times to count and have never had to
turn around or use four wheel drive.
The road here becomes a dirt washboard. Go slow. Another ten minutes and you're at the top, the road is paved again and a dozen or so telescopes populate the summit. If you're interested, you
can arrange brief tours of some, if you call in advance. We toured the Subaru
telescope and it was fascinating. Call (808)934-5905 for info.
You should plan to arrive just before sunset as to minimize your time at the
top (Mauna Kea reports over 300 clear nights/year). Look for the shadow of the
mountain to the east, incredible. You can even see the curvature of the earth!
Mauna Loa, at over 13,000ft the second largest mountain in Hawaii, is visible
to the south. Haleakala, 10,000+ft on Maui, is just north of the sunset. Other
islands in the chain may be visible to the north-east depending on clouds
(you'll be above them all, except some cirrus maybe).
Once the show is over you will want to head down to a more comfortable
elevation. The visitors center is at 9000ft and a great place for
astro-photography, shooting stars, satellites and just plain stargazing. There
are also bathrooms here.
When exploring in Hawaii, be smart. Use common sense. If it doesn't feel right
for any reason, don't do it. I've never heard of anyone dying on Mauna Kea,
but every year many needless deaths occur in our oceans and other places
because people exceed their limits.
Have fun in this magical place by putting safety first.
Mauna Kea ("White Mountain" in Hawaiian) is the premier spot for earth based
telescopes, because it is thousands of miles from the nearest source of
serious light pollution and almost 14,000 feet above sea level. This also
makes it a world class sunset and stargazing spot.