Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
During big meteor showers, the station staffs its telescopes for all-night star parties;
call for details. And every Saturday night at 6pm it hosts a rotating series of lectures and
events: 'The Universe Tonight' is an astronomy lecture held on the first Saturday; on the
second Saturday students from the UH Hilo Astrophysics Club assist with stargazing;
'Malalo I Ka Lani Po' is a culture lecture on the third Saturday; and the fourth Saturday
is a multigenre international music night.
Shorter Hikes
HIKING
Several short walks begin at the Visitor Information Station. Off the parking lot is an area
protecting the endemic silversword plant, while across the road a 10-minute uphill hike
on a well-trodden trail brings you to the crest of
Puʻukalepeamoa
, a cinder cone that of-
fers the best sunset views near the station. Several moderate hikes also begin from the
summit road.
Humuʻula-Mauna Kea Summit Trail
HIKING
The 6-mile Humuʻula-Mauna Kea Summit Trail climbs nonstop about 4600ft to the top
of Mauna Kea. This is a very strenuous, all-day, high-altitude hike up such steep, barren
slopes that you sometimes feel you might step off the mountain into the sky. Utterly ex-
posed to winds and the changeable weather, it makes for an eerie, primordial experience.
To do this trail, start very early - by 6am if possible. It typically takes five hours to
reach the summit, and half as long coming down, and you want time to explore in
between. Consult with rangers for advice, and get a map and register at the Visitor In-
formation Station's outdoor trail kiosk before hiking. Be prepared for serious weather, as
snow and 100mph winds have been known.
Park at the Visitor Information Station and walk 1000ft up the road. Where the pave-
ment ends, go left on the dirt road, following several Humuʻula Trail signs to the trail
proper. Reflective T-posts and cairns mark the route. After about an hour the summit
road comes back into view on your right, and the vegetation starts to disappear. As you
weave around cinder cones and traipse over crumbled
ʻaʻa
and slippery scree, you pass
various spur trails, which all lead back to the access road.
Most of the way you will be passing through the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area
Reserve. After about three hours a sharp, short ascent leads to Keanakakoʻi. The hardest,
steepest part of the trail is now behind you. After another mile you reach a four-way
junction, where a 10-minute detour to the left brings you to Lake Waiau. Return to the
four-way junction and head north (uphill) for the final push to meet the Mauna Kea Sum-
mit Rd at a parking area. Suddenly the observatories are visible on the summit, and
straight ahead is 'Millimeter Valley', nicknamed for its submillimeter and millimeter ob-
