Order of Visit:  High Point # 46

Date Visited:  November 11, 2022

Route Taken:  Humu’ula Trail from the Maunakea Visitor Station – 13.4 miles (round-trip)

Type of Terrain:  Maunakea lays claim to being one of the most prominent (tallest) mountains in the world, sharply rising more than 13,800 feet from its surrounding landscape — and 32,000 from its base under the ocean. The uppermost aspects of the volcano are covered with alkali basalts and lava rock, and the final 6.7-mile trek from the Visitor Station boasts an average slope of 15%.

Elevation:  13,803 feet

Ancestral Lands:  Hawai’ian

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Highpointers visiting Hawaii might be confused that some maps spell the mountain’s name as two words –Mauna Kea, while others spell it as single word – Maunakea. 

Language scholars and experts at University of Hawaii at Hilo suggest spelling the mountain’s name as one word, and both the Hawaiian Board on Geographic Names and Federal Government recently approved this variant. 

Why is there all this confusion, you might ask? Is this recent spelling change just semantics? 

Actually, the spelling makes a quite a difference linguistically. When the mountain’s name is spelled as Mauna Kea, it means “white mountain” in the Hawaiian language. This name presents an accurate visual images as this high altitude summit it is often capped in white snow during the winter months.

But this physically descriptive name is only be half of the story. Advocates of spelling of Hawaii’s highest point as Maunakea, point to the name’s completely different meaning when it becomes a single word in the Hawaiian language.   

Native Hawaiians believe Papahānanumoku (the Earth Mother) and Wākea (the Sky Father) created this chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, with Hawaii Island being first one formed.

As the first born, Hawai’i is held in high esteem, and the island’s tallest mountain was christened as Ka Mauna a Wākea or “The mountain of Wākea – traditional god and father of Hawai’i.”

In oral Hawaiian traditions, Wākea can be shortened to Kea. Thus, the sacred mountain’s name was abbreviated to Maunakea – with the first half of its name (mauna) meaning “mountain” and the second half (kea) referring to the god Wākea. And this traditional Maunakea spelling can be found in original Hawaiian language newspapers dating back to the late 1800s.

Moreover, because Maunakea was the first-born, it is considered the piko or the center, naval where life begins, and apex of the island. As such, it is a much greater honorific than just being a mere ‘white mountain.’ Religious ceremonies still take place on this sacred mountain and it has served as a burial ground for ranking Hawaiian chiefs and priests.

Thus, the spelling Maunakea may be the more accurate and culturally respectful one to use when referring the Aloha State’s highest natural point.

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TRIP SUMMARY

Keith and I booked our trip to Hawaii’s Big Island for November 2022 so I could finish the year with a bang. As luck would have it though, I got incredibly sick (with strep throat) about a 10 days before our flight to Hawaii and I just couldn’t seem to kick it. Even after multiple days of antibiotics, I was only feeling about 70% strength by the time we departed the mainland.

The long flight to Hawaii didn’t help matters either. Ascending to high altitude (even in a pressurized cabin) resulted a lot of sinus pain and horribly clogged ears that I had difficulty clearing each time we landed. I was truly wondering whether Maunakea was going to be in the cards for me this year, or whether I’d have to bail and just sit by the poolside, with a handful of tissues and on cough drops.

After a few days in Hawaii, I convinced Keith that I wanted to tough it out. I wanted to attempt to hike up Maunakea on Veterans’ Day – Friday, November 11th. That was already a special day for us, given that Keith and I both spent more than two decades (apiece) serving on active duty in the Army. What better way to celebrate our status as veterans than to head up a sacred mountain with feelings of gratitude in our hearts?

And so, our journey began that Friday morning with the hour-long drive from our hotel at Waikaloa Beach (elevation: 0′) to the Maunakea Visitor Information Station (elevation 9,200′).

As we drove inland from the Pacific Ocean, I spent much of my effort trying to restore the pressure balance to my ears. They repeatedly clogged up with the change in elevation, and clearing them was a necessary step – both for my own comfort and for my physical balance while we attempted to hike on the steep, rocky terrain.

As we turned onto the Maunakea access road just before 9 am, everything was quiet. There weren’t any tourists around. Nor any signs announcing that we were entering Maunakea’s land, like you might expect to see at a national or state park. Everything was much more sedate. In fact, the only thing that greeted us was a sign warning visitors that altitude sickness could be fatal!

Maunakea is one of two massive volcanic peaks in the center of the Hawaii. If you look at a satellite image of the Big Island, you’ll see it’s diamond-shaped with two white circles in its center. These are the snowy summits of Maunakea (to the north) and Mauna Loa (to the south).

Mauna Loa is a massive volcano, covering 51% of the island. And it’s also the most active volcano on the planet forming part of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. So perhaps all the tourists were off visiting Mauna Loa today, and we’d have the slopes of Maunakea all to ourselves.

From the highway, it took us another six miles to get up to the Maunakea Visitor Information Station. This stop halfway up the mountain is also known as the Onizuka Center of International Astronomy, and was named in honor of Ellison Onizuka – America’s first Asian-American astronaut – who was born in Hawaii and died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

All visitors to Maunakea are required to stop at the Visitor’s Station before proceeding any further on foot or by vehicle. Up ahead, we could see that the road was barricaded, and a ranger from the University of Hawaii-Hilo was personally greeting and briefing anyone who wanted to proceed up the mountain.

We complete the mandatory registration form at the Visitor’s Station, providing our names, contact information, our intended route, and an estimated return time, before heading over to the ranger for our briefing.

The ranger warned us about the elevation and listed out the common signs of altitude sickness, just to make sure we knew what to look out for. He also suggested we put our phones in airplane mode (to preserve the battery), but said we would have service much of the way and should call 911 if we had any emergencies.

And then he gave up a piece of advice I’d later wish we’d taken advantage of. He explained that we could return back down to the Visitor’s Station via the road rather than the trail, if we wanted. The road is a mile longer than the trail, but easier on the knees. And drivers were often willing to give hikers a ride back down and save them the painful descent.

With our briefing complete, he bid us good luck and pointed us to the trailhead for the Humu’ula Trail just ahead. At 9:15 am, we were finally off!

The first two miles of the Humu’ula Trail were brutal! We had fresh legs, but neither Keith nor I was prepared for the 20% grade on soft, silty dirt. Some places were like walking uphill in sand. Others were more firm. But all of it was steep.

We powered through the first mile without stopping for any rest breaks, but my calves were on fire from the strain. The high altitude didn’t make things any easier as we passed 10,000′ elevation during that initial mile. At least our slow pace was keeping my ears from clogging up as we headed above the clouds!

It was only 6.7 miles from the Visitor’s Station to the summit, but this was proving to be one of the most challenging state high points we’d experienced, for sure.

We paused for a quick break about 45 minutes into the hike and could see there was someone ahead of us in the distance. The hiker was wearing really bright clothing that caused her to stick out from our muted volcanic surroundings. And even though it looked like she was resting more than she was walking, we didn’t catch up to her until the two-mile mark.

The wind picked up and the temperature was dropping, forcing both Keith and I to add a second light layer of clothing, as well as donning our warm beanie hats and gloves. We might be in the tropics, but we needed to dress for the mountains!

Another mile up the trail, we passed a duo of hikers resting beside some rocks just off trail. As slow as we were plodding along, we weren’t alone. Everyone was struggling out here it seemed. We’d lost sight of the first hiker behind us. And these two didn’t seem to be pushing the pace either. The thin air and steep terrain was hard for all of us flatlanders.

The ranger warned us that the first couple of miles were the hardest, and he wasn’t lying. We were only one-third of the way up and I was already exhausted from the conditions.

The next two miles were ridiculously slow too. I found myself counting my steps. Trying to make it to 100 before stopping to rest again. The altitude was kicking my butt. I was feeling a bit queasy too, even though we were only between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. It must be this stupid sickness I’ve been fighting, I told myself. Surely this hike would be easier if I’d been feeling 100% physically, right?!?

Keith and I switched positions with him taking the lead, but my pace was so ridiculously slow that I felt like I was holding us back. It was only a 10-12% grade through here, but that’s still more extreme than most sustained climbs around where we live.

We were climbing a volcano, I reminded myself. When was the last time you saw a flat volcano? Of course it was going to be steep. Didn’t I remember the sign at the Visitor Station? It told me the biggest grade on the trail was 41% and the average grade to the summit was 15%. I knew we were heading up to 13,800′. What did I think I was getting myself into?

We plodded along for several more hours, heading through the Maunakea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve while watching a handful of cars climb a road in the distance. We never crossed this road to the summit though, as the trail always stayed to its southwest.

At one point, we spotted two portapotties and thought we might be headed there. But they were on the edge of a parking area just below 13,000′ elevation and the trail took a sharp left turn here. The trail was hard to see above us amid the lava rocks. But we knew as long as we had something towering above us, we were generally headed in that direction.

As we continued to climb to the next ridge, we could see a distinct trail heading back down behind us toward the parking area with the portapotties. If we’d only had 4WD. We totally could have stopped there and just hiked the final two miles to the summit. That would have been so much easier!

Soon thereafter, we climbed to a level spot and then our trail split. There was no sign directing us which way to head, and both options seemed to be well-defined and heading uphill from here. Which way was correct?

Someone seemed to be trying to help us at this fork in the trail though. They’d used some rocks to make an arrow in the dirt that pointed down the left trail. And we could see a guy in a blue shirt ahead of us heading down that way too, so we shrugged and decided to follow him. Surely a hiker wouldn’t have taken the effort to gather rocks and make them into an arrow in the dirt if that wasn’t the right way.

It was barely a tenth of a mile though before we discovered we’d made the wrong choice. We crested a rise in the trail, only to discover that it was actually heading down toward a small lake. Sigh. Time to backtrack and take the real trail.

Once back on track again, we continued climbing for another 20 minutes. And then a series of domed building suddenly emerged ahead of us on a red hillside. We had to be getting close. We could see the telescope observatories now! Oh thank goodness! Only a little bit further.

Of course, the observatories were still much, much further away than they appeared. But at least we were heading toward them on predominately flat ground. We only had one more big push left to go. This was our time to gather our strength and enjoy the surroundings.

At the end of the valley, we spotted a Toyota Forerunner parked in a wide open dirt area. A man and woman sitting inside, and they waved us over to ask us if we’d seen their son out on the trail. 

The only seen four people since we began this hike four hours earlier:

1. The woman we passed back near mile 2 with her bright clothes;
2. The couple that had been resting along the trail about a half mile further up the trail; and
3. The guy in the blue shirt who’d take the path heading toward the lake.

The couple confirmed their son was the one wearing a blue shirt, and just at that moment, he crested the trail behind us. They dropped him off at the parking area back near the portapotties and then agreed to drive up to meet him here near the edge of the Ice Age Natural Reserve Area. And sure enough, there he was, heading our way.

We bid the couple goodbye and set off for our final mile to the top of Maunakea. The Hu’umula Trail was no longer a dirt trail. Instead, it merged with the paved road to the summit. We’d have to walk the shoulder of the road, keeping our eyes and ears open for 4WD vehicles heading up or going down.

As we rounded the final bend in the road, a cluster of four more domed telescope observatories appeared ahead of us at the peak’s highest point. We could see the top! Man, oh man. We were so close.

As it turns out though, we didn’t actually touch the highest point on Mauna Kea. Just beyond the guardrail was one more trail. It dipped down to a saddle below us, and then climbed back up again to a peak about 500 yards away that rested at just about our same elevation. 

Posted to the guardrail was a sign. It had with a hiker inside a red circle, with a line going through it. The universal symbol for “do not enter”. A bit further down, a larger sign was posted with a message. It read:

Aloha. Maunakea is historically, culturally and environmentally significant. Help preserve our cultural and natural landscape and show your resect by not hiking beyond this point to the summit.

We’d reached the point where our journey would end. I knew beforehand about this sign and the spiritual significance that the summit held to the Hawaiian people. I did not intend to disrespect their culture for my own personal highpointing aims. 

For all intents and purposes, we’d summited Maunakea. We made it to the sign at 13,800’. The final two or three feet of elevation were not mine to climb. And doing so would make me feel less worthy, not more.

Two more hikers were resting out of the wind near one of the observatory buildings, bringing our tally of fellow hikers on Maunakea up to six for the day. They told us they were visiting from Germany, and they’d only beat us up there by half an hour. Then a few minutes later, the couple behind us made it to the top too. However, the solo female never appeared and we figured she must have turned back.

Keith and I spent the next few minutes taking our obligatory summit photos, and then we went off on our own to find a good spot to sit down out of the wind. We needed to eat our sack lunches and muster some energy for the next 6.7 miles of hiking back to the trailhead. 

It would be downhill almost the entire way, which would definitely be easier on our lungs and hearts. But the steep, long descent was going to beat up our quads and knees, for sure. It’s a good thing we still had a few more days in paradise to recover before heading home!

About 90 minutes into our hike back down the trail, the fatigue really kicked in. We were kicking ourselves for not taking the ranger’s advice and just hitching a ride from one of the cars visiting the summit. There wasn’t a whole lot of traffic today, but we watched as 10-12 cars made the circuit up and back down again. Surely one of them would have given us a ride.

Finally, at 4:15 pm (exactly seven hours after we departed the Visitor Station this morning), we made it back down to the end. The ranger at the barricade waved us over to ask about our hike before checking out names off his list. 

As we slowly limped back to the car, the Visitor Center was swamped with close to 50 people milling about. They must be the afternoon tour groups and evening stargazers getting ready to enjoy the mountain. I was sure their visit to Maunakea would be enjoyable, even if it was far, far different one than ours.

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DETAILS

When to Visit:  Due to its tropical location, one might assume you can visit Hawaii’s high point year-round. However, this high point regularly experiences blizzards and snowfall in the winter, so April to October is the best window. Regardless of the time of year you visit though, make sure to bring a warm jacket. The average temperature at the summit is just 32 degrees!

Getting There:  Located 43 miles west of Hilo, driving to Maunakea’s summit requires 4WD once you reach the Visitor Information Station located at 9,200′. The final 5-miles of road to the summit is a very challenging drive and the road often closes in bad weather. (Click HERE to check the current road conditions.)

Visitors to Maunakea have three options to get to the top of the volcano.

• Hike. Visitors can park at the Visitor Station and hike the remainder of the way to the summit using the Humu’ula Trail. This trail is 6.7 miles long (each way) with 4,600′ of vertical gain, and it should only be attempted by people in strong physical condition. The first (and last) two miles of this trail average a grade of approximately 20%! All hikers must also fill out a registration form and give it to the ranger on duty at the Visitor Station.
• Drive. Drivers with 4WD vehicles are permitted to drive up the Mauna Kea access road when weather permits. Additionally, drivers must fill out a registration form at the Visitor Station and must pass through a checkpoint manned by a ranger.
• Ride. A third option to the summit is to boke a guided tour in a 4×4 passenger van. Tours usually depart from the major towns and cost between $250-$300 per person.

Accessibility:  Visitors can only drive to the summit if they have a vehicle with true 4WD. (Note: Most car rental companies in Hawaii will not authorize drivers to take their 4WD vehicles to Maunakea’s summit because of the strain it puts on brakes during the descent).

Altitude Sickness: Hawaii’s is the only high point where visitors go from the beach (sea level) to above 13,800 feet in just two hour’s time. This dramatically increases the chance of severe altitude sickness. For safety purposes, it is recommended that children under the age of 13, adults with heart or respiratory conditions, pregnant women, and anyone planning to scuba dive within 24 hours of their visit only ascend as high as the Maunakea Visitor Station (9,200 feet) during their visit.

Fees/Permits:  Visiting hours at the summit area begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end 30 minutes after sunset. All visitors traveling beyond the Visitor Station – whether on foot or by vehicle – must fill out a free registration form and provide it to the ranger on duty.

Parking:  Because of its challenging accessibility, there is very limited parking at Maunakea’s summit. However, there is parking for approximately 30 cars at the Visitor Information Station at 9,200 feet. There are also two parking areas further up the volcano at approximately 12,000′ and 13,000′ elevation.

Cultural Sensitivity: In Hawaiian culture, the volcanic peaks on the Island of Hawai’i are sacred. Ancient laws only allowed high ranking nobility to visit these summits. Rock pilings which appear natural may be man-made markers or cultural altars, and they are protected by law. A sign near the top of Maunakea asks all visitors to stop there and refrain from walking the final steps to the true summit out of respect for the this sacred spot.

Bonus: While on Hawaii’s Big Island, visitors can travel south to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park where you can observe Mauna Loa’s ancient lava flows, feel the heat from the volcano’s steam vents, and explore a lava tube.

And if you’re looking for an easier trek than the one up to Maunakea’s summit, consider exploring a short section of the 175-mile Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, which circumnavigates two-thirds of the island of Hawaii using ancient paths along the Pacific Ocean.

Resources:

• An Overview of Mauna Kea (SummitPost)
• Mauna Kea Trail (All Trails)
• Guided Tour Options for Maunakea’s Summit (Trip Advisor)