Summit to Mauna Kea
If there was one thing I would repeat every time I’m on the island, it would be to visit the Gemini Telescope again and again. The Big Island is one of the few places in the United States that is devoid of light pollution and has a landmass tall enough that it can observe the night sky with traditional telescopes. Reaching over 14,000ft above sea level, Mauna Kea is currently home to several telescopes and has the potential for many more as time progresses. There are only a handful of tour companies that are permitted to drive to the summit, and all of them are fantastic. They are generally the same price per person, and the only real difference between these tour companies is what they offer for dinner - some offer Panda Express, some offer homemade lasagna, and others Subway. I chose Super Vacation because it was $50 cheaper than the other tours, and has smaller tour group sizes.
companies offering tours:
Hawaii Forest Trail - link
Super Vacation - link
Arnotts Lodge Tours - link
Hawaiian Eyes - link
Mauna Kea Summit Adventures - link
Adventures in Hawaii - link
There are multiple meet up locations for the tour, but I recommend selecting your pickup spot at the Waikoloa Village area since that is the last stop before heading up the mountain. Once inside the truck, it’s about a 45-minute drive to the first checkpoint, the tour then continues the climb up to the second checkpoint at around 6,000ft above sea level. The second checkpoint contains the visitor center for the summit, and it’s here where most tours break for dinner and prepare their vehicles for the last leg of the journey.
NOTE: In theory, you can drive up to the summit yourself, however, as the tour guide informed the group, attempting the journey in a rental car will automatically void your insurance. Average residential vehicles aren’t built for this kind of terrain and you will destroy the breaks when attempting to head back down.
After everyone has dinner and takes their final restroom breaks, you all pile back into the truck and the final leg of the journey begins. The grade of the road almost immediately turns into a dangerously steep gravel mess, so make sure to wear your seatbelt. During this time, you will notice a drastic change in air pressure and your ears will start popping. Comically, a girl who was sitting near me had a potato chip bag that was swollen to the size of a dodge ball as we reached the top. Once you pass the final cloud layer, you have arrived, and all you can see above you is a dark blue sky. The tour guide will quickly hand out heavy-duty winter coats to all the guests (and you will absolutely need it). On average, the temperature at the summit hovers around 28 degrees, its lowest being recorded at 12 degrees. The first thing that will greet you when at the top is the wind, the harshest, sharpest, coldest wind that will cut right through you. The second thing that will greet you is the most spectacular view you will ever get to experience in the entire state. Your time on the top is short, (at about 45 minutes) because once the sun dips below the horizon, the park rangers kick out everyone who isn’t a scientist conducting research.
NOTE: Batteries hate cold weather. I thought I knew that before but didn’t fully realize how drastically a battery can be drained once at that height and temperature. With windchill, the temperature was 21 degrees and my camera that had 70% of its battery power went down to 14% in less than 10 minutes when at the summit.
Once the sun is gone, darkness takes over the summit pretty damn fast, so it's a hurried rush to get back into the trucks and begin the descent down. Luckily, the tour doesn’t end at sunset, at around 9,000ft above sea level your tour will turn off to a road with a large flat patch of land. It is here where your guide will set up a series of telescopes of their own and conduct a star tour with the group. During this time, you will also get to enjoy hot chocolate and snacks while stargazing. By the time the truck arrives back at your original pick up spot in Waikoloa Village, it should be a little past 11pm.
Word of caution if you take this tour - if you plan to scuba dive before or after this trip, make sure you do it a full 24 hours between excursions to prevent bends. ALSO, you might be prone to altitude sickness on the way back down that causes headaches and dehydration, so make sure to drink plenty of water!