How To See The Sunset From The Mauna Kea Visitor Center
Planning to watch the sunset from the Mauna Kea summit? You’ve come to the right article.
The Mauna Kea summit is one of the best places to watch the sunset on the Big Island. Before visiting, I was unsure whether to drive to the visitor center or the top of the summit.
Thankfully, the Visitor Information Station (VIS) is actually the place to go when it comes to watching the sunset or stargazing.
Driving to the top of the summit is only necessary if you’d like to see the large telescope observatories.
If that interests you, I recommend going on a Mauna Kea observatory tour, since a 4×4 vehicle is required to drive to the top of the summit.
For more details on which to visit, see our comparison article on the Mauna Kea visitor center vs summit.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about watching the sunset from the Mauna Kea visitor center.
How To Watch The Sunset From The Visitor Center
Upon arriving at the Mauna Kea visitor center, we stopped by the gift shop to ask the park ranger where to go to watch the sunset.
The park ranger suggested we hiked the “sunset hill trail” for the best sunset viewpoint.
This is a short 5-10 minute hike up a small hill, across the street from the visitor center.
The top of the hill is rocky, and at the very top is an amazing view of the sunset over the clouds.
This is an easy hike, but very windy and cold, since the visitor center is at an elevation of 9,200 feet.
If you plan on visiting, make sure to wear warm clothes, and gloves if you plan on taking photos. I was only up there for 15 minutes, and my hands froze while taking photos.
The visitor center has restrooms, a small gift shop, and a large parking lot.
When you arrive at the visitor center, you’ll likely see other people crossing the street to hike this trail.
You can park at the visitor center, and follow these people to hike the trail. There’s around 100 parking spaces, so there was plenty of parking available when we visited.
The park ranger inside the gift shop can guide you as well if you’re unsure of directions.
I recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before sunset to give yourself enough time to visit the gift shop, and hike the sunset hill trail.
This will also allow you to secure parking before all of the tours return from the top of the summit.
Can you watch the sunset from the summit?
If you want a sunset view completely above the clouds, you can also visit the top of the summit. This is arguably the best sunset viewpoint on the island.
However, it’s at an elevation of 13,803 feet, so it requires a 4×4 vehicle, and more than a half tank of gas to visit. To visit the summit, you’ll continue driving on MaunaKea access road, past the visitor center.
There’s a road block at the visitor center where the park rangers will stop you to make sure you’re suitable for driving to the top of the summit.
Keep in mind that most rental car companies don’t allow you to drive to the top of the summit, and it’s not suitable for everyone due to the risk of altitude sickness.
Additionally, the summit closes 30 minutes after sunset, whereas the visitor center closes at 9pm.
If you want to visit the top of the summit, I highly recommend going on a tour, rather than driving yourself.
You’ll get to ride in a comfortable van to the top of the summit, and won’t have to worry about any damage to your rental car. There are tours that depart from Kona, Hilo, and the visitor center.
Mauna Kea Visitor Center Hike vs Summit Hike
There’s two popular hikes that start at the Mauna Kea visitor center, the “sunset hill trail”, and the Mauna Kea Summit Trail (Humuʻula Trail).
The sunset hill trail is an easy short 5 minute hike that’s meant for those that want to view the sunset from the visitor center.
Whereas the Mauna Kea summit trail is an intense 12 mile round trip hike starting near the visitor center to the top of the summit.
This trail is steep, rocky, windy, cold, and very challenging due to the elevation.
People who’ve hiked this trail report that it took around 7-9 hours, and was very physically demanding due to the elevation.
How to get to the Mauna Kea observatories
To view the large telescope observatories on the top of the summit, you can hike, drive, or join a tour to get there.
The observatories are visible at the top of the summit, at an elevation of 13,803 feet. Unless you’re an experienced hiker, I highly advise driving or going on a tour to the top of the summit.
The drive to the top of the summit is around 30 minutes on a road with sharp turns and steep inclines.
Many people go on tours to the top of the summit, since most rental car companies advise not to drive to the summit.
If you’re only visiting to watch the sunset, you don’t need to drive to the top of the summit.
From the visitor center, you’ll still have an amazing sunset view above the clouds. Additionally, the visitor center is where all of the popular tours stop to go stargazing.
Mauna Kea Summit Hike FAQs
How long is the Mauna Kea visitor center hike?
The Mauna Kea visitor center hike (sunset hill trail) is a short 1.2 mile round trip hike, across the street from the visitor center.
It only takes around 10-15 minutes to hike to the sunset viewpoint on the top of the hill. From here, you can see the sunset above the clouds.
How long is the Mauna Kea summit hike?
The Mauna Kea summit hike (Humuʻula Trail) is a challenging 13.2 mile out and back hike from the visitor center, to the top of the summit.
The trail starts a few hundred yards from the visitor center, and takes around 7–9 hours to complete.
From this hike, you’ll be able to view a few of the large telescope observatories atop the summit.
Is the Mauna kea summit hike safe?
The Mauna Kea summit hike may not be suitable for everyone, because the risk for altitude sickness increases upon physical exertion.
See this article for guidance on hiking the Mauna Kea via the Humuula Trail.
How do you drive to the Mauna Kea summit visitor center?
You’ll take Saddle Road, turn onto Mauna Kea access road, and continue driving until you reach the visitor center.
Anyone can drive to the visitor center, and it doesn’t require a 4×4 vehicle. The drive typically takes around 45 minutes from Hilo, and an hour from Kona.
Where do you go stargazing at the Mauna Kea summit?
The Mauna Kea summit and visitor center are both incredible places to go stargazing.
You can go on a Mauna Kea stargazing tour to view the stars with a professional telescope, or stargaze at the visitor center for free.
The summit closes 30 minutes after sunset, whereas the visitor center is open till 9pm.
If you plan on stargazing at the visitor center, just make sure to wear warm clothes, and bring warm drinks, as it gets especially chilly at night.
What To Wear When Visiting The Summit
The summit and visitor center are very cold due to elevation, so you’ll want to wear warm coats and gloves.
You may also be interested in: