Ascent of Mauna Kea on 2023-09-09| Other People: | Solo Ascent
Only Party on Mountain | | Date: | Saturday, September 9, 2023 | | Ascent Type: |  Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Mauna Kea | | Location: | USA-Hawaii | | Elevation: | 13796 ft / 4205 m | Ascent Trip Report
I had hoped to hike from the Visitor Center earlier in the week but the weather forecast looked poor, so we drove down to South Point instead and saw the Green Sand Beach. The rest of our itinerary was pretty packed, so we did not have another day to commit to this hike. Instead, we rented a 4Runner and drove up to the summit at sunrise. I hopped out of the car at the last hairpin and hiked up the back side of the mountain. There was a clear set of footprints that I followed all the way to the rim. After a week at sea level and a quick drive to over 13k', I certainly felt the elevation in the short couple hundred feet I gained.
Watching the shadow of the mountain retract from the ocean to the west side of the Big Island is a remarkable sight.
The trail around the rim from the parking lot is well maintained and shows signs of regular use, despite the 'controversial' sign. If you make a hard cut right from the parking lot and hike the rim counterclockwise, you won't even see the sign. I was the only of my party to gain the true summit, as the rest explored the area around the two telescopes by the parking area. There were no rangers at the top when we were there, but two or three other cars of sightseers.
I used L4 and 2nd/3rd gear the whole way down the road and our brakes were at 102F back at the Visitor Center. They said anything over 300F and they'll make you wait. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 489 ft / 148 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 312 ft / 95 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 1 mi / 1.6 km | | Grade/Class: | Class 2 | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail, Open Country | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 357 ft / 108 m | | Distance: | 0.4 mi / 0.6 km | | Route: | Southeast Ridge | | Start Trailhead: | Mauna Kea Access Road 13439 ft / 4096 m | | Descent Statistics | | Loss on way out: | 312 ft / 95 m | | Loss Breakdown: | Net: 180 ft / 55 m; Extra: 132 ft / 40m | | Gain on way out: | 132 ft / 40 m | | Distance: | 0.6 mi / 1 km | | Route: | Crater Rim Clockwise | | End Trailhead: | Mauna Kea Access Road 13616 ft / 4150 m | Ascent Part of Trip: Mauna Kea 2023
Complete Trip Sequence:
Total Trip Gain: 550 ft / 168 m Total Trip Loss: 373 ft / 114 m | GPS Data for Ascent/Trip
 GPS Waypoints - Hover or click to see name and lat/long
Peaks:  climbed and  unclimbed by Stan Barlow
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