Questions about Mauna Kea (Onizuka) Visitor Center

[Replytoken]

My wife and I will be heading back to the big island for a bit of R&R and relief from our cold, rainy weather. On this trip, we would like to visit the Onizuka visitor center for sunset (photos) and some stargazing through their optical telescopes. We decided not to take a tour that takes you up to the summit, so we are planning to drive just to the center ourselves.

I have been told that they will turn people away after their parking lot is full, and I have also been told that the center's popularity has increased. I also know that it is going to be colder at the center due to elevation, but as we are not going to the summit, I am trying to get an understanding as to how cold we can expect it to be at the summit, and how early we need to arrive to get parking. There are no weather forecasts for the center, and the nearest weather station is about 3000 feet below it, so that is not much help.

Has anybody visited the center at night during the winter months? Are we talking possible temperatures in the 40's-50's, or 20's-30's? I was told the summit is near the latter, but they are also several thousand feet higher than the center. Any wisdom on the weather and parking would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

--Ken

 

[bassman]

No one else has answered, so I'll tell my experience in the fall. I drove up and arrived before sunset. There was adequate parking, and it didn't seem to fill up when I was there. I brought my warm clothing, and wore a Patagonia light puffy jacket under a thin Gortex shell. I also had light gloves. With this I was very comfortable. But then I hike in the winter in the Northeast, and ski in Vermont. YMMV.

The drive is pretty easy - the road is well paved. When I was there, I passed through rain at mid-elevations but the Visitor Center was above the clouds.

Hawaii temps don't vary much by season, so winter might be only a few degrees cooler than the fall. Elevation will cost you about 3.5 degrees F per thousand feet, so if it's 75 at sea level, Mona Kea Visitor Center at 9,200' could be ~30F cooler, or 45F.

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks for this information. We are still putting our trip "musts" together and have yet not decided about visiting the center. I have heard many pros and cons, and have heard some alternatives for basic, long exposure star photos as well as star gazing, so lots of options to consider before we leave.

Thanks,

--Ken

 

[bassman]

I confess that my star pix were very disappointing, but that's on me. The rangers give talks and there are telescopes set up for visitors to use. I had fun aside from the photographic aspect.

 

[Replytoken]

I confess that my star pix were very disappointing, but that's on me. The rangers give talks and there are telescopes set up for visitors to use. I had fun aside from the photographic aspect.

After a discussion with my beloved and the folks that we are visiting on the big island, I think that we are going to pass on a visit this year. There were a number of factors that led us to this decision, and as we have some possible alternatives that sounded fun, we are going to pass this year. We still may do some stargazing, and I am still going to try some long exposure photos, but mostly at lower elevations. Thanks again for your advice. It was helpful in our planning.

--Ken