Mauna Kea
Trip Guide & 3D Map
Hawaiian Islands · Difficulty, season, and access — then explore the 3D terrain
Planning snapshot
Mauna Kea is a 13,796 ft summit in the Hawaiian Islands (USA). PeakAtlas rates it day hike (High-altitude drive / hike); best season is Year-round; summit can be cold or snowy in winter. Permit required. Typical staging is Hilo (28 mi). PeakAtlas lists 3 OpenStreetMap lodging pins near the summit — coverage is often thinner outside well-mapped regions. Use the 3D map and trip checklist before you go.
- Elevation
- 13,796 ft
- Prominence
- 13,796 ft
- Difficulty tier
- Day hike
- Best season
- Year-round; summit can be cold or snowy in winter
- Permits
- Permit required
- Staging
- Hilo · 28 mi
- Mapped lodging
- 3 OSM places
- Listed trails
- 2
As of 2026-07-31 · Figures come from the PeakAtlas3D catalog: surveyed elevations and prominence, curated difficulty tiers, best-season windows, permit notes, staging-town distances, trail lists, and OpenStreetMap lodging near each summit. Not live weather, quotas, or prices.
How hard is Mauna Kea, and what do you need before you go?
Mauna Kea is listed as High-altitude drive / hike with a best season of Year-round; summit can be cold or snowy in winter. Use the difficulty, permit, and staging details below before you commit to a date.
- Difficulty
- High-altitude drive / hike
- Best season
- Year-round; summit can be cold or snowy in winter
- Access / staging
- Hilo, Hawaii
How tall is Mauna Kea, and where is it?
- Location
- Hawaii, USA
- Elevation
- 13,796 ft
- Prominence
- 13,796 ft
- Mountain range
- Hawaiian Islands
- Difficulty
- High-altitude drive / hike
What makes Mauna Kea notable?
Tallest mountain on Earth measured from ocean floor to summit, and one of the world’s great astronomy sites.
Hawaii Island’s high shield volcano and a premier astronomy summit, rising above the Pacific with alpine cinder cones and rare snow on tropical latitudes.
After you check trip readiness for Mauna Kea, explore the summit on PeakAtlas3D’s interactive 3D topographic map in the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii, USA.
Closest places
- Hilo — Hawaii via Saddle Road (HI-200)
- Waimea — Hawaii via Saddle Road / HI-190
Notable trails & routes
- Mauna Kea Summit Trail
- Humuhumuula Trail