DIY Mauna Kea Stargazing // the best stargazing in the WORLD
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 2021
- The Big Island is home to the best stargazing in the world. We share how to plan your trip to experience it for yourself without breaking the budget to pay for a guided tour
Thanks for the helpful tips! Will be checking it out next week 🙌😊
This is exactly the video i was looking for. Thank you.
Thank you for the tips!!
Cheers!
Thank you so much for the advice, really helpful on my trip
We hope you enjoy!!
Thanks for your informative video. Will be trying our own DIY ascent in a couple of days. Your tips will really help. Mahalo 🤙🏻
Hi, where did you park to get to the summit since you had a 2WD vehicle and how long did it take you?
Which peak did you drive up to? Is there any way you can share where do we need to drive up to from the visitor centre if not to the summit? Because I imagine you can't see many stars from the visitor centre because of the lights.
step 5 is the most important there are dark sky spots threw out the USA the closest one to the city you live in is monument rock in Kansas. Also, it is pretty cool when you are stargazing around ten pm and you can still see the glow of the sun. Also if you like star gazing you may want to go see the northern lights
How long did it take you to hike from the visitor center to the summit? How much of it did you have to hike back in the dark since you left after the sunset?
This is exactly what we want to do when we go!
Wow thanks for the tips!! Did you guys drive 👆 no entrance fee?
Rollin Rollin Rollin got me stargazing
Thanks for sharing! I am planning to visit in later December. Is it recommended to starglaze and stay in the car overnight at the visitor center? Sounds like its going to be super cold at night. Not sure if it's a good idea to drive 2 hours back to my hotel at like 9 or 10 pm in the dark?
I don’t know how they feel about sleeping in the parking lot. We just drove back to our condo and it wasn’t a dangerous drive. The road to the visitor center is wide and Hawaii roads are really easy to drive at night.
@@travelwithateam2237 Thx!
What's the gas situation like? I'm thinking about renting a jeep, but I know it's a really long drive and I don't want to get stuck!
i’ll be there the 1st-5th with gf! join us for a star gazing adventure??
I’m going on a family trip with elders and infant, do you think I can leave them at the visitor center and make my way to the summit and come back down to pick them up? It’s an hour and a half drive from the center to the peak?
As long as you leave them with everything they need, they should be fine. When we were there in 2021, the actual center wasn’t open. Keep in mind, you are required to have 4 wheel drive to to up to the summit. We didn’t go because we didn’t have a car with 4 wheel drive so I’m not sure how long it takes to get to the summit.
thanks for sharing your experience! i saw some websites and another video say that you have to leave 30 minutes after the sunset, but it looks like you were able to stay to stargaze. so was it allowed? did the rangers monitor the visitors?
If you drive up to the summit (which requires 4WD), you’re supposed to head back down to the visitor center within 30 mins of the sunset. You’re able to stay around there as long as you’d like. The summit is over 13,000 feet while the visitor center I believe is in the 9,000-10,000 range. Supposedly the stargazing is actually better from around the visitor center, but not quite sure how that works!
@@travelwithateam2237 what month did you star gaze and also, how far did you go “up the hill” to catch the sunset? I will be planning a trip there in June. Hoping for good weather and great views.
@@renakam6067 We were there in January. The hill we went up was across the street from the visitor center and we went to the top. It’s not a massive hill, but it was good enough to get away from pretty much everybody!
Hi did you head up from Kona or Hilo side, and does that matter?.. I'm scared of darkness and fog on the way back down, but it sounds like it's not as treacherous as I think. We need to drive back to Kona afterwards.
We were staying in Kona. The roads on the island are incredibly well lit- we felt better driving them at night than we do at home. It’s really nothing to worry about at all.
Some have stated that 4 wheel drive vehicles are recommended for the drive up the mountain. Do you think a 2 wheel drive van would have any problems driving up there?
You can drive up to the visitor center ~9,600 feet with 2WD without any issues. To go all the way to the summit, they actually have a checkpoint of sorts and you’re required to have 4WD to go the rest of the way to the summit! I’m not sure how it’s enforced exactly, but from what we read it’s not worth the risk
@@travelwithateam2237 At the visitor center do you get the view of being above the clouds?
@@SmartWentCrazy Yes! The thumbnail photo was taken across the street from the visitor center.
Wow nice video!! Is there a lot of people? Free parking? Wow how bright is the 🌟 stars, so no need telescope .Thanks!
It depends on the day! There is a ton of space to spread out. If you are more astrologically inclined, I’m sure a telescope would be cool, but as our video shows, we just used an app and looked up. Since it’s so dark, the stars are very bright on a clear night!
Hi Are you able to see the Milky Way?
We did before it got cloudy! So beautiful
Kay-uh
Yep. At least pronounce it right . . .
We admit we aren’t great at getting all the words out right and we genuinely thought we were pronouncing it correctly. We don’t mean to offend anyone with mispronunciations!
@@travelwithateam2237 These are just casually made comments. It's not a big deal.
More importantly, we appreciate you sharing your experiences. In fact, we're now enjoying our third day on the Big Island!
Mauna KAY AH not KIA