Is Mauna Kea open right now?
The summit access road, the Visitor Information Station, and the one thing that closes every single night whatever the weather does.
Summit access road
The road is open.
Summit access road open. 4WD required above the Visitor Information Station.
Either way, the road above the Visitor Station closes to visitors at 7:29 PM HST tonight, 30 minutes after sunset. That is not weather, it is the rule every night of the year.
MKWC station readout, fetched 5:45 PM HST
The hours that actually bind
- Visitor Information Station: 9 AM to 9 PM, every day of the year. Parking stays open after it closes.
- Summit access road: closed to visitors 30 minutes after sunset, reopening 30 minutes before sunrise. Nobody stargazes at the summit. Stargazing happens at the Visitor Station.
- Rangers ask you to acclimatise at least 30 minutes at the Visitor Station before driving higher, in both directions.
- Arrive 1.5 to 2 hours before sunset if the sunset is the point. The lot fills.
What actually closes it
The rangers publish their closure criteria, which is unusual and useful. Any one of these does it:
- Any ice or snow on the road.
- Winds over 55 mph for more than an hour, or gusts over 65 mph.
- Visibility under 50 feet.
- Anything else that makes the road unsafe.
Closures are a winter thing. Snowstorms have happened in summer up there, but almost every closure falls between December and March.
Tonight's sky, cold and road status →
What the rangers will actually check before they let you up →
Hours, criteria and phone number checked 2026-07-28.
Road status and closure criteria: Maunakea Weather Center. Station hours: Maunakea Visitor Information Station, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Sunset computed by this site.