Is a 4WD required in practice to drive up Mauna Kea on Hawaii?

According to the Mauna Kea Visitor information center:

2-wheel drive vehicles are not permitted above the Visitor Information Station. A 4-wheel drive vehicle with Low Range is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. About 300 yards beyond the station, the pavement ends and the next 4 and a half miles are a steep graded-gravel road. You should check with your rental car company to see if you are allowed to travel on Maunakea.

Is it actually difficult to drive on this road with an AWD car in practice?

driving hawaii

Best Answer

I successfully drove a compact rental car to the top of Mauna Kea about 15 years ago when I visited the Big Island. As far as I can recall, the car did not have any particular AWD or 4WD capabilities; it was a Nissan Sentra or Toyota Corolla or something like that.

I also don't recall there being any official rules about two-wheel drive cars being barred from the road at the time, like there are now. That said, I did violate my agreement with the rental agency by taking the car past the visitor center.

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Do you need a 4-wheel drive for Mauna Kea?

You need a 4WD vehicle to drive to the summit of MaunaKea. No 2-wheel drive vehicles are allowed past the end of the paved road just above the VIS. Most 4WD rental agencies do not allow their vehicles to be taken up to MaunaKea but have a look at Harpers Car Rentals for rental cars that you can take up to the summit.

Can you drive AWD to Mauna Kea?

According to the Mauna Kea Visitor information center: 2-wheel drive vehicles are not permitted above the Visitor Information Station.

Is 4-wheel drive necessary in Hawaii?

What is this? The short answer is no, you don't. Well, I guess if you want to drive to the Mauna Kea summit, it is officially said that a \u201c4-wheel drive vehicle is required\u201d to drive past the Maunakea Visitor Information Station, although there are reports of tourists driving up in a normal car.

Is it difficult to drive up Mauna Kea?

Is the Mauna Kea road paved? The road to the summit is mostly paved, with unpaved sections near the summit. This is one of the toughest drives in the world and can be very dangerous in bad weather. It is strongly recommended to use a four-wheel drive vehicle to drive all the way to the top.

Maunakea Rangers warn public of hazards, vehicle restrictions to summit

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