**Points of Interest on the Mauna Loa Road**

**Bold numbers** are miles measured from MLO going downhill.

Numbers in (parenthesis) denote travel up the mountain with mileage
beginning at the Saddle Road cut-off.

**DOWN** (UP)

**0** (17.6) NOAA Mauna Loa Atmospheric Observatory at the 11,140 ft
elevation of Mauna Loa Volcano is the site for measurements of CO2, CO,
CH4, CFC\'s, ozone, solar radiation, atmospheric dust, stratospheric
aerosols and temperatures, and many other measurements.

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in" height="0.46875in"}

**0.3** (17.3) Beginning of the hiking trail to the summit of Mauna Loa.
Public parking area.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="0.6041666666666666in"}![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="0.6868055555555556in"}![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="0.7395833333333334in"}

**0.8** (16.8) Pahoehoe flow with olivine crystals; age about 1500
years; this flow is beheaded by the summit caldera.

**1.0** (16.6) White line in the center of the road **starts** (ends).
Drive with headlights on straddling the line. Keep a sharp lookout for
oncoming vehicles.

**4.4** (13.2) Collapsed lava tube at the downslope side of the road.

**5.7** (11.9) Lava tube and \"bonbons\" on 200 year old flow, on the
downslope side of the road.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="0.7083333333333334in"}![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5520833333333333in"}![](media/image7.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5625in"}

**6.6** (11.0) Red Cinder Cone road on the uphill side of the road. The
red paving material on the MLO road comes from this cone. Helicopter
landing site is across from from road juncture.

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="0.6972222222222222in"}![](media/image9.jpeg){width="0.8222222222222222in"
height="2.4368055555555554in"}

**6.7** (10.9) Lava tube with several cave-in\'s on the downslope side
of the road.

![](media/image10.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5416666666666667in"}

**8.3** (9.3) Older brown colored lava with vegetation surrounded by
newer, blacker 1855 lava without vegetation.

**9.1** (8.5) Kulani Mauka corner. MLO rain gauges and temperature
shelter on downslope side and Hawaiian Telephone and TV station
microwave transmitters in **front** (back), and a large collapsed lava
tube 100 ft. uphill from the corner. The tube may be entered on foot.
Note the moss growing inside the east wall which obtains moisture from
clouds flowing uphill through the tube.

![](media/image11.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="0.6979166666666666in"}

**10.1** (7.5) The road was once painted silver here but is now
repainted flat black. This is the site of a Renault car commercial
starring an essentially naked \"Mercury\" running up the mountain. This
is also the area for the filming of a Honda Accord commercial and a
Playboy \"Playmates of Hawaii\" photo shoot.

![](media/image12.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="0.6979166666666666in"}![](media/image13.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5416666666666667in"}![](media/image14.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5625in"}

**10.7** (6.9) Cinder cone road on **left** (right). 

**11.5** (6.2) Memorial to a motorbike racer who was killed on the spot,
May 1994, during a Mauna Loa to Mauna Kea race.

![](media/image15.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.53125in"}![](media/image16.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5729166666666667in"}

**13.5** (4.1) Mauna Loa Road turns sharp to **right** (left). Gravel
road to the west was intended to go to Kona but was never completed; the
councilman supporting the project lost a subsequent election.

![](media/image17.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="0.6868055555555556in"}

**14.8** (2.8) BLIND TURN!

**15.4** (2.2) Outline of Charles de Gaulle's profile on the horizon
produced by lava features, look **back on the left** or (front right).

![](media/image18.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="1.2597222222222222in"}

**17.5** (.1) Puu Huluhulu (shaggy or hairy hill) Natural Tree And
Hawaiian Bird Sanctuary, about 200 ft high with a summit elevation of
6758 ft. The hill is of Mauna Kea composition and is 10,000 - 20,000
years old. The cinder cone is surrounded by a 2000 year old and a 1935
lava flow . The hill is fenced to protect the plants and birds from
goats and other wild animals.

![](media/image19.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="1.5625in"}![](media/image20.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="0.6972222222222222in"}

**17.6** (0) Mauna Loa Road and Saddle road junction.

 

**[OTHER THINGS TO WATCH FOR:]{.underline}**

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22916666666666666in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}The different colors of the lava flows;
generally the blacker the lava flow the newer it is.

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22916666666666666in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}Different plants at different elevations.

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22916666666666666in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}Ohelo berry plants (plant on right in
picture) at the lower elevations. Be careful not to eat the poisonous
berries (plant on the left) which look like Ohelo berries. The ancient
Hawaiians used the berries as an execution tool for criminals. Better
yet, do not eat any berries!

![](media/image22.jpeg){width="1.0416666666666667in"
height="0.7083333333333334in"}

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22916666666666666in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}Wild animals such as goats, Mouflon
sheep, wild pigs, rare Hawaiian birds, pheasants, the Hawaiian Nene
goose, quail and wild turkey.

![](media/image23.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="1.0409722222222222in"}

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22777777777777777in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}The occasional marijuana grower.

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22777777777777777in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}In summer months there are jet fighters
flying overhead and bombing at the range at the top of the Saddle Road.

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22777777777777777in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}Some telephone poles at higher elevations
are splintered from lightning strikes. The lightning vaporizes moisture
in the poles which expands and blows off a strip of the north side of
the poles. Only the north sides of the poles are moist from the
afternoon upslope clouds.

![](media/image24.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="1.5923611111111111in"}![](media/image25.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="1.5625in"}

![](media/image21.png){width="0.22777777777777777in"
height="0.19791666666666666in"}Look out for on coming cars, hikers, and
bike riders coasting down the road.