Mauna Kea (White Mountain) is massive dormant volcano with a peak at over 4,200 feet above sea level. When measuring from the sea floor Mauna Kea is over a thousand feet taller than Mt. Everest. It is so massive that, along with its neighbor Mauna Loa, it depresses the sea floor underneath by four miles.
Ancient Hawaiians revered all volcanoes as sacred. Mauna Kea, being the largest, was most sacred of all. Access was restricted to royalty (ali'i), and there are many sites where ancient quarries, shrines, and other artifacts are preserved. Lake Waiau at the peak was used for riturals and still exists, though the water level at my last visit was very low.
There is an ongoing conflict about building a new massive telescope at the top of Mauna Kea, and if you venture up you may see people protesting. Some background if you are interested. Another article.
Visitor Center
All visitors are strongly encouraged, if not required, to stop at the visitor center on the way up to the summit. Quite often you are already above the clouds at this point.
It's recommended that you hang out here for a while to acclimate to the altitude. The visitor center has plenty of things to keep you busy in the meantime, and if you grow bored of that, there are endangered Silversword plants being grown behind the building, and a short (but steep) hill across the road with great views.
