Hi,

The page on Mauna Loa's Observatory Trail says that most car rental companies prohibit driving on Saddle Road. I know this is now out of date and it has been paved.... but does anyone know the state of the road to the Mauna Loa Observatory? Can I drive a rental car up it? Trying to get a straight answer out of the rental car companies is hard!

If I can't can anyone suggest an alternative way to the top? The other trails are really long - perhaps a tour?

Thanks,

David

Enterprise just came back to say that "paved roads are ok" - can anyone confirm the road is paved all the way to the trailhead?

Thanks

The national park website says that there is a one lane paved road to the trailhead. I will update the main Mauna Loa page.

Thanks Scott - great news

The load up to the observatory is very nicely paved! No problems bringing rental cars up there.

https://goo.gl/maps/2rpNHve7nqG2

As of now, the road to the Mauna Loa observatory is closed, due to severe damage from the 2022 eruption.
Living here on Big Island, I'll be watching for updates, as I'd like to get to the summit from this trailhead.

https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/mlo/

Thanks. I'll update the page again.