mauna kea's great height and the steepness of its flanks provide a better view and a shorter hike than the adjacent mauna loa. the height with its risk of altitude sickness, weather concerns, steep road grade, and overall inaccessibility make the volcano dangerous and summit trips difficult. until the construction of roads in the mid-20th century, only the hardy visited mauna kea's upper slopes; hunters tracked game animals, and hikers traveled up the mountain. these travelers used stone cabins constructed by the civilian conservation corps in the 1930s as base camps, and it is from these facilities that the modern mid-level onizuka center for international astronomy telescope support complex is derived. the first mauna kea summit road was built in 1964, making the peak accessible to more people.