Your road trip planner will be overstuffed if you try to explore all that the Big Island has to offer in one week. I know, because I just spent eight days there on the Kona Coast and didn’t even get to see much of the Hilo side. So, by combining my trip experience with recommendations from the locals, here then is a two-week road trip that will give you the ultimate Big Island Experience.
To drive all the way around the Big Island would be more than 250 miles and another 60 miles if you want to explore the tallest volcano at Mauna Kea State Park. It’s also twice the size of all the other islands combined. And while many travelers set up “home” on one side of the coast during their trip planning, I’d recommend staying one week on each coast to have a great jumping off point for your many explorations.
We’ll start our road trip planning on the Kona side, the sunnier region. We stayed in the Kailua-Kona, site of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon and home of the revered King Kamehameha, the leader who ultimately united all the islands. It has a great waterfront and pier, where you could enjoy dinner each night with a view of the sun dipping behind the water horizon. My favorites were the Kona Brewing Company (baked garlic, home-made focaccia & melted Gorgonzola dip), Bubba Gumps (right on the water), and Quinn’s Almost By the Sea (affordable & local favorite).
Each morning, we catapulted out of bed, knowing a new adventure awaited us. Make sure to include in your road trip planner, plenty of beaches. Not only are there multiple Public Beach Access signs take you to more secluded spots but Hawaii's decreed that any beach is PUBLIC LAND, so if you spot a nice looking beach behind a gated community, just roll on up & ask for beach access! Snorkelers should go to Kahaluu Beach Park, surfers to White Sands Beach, privacy buffs to Kona Coast State Park, and beach lovers can choose from Anaehoomalu Bay, Hapuna Beach, or Mauna Kea Beach.
Other places to consider in your road trip planning in Kailua-Kona: The Hulihee Palace, Kokuaikaua Church, Kamehameha’s Compound at Kamakahonu Bay, Kona Wine Market for affordable prices as well as souvenirs. Include one Luau in your trip; I recommend The Island Breeze Luau at the King Kamehameha Compound at the Kailua Pier because it’s right on the beach.
Along the Kohala Coast, you’re in for a scenic treat as your road trip takes you north into the quaint town of Hawi and beyond to Pololu Valley Lookout. On the way, stop at Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm (NELHA), which houses the only Seahorse farm in the US. Stop at the Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, the temple Kamehameha built to the war god to insure his success in battle. Keep driving up Highway 270 to the Lapakahi State Historical Park for a view of a typical 14th-century Hawaiian village and the Mo’okini Luakini Heiau. The original Kamehameha Statue is along this route, as well as a view of Maui. A mile from the Pololu lookout, enjoy a picnic at the Keokea Beach Park. On your way back, check out the Puako Petroglyph Archaeological District.
Along the southern coast on the Kona side, you’ll find Captain Cook, Kealakekua Bay, the Place of Refuge and Honaunau Bay. Combine these for a perfect full day’s exploration to add to your road trip planner, with historical places and monuments, great scenic shots of the bays and snorkeling/swimming at Honaunau Bay, considered the second best place to snorkel with lovely reefs, turtles, fish, and huge coral growths!
Now here’s where we move our home base to the Hilo side to give you plenty of time to explore the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Leaving Kailua-Kona, include in your road trip planning, stops at South Point (the southernmost spot in the US), the sweet-smelling bakery/souvenir shop in Naalehu, and the Punaluu Black Sand Beach.
We didn’t spend nearly enough time at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because the ranger told us the current lava flow was outside the park (as of August, 2008, it’s an hour’s drive to the end of Highway 130 in Kaimu, then a 20-minute hike over the lava to the viewing area). So schedule in a full two days in your road trip planner to fully explore the Kilauea Visitors Center, Halemaumau Crater, Thurston Lava Tube, Devastation Trail, and a Crater Rim drive as well as make the sunset trek to the lava flow. Local Shannon Cormie says, “Seeing the ribbon of red lava snake its way down the side of the mountain and then thunder into the ocean is a sight you will never forget”.
One reason to place Hilo front and center in your road trip planning is because it’s so lush! David Carpenter, a local, recommends the Akatsuka Orchid Garden for its large assortment of orchids. It’s situated about halfway between Volcano and Hilo. Shannon recommends sites surrounding Hilo by visiting to Banyan Drive, Liliuokalani Gardens, Lyman Museum & Mission House, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and the wonderful botanical gardens like Nani Mau Gardens Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, and World Botanical Garden.
From there, take your road trip planning up to the Hamakua Coast, stopping at Akaka Falls and have lunch in Honokaa. Then check out Waipio Valley, the birthplace of Hawaii’s kings, before heading for Waimea, a cowboy town with the Parker Ranch Visitor Center & Museum as the focal point.
Set aside a full day in your trip planner to explore Mauna Kea. Rent a four-wheel drive vehicle to climb to the top (13,796-foot) or book a full-day tour where guides will take you to hidden waterfalls, sacred spots and an observatory, treasured by astronomers around the globe.
All of the above will fill your Big Island Road Trip to the brim. Plus, you’re bound to see other places to explore. But take heart, if you don’t get to all of them this round, you’ll have a perfect excuse to fill another road trip planner for a return visit!
By Ingrid McCleary (with recommendations from Shannon Cormie and David Carpenter. Mahalo!)
Comments