THE SADDLE ROAD IS A NICE HIGHWAY! ================================ I have been visiting the Big Island since 1980, but I had never been on the Saddle Road until June 18, 2023. It is a beautiful highway now and not treacherous as I heard about in the old days. Rental car companies always had a blurb in their contracts that renters should never take their rental cars on it, so I never did. My sister has lived over there for ages and she never took me on the old road either. I guess she was always too busy working. Highway 200 or the Saddle Road is a great way to get to Hilo from Kona. On Father's Day it was clear as a bell, so we could see the top of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai which are three volcanoes. We also drove past the Pohakuloa Training Area. Pohakuloa Training Area provides a quality joint/combined arms facility that provides logistics, public works, airfield support, and environmental and cultural stewardship in support of the U.S. Army Pacific training strategy while maintaining an enduring partnership with the local Hawaiian community. If you return from Hilo on the Saddle Road just pay attention how to get to it. I have it on good authority from two locals that is hard to find and we all know GPS doesn't work great over there. read more

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This review is serving as a mind jogger for myself. Prior to our most recent trip to the Big Island was five years ago. I thought at that time it wasn't safe to drive from Kailua Kona to Hilo on the old Saddle Road. So we went the long way along Hwy 11 to Hilo. I did some homework prior to coming two weeks ago today. I discovered the new Saddle Road has been transformed into the Daniel K. Inouye Hwy 200. No more pot holes or two lane roads. From Kona you take Hwy 190 then cut over to Daniel K. Inouye, Hwy 200. We got to Hilo in under 2 hours. On the way to Hilo you'll pass by Mauna Kea. We saved that for an excursion with a tour company for sunset and star gazing. But that's another review. Factoid - there aren't many street lights on the Big Island as the observatories don't want the artificial lighting to interfere with their studies of the stars. I wouldn't drive on Saddle Road once nightfall hits as there aren't any lights. Unless you're a local or you want to live on the wild side. Coming back we took Hwy 11 as we were going to hit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Slow and scenic. We got back just as the sun was setting. Safe. read more

This is our second visit to the island and hopefully not the last .. when we first visited Saddle road wasn't paved in areas and was forbidden by the rental car company's so taking it at your own risk was scary. We did take it and it was horrible so we are very pleased they fixed it and it's very comfortable now. You still need to go rather slow and theres enough scenery to make that enjoyable. watch for wild goats and sheep. The temp changes are sever ... I got very cold during the drive due to elevation. You will drive through rain and clouds but keep going .. it's worth the drive. This is much fast way to get to Kona and waterfalls ... takes around an hour. read more

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None of the reviews before the end of 2013 apply anymore. Saddle road hasn't just been improved, the majority is a completely different road - now called the Daniel Inouye highway. Saddle road used to be a bumpy, dangerous roller coaster ride between Hilo and Kona that most people didn't use, and that rental car companies restricted tourists from taking. Now it's a quick easy trip to Kona taking only about an hour. The Hilo side tends to be a little foggy especially at night, slightly windy (twists, not wind), and slick if it's raining. But other than that section, just put on the cruise control and relax. But keep an eye out for sharp drops in speed limit - it's mostly 55, but goes down to 35/40 in some spots. The new saddle road is already getting notorious for speeding tickets. If you didn't know, the Big Island doesn't have official police cars - they're all civilian cars, sometimes with a little blue light, sometimes not. A major drawback to this route is that having just opened, there is NOTHING the entire way. No stops means no bathroom breaks. Assuming that will eventually change, but for now, everybody better go before you head out. For tourists who aren't in a rush, I'd still really recommend taking the Hamakua coast way - it's prettier, you're by the ocean, and I miss passing thru Waimea. I had planned on taking Hamakua to Kona, then back on saddle road, but 10 miles of highway were closed from landslides. Check road conditions for either route because if there's a closure, I have no idea where the detours would go. I think in this case, people had to just turn back. read more

Saddle Road - It's often really foggy with or without rain - stick to speed limit, be careful overtaking, and don't tailgate - Public Transportation Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

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We drove Saddle Road back and forth three times during our week-long trip. Talk about sucking the marrow out of Big Island. That being said, if you're planning your route between Kona and Hilo, the road conditions should be the least of your worries. Coming from Kona, the entire road is smoothly paved, except for 5-10 miles right outside of Hilo. The unpaved portion is still under construction as of June 2011, but it's wide and not scary at all when going at moderate speed. Travel time one-way between Kona and Hilo was about 2 hours. Saddle Road isn't all unicorns and rainbows though. Although the actual road wasn't a big deal, the weather had me clinging to the "oh sh!t" bar a few times. During the majority of our rides, the weather was rainy and foggy -- Read: Very poor visibility. It's better during the daytime and a huge relief when you can catch up to another traveler and caravan it. I'm sure this consistently hazardous weather is part of the reason why some rental companies put a restriction on Saddle Road. If you do luck out and drive on a clear day, enjoy the beautiful ride. read more

Saddle Road - Foggy and wet weather - Public Transportation Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

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We took this road twice. Once to go to Mauna Kea Summit. Another to visit the Hawaii Volcanoe National Park. I would probably do both in one day. We were staying at Waikoloa. I would do a morning drive to the national park and stop at Mauna Kea on the way back. read more

Saddle Road - Public Transportation Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

Reading old reviews of this road, I was a bit hesitant to take it from Hilo to Waikoloa, but I' glad we made the decision. The road is completely smooth, and actually a nice drive. We were there mid October, 2013, and the weather was perfect and sunny, the road was wide and looked to be freshly paved and painted. As a Physical Geography major, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the old lava flows and many cinder cones. If you're looking for a shorter route across the island, definitely take Saddle Rd. read more

I read some of the reviews and was a little worried to take saddle road to Hilo. However, my husband and I decided to try it. It was a perfectly newly paved road with long passing lanes and not to curvy at all. One of the reviews commented on one lane bridges...those must be gone because it was smooth and clear all the way to Hilo. This road is better than most of our roads in California. I would recommend this road for everybody. read more

Saddle Road - Public Transportation Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

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Beautiful scenery and safe, smooth road. Saves a good chunk of time by cutting across the island. One of the few chances I had to just cruise a bit and enjoy the view, look for the Mountain Goats. I wish saving time was always this enjoyable. read more

Just beautiful! Can't believe people still think this is a shady route. No longer. Our roads on O'ahu aspire to be as nice as this. Yes, the first 8-10 miles from Kona are discouraging. It's a rental and you paid for the insurance. What do you care. Enjoy the scenery, you're in God's country. read more

Saddle Road - Public Transportation Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

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This is a fun road and it really isn't that bad at all!! The first eight miles from the Kona side are rough, but drive in the middle then move over when an oncoming vehicle approaches. After those 9 miles, it was one of my most memorable drives. read more

We took this coming back to Kona from Hilo. Won't do it again until it's finished. What a mess. The upside is the change of scenery every few miles with the changes in elevation. You do see it all. Jacaranda trees are beautiful when in bloom. I will say that the changes in foliage and some of the scenery made the drive bearable. read more

Update: Drove the road again in June 2016. It's been completely repaved, much more enjoyable drive. If it's your most direct route to get where you are going, take it. June 2012 review -- I don't understand all the hype about this road. Just an option to get from one side of the island to the other. Perfectly okay to drive your rental car on. On the Kona side, the road has plenty of curves and hills. The closer you get to the Hilo side, the more weather you may encounter. Rain and some low visibility from fog. Didn't feel that the road was unsafe, just followed the speed limit and everything was fine. Note: Driving this road is not an "attraction", I found the drives on 11 and 19 around the island to be much more enjoyable. Not worth going out of your way to drive this road, however if your GPS tells you the quickest route is along Saddle Road, there's no reason to fear it either. read more

Piece of Cake? Not sure what all the fuss is about, the drive was fast and easy. The best part is there is hardly anyone on it so nobody is riding on your bumper like most of the other twisty windy roads. A little constriction but the road is nice and new. Enjoy the drive! read more

Saddle road is not an attraction, one just have to drive here either going up to Mauna Kea or going to Hilo from Kona. So let us make that clear. The drive remind me of a roller coaster ride, especially we have an elevated 4x4 jeep. Sometimes I have to almost stretch my neck to make sure there is still a road at the end of a dip as I go up and down this winding road. When you drive here you will most likely experience the different climate zones, like coming from Kona its dry and then next thing you know its foggy and head lights need to be turned on and wipper on high. Just be safe and drive smart. It is not a race track. Also when the road flattens and turns wide, in my two occasion of driving there I saw police cars watching the speed. So be warned OK. Anywway if you are reading this, maybe the video I made can also be helpful to your Big Island hawaii trip. Feel free to view this from the start. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDE5Cr70XYo&t=9m40s read more

When we visited the Big Island the first time in 2000, I read in a tourist guide book that this road was fairly difficult to cross. We never tried until this trip, but because we rented a jeep, we thought we would give it a try. Much to our surprise, the road has been fully paved and we had no problem crossing. The views are absolutely beautiful. The weather is cooler. There is a small old military installment of some sort on this road that we had never heard of. The views of the Kona coastline are beautiful, as they can be seen from quite a distance, giving a more unique view. Highly recommend coming back to Kona this way after visiting the Volcano. No 4 wheel drive required! read more

The Saddle Road on the Big Island has been tamed a bit... The western section of the Saddle Road was rerouted and new construction was finished in September 2013. The new direct route to Kona is called the western alignment. It routes the Saddle Rd to the Mamalahoa Highway via a more westerly route than the old path. The new route cuts about 20 mins off the Hilo - Kona route. The old route towards Waimea, is still available for those that want to experience the old curvy route with single lane bridges and no shoulders. It branches out to the right around the 42 mile marker. You can look at Google maps for the new (Rt 200, the Daniel K. Inouye Highway) and old (Saddle Rd) routes. read more

We went to Hilo from Kohala on route 19. When at a restaurant in Hilo, we asked our waiter which way was the best way to get back to Kohala. He recommended that we take Saddle Road back since it had just been paved/widened. Going back this way saved us about 20-30 min. However, if you take this road at night (like we did), do be careful. It gets quite dark and there are a few curves here and there. Also, if you do get stuck out there, you may/or may not receive cell service. There are a few call boxes along the way, but they are few and far between. read more

Saddle road is now newly paved and plenty nice to drive on. Beware of sudden heavy rainstorms and periods of low visibility as you approach the Hilo end. No problem for cars of all sizes. Cool landscapes along the drive read more

Good cut over going across the island. I love that you can see so many different terrains as you cross from one side to the other. The grass there is also the most amazing shade of bright limey green. The road isn't an attraction in itself, but a good route to go - it is still beautiful even though you are not right on the ocean. Most of the drive is pretty easy, it can just be a little white knuckle if it is a foggy day. read more

Previous time we drove for hours just to spend some nice time in National Park... This highway saved us a lot of time, trafick and it was very good experiance... Very good short cut to reach Volcano read more

Ignore all of the bunk that you can't drive a rental car on this road. Well- at least make your own decision - the road is paved the entire way. The first 5 - 10 miles from the Kona side are a rough paved road expanded from one original late to make a two lane passable road. Drive according to the conditions, stay alert and move over or slow down/stop when an oncoming vehicle passes you. It makes the island so much more easily traveled. If staying in the Kohala resort area - it makes the trip to Merriman's restaurant reasonable. read more

This road is fun. It is not dangerous. Dangerous is the north section of 340 in Maui where you have two-way traffic on a one-lane unkempt roads, no guardrails, blind corners though mountains, and needing to put you car tires 6 inches from the 500 foot drop to pass a mini-van around such turns. Some of saddle road is under construction, which makes for a slower drive on the gravel. But, it is very pretty. You have to watch out for the occasional goat in the road and there are some blind turns and places where you could bottom out your car, but what you see is worth it. We never met oncoming traffic at the one-lane bridges, but there are plenty of yield signs leading up to them. Plus, you save time going from Hilo to Kona. You pass Muana Kea and you may even see a tank in the road at the military base. We also had rain and fog when we did this, and it still wasn't bad. read more

In several spots the speed limit went from 60 to 40 for no apparent reason. And of course, the police, were hanging around these speed traps in their civilian cars (so very clever of them!), to give a special souvenir to unwary tourists. Welcome to Hawaii! The Saddle Road, one of the biggest tourist traps in Hawaii. read more

We took this road because it was a short cut to Kona. I was a bit apprehensive because of all I read. Fortunately it was clear with very few cars. You really have to watch for speed traps although we saw no police cars - plain or marked. An added plus the scenery was spectacular. read more

I'm gonna have to go ahead and rate this 5 stars! I violated my rental car agreement, and drove Saddle Road from Kona side to Mauna Kea access Rd. It was one of the greatest drives ever. Seriously - don't believe the negative hype. This road is awesome. There has been a lot of recent upgrades done to this road - expecially from the Hilo side. For those of you who don't know - Saddle Road runs across the Big Island, between Hilo and route 190, near Waimea. It's called "saddle" because it runs in the valley between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Saddle Road used to be considered one of the most dangerous (paved) roads in the state. It is the only way to get to the Mauna Kea summit (unless you want to drive 44 mi. on a 4WD road, around the mountain on Mana Rd). Yes, there are some turns and curves that will give you goosebumps if you're flooring it, and the fog can downright nasty - but that's what makes it so much fun. read more

Drove from Kona to Hilo during the day. It was scenic and lovely. On the return trip later that afternoon into the evening it rained the entire time with long stretches of dense fog on both ends of the drive. And I started to get drowsy halfway with nowhere to pull over for a rest stop. It was without a doubt the scariest drive I've ever had to endure, but also one of the most thrilling because of the sense of danger and impending doom I felt. read more

I almost skipped Saddle Road until I learned from recent Yelp! reviews that a new section of road opened up which avoided most of the tough driving. With two people in the car that normally get car sick on winding roads, we had a fine experience taking the shortcut from Hilo to Kailua Kona and back in one day. On the way out we stopped to eat a picnic lunch at the Mauna Kea State Recreation Area and it took just over 2 hours. On the way back after dark it took an hour and 40 minutes nonstop. The only uncomfortable section for my passengers was just above Hilo where it twists and turns for a few miles during a steep climb. I tried to go the speed limit or just a little over to keep us from being thrown around, but I still had to pull over to let cars pass a couple of times both up and down. I guess some people love the thrill of riding the roller coaster. There isn't a lot to see on the trip, but it is a different view of the island which is worth it in itself. The fog was very thick in places near the highest elevations. We saw more wildlife by the side of the road than was expected too - some wild pigs, a turkey (we think), and two groups of 3-4 goats. In two places the speed limit inexplicably drops from 55 to 45, and we saw the police stop a car at one of them, so keep that in mind. The recreation area is very spartan and good as a rest stop but nothing more. read more

We drove from Hilo to Kona via saddle road. We started at around 5.30 pm, there was construction first few miles(around 2.5 miles) where the road was rough with gravel. After that the entire stretch was beautiful and we found nothing dangerous about the drive. A few spots with fog but nothing very dangerous. read more

Thanks to previous Yelp reviews regarding the newly paved conditions of Saddle Road, we decided to take it after flying into the wrong airport (Hilo) at sundown to get to Kona. With all the new reflectors on the road, we were able to get to Kona in 2.5 hours doing the speed limit. It was rainy and foggy the first 30 minutes, but drivable. Once the rain stopped and the fog lifted, the drive was beautiful under the canopy of stars. Saddle Road is recommended anytime of day, but as usual, use caution and read the speed limit signs especially during the curves. read more

One of the most amazing long stretch of road I've driven on. This was a very memorable experience for my girlfriend and I. Having driven down this road has left me with a lot of beautiful moments. I hope to go back and drive down this road again. It's so remote, peaceful and the scenery is breathtaking. read more

Cool drive. But watch for the storms coming in. Cool to watch the storms coming at you but you can be fully socked in by fog/rain in 5 minutes. The lava rock looks cool in the fog up on top. Like being on the moon. They have paved most of this. Rental car companies no longer forbid driving on it. read more

Take the Saddle road, it is a nice drive between Hilo and Kona, but do obey the speed limits! The speed limit goes back and forth, 55 most of the time but goes down around the Military training area off and on. The unmarked police cars are happy to pull you over and give you a ticket! We didn't get one but we were warned. Did talk to a woman that did get a ticket. She had already applied the brakes to slow down, but not fast enough. The officer told her she could appeal the ticket saying she had applied her brakes to slow down, but still gave her the ticket. The recreational area by Mauna Kea has a rest area and picnic tables, about half way point. Stop and take a hike at the visitor center, or go there at night for the star gazing show. Can't drive all the way up to the summit without a 4 wheel drive. Look at the pictures by the visitor center of cars that have tried and brakes burned out or crashed coming down. But the 6miles up to the visitor center is enough to be above the clouds for star gazing. It does get foggy off and on especially n the evening coming down. We saw many goats, some are black, along the side of road so be careful. read more

After driving the Saddle road today for the first time since 2009, I must say that it has gone from amazing to mediocre. I read some more recent reviews from underwhelmed travelers and can see their disappointment. However, my wife and I have been driving the road since 2001 and were shocked at the changes. We actually thought we were on the wrong road. It used to be an adventure all the way from Waikaloa to about ten miles from Hilo. Literally bumpy, hilly, windy and rugged the whole way. that was what made it exciting to drive. The first time we drove we had a Jeep and disregarded the admonition from the rental company. We were able to four wheel up many gravel tracks and really enjoy the trip. Now it is nothing more than a bypass. I really wish the folks who have only recently driven it for the first time could have seen it before the road was "improved." Imagine the road to Hana going through a desert lava field, with no maintenance for seventy five years, only one lane wide and no shoulder. A real gem has been lost for good. read more