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Saddle Road

Hawaii Highway 200, Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii, HI
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Ranked #7 of 40 attractions in Kailua-Kona
Type: Landmarks/ Points of Interest, Scenic Drives
Activities: Driving
Description: Built in 1942, this 53-mile long road is extremely dangerous with its narrow structure, blind turns, rough surface and single-lane bridges.
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437 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    162
    196
    62
    13
    4
Date Rating
Nashville, Tennessee
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
17 attraction reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2013 NEW

We took Saddle Road from Hilo to Mauna Loa Observatory and Mauna Kea Observatory, North towards Waimea. It was all paved and a perfect back road to see the scenery from the middle of the island.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 7 more reviews by Lucy_Ott0 for Kailua-Kona
Top Contributor
199 reviews 199 reviews
45 attraction reviews
Reviews in 59 cities Reviews in 59 cities
92 helpful votes 92 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 8, 2013

This Road is a must, it's a different drive to anything we have experienced, its fun and scary at the same time.

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See 2 more reviews by Saintlysinner for Kailua-Kona
Tucson, Arizona
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 7, 2013

Enjoyed taking this road across the island! Range of scenery was unbelievable. Would not recommend night time travel.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 4 more reviews by L B for Kailua-Kona
Pittsburgh, PA
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 6, 2013

We drove Saddle Road on our way to Hilo early one morning for our helicopter tour. Some of the blogs and guide books seem scary when it comes to this road. Don't worry! The beginning is definitely curvy, but otherwise totally paved and safe as long as you aren't driving recklessly. Most of the road has actually been widened now... More

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See 4 more reviews by JKCPittsburgh_PA for Kailua-Kona
Omaha, NE
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 5, 2013

Actually, the car rental warnings should be removed from the maps, because there are worse roads that they don't warn you about. We entered Saddle Road from the Hilo side and found a very smooth and wide highway to get us to the Mauna Kea turnoff. About 10 miles west of the turnoff, Saddle Road narrows and becomes more twisting... More

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See 4 more reviews by Kaispaw for Kailua-Kona
San Francisco, California
Top Contributor
72 reviews 72 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 4, 2013

Took this route to Hilo via a locals advice. They said it was barren and ugly, but I thought it was gorgeous and wonderful. Seeing all the different climates was worth it. We went from 90 degrees down to 68 on the drive and the back to 88. Fun! We took a different way back. Be sure to get gas... More

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See 4 more reviews by ericamcarr for Kailua-Kona
omaha NE
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 4, 2013

We drove this on both a motorcyle and jeep. No problems, we didn't encounter much traffic, drove mostly speed limit, and found the scenery interesting.

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See 3 more reviews by savannah2117 for Kailua-Kona
Dallas
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 4, 2013

This is the only way to the Observatory, and not the fastest way anywhere else. There is no gas or facilities, so top off the tank before leaving and hit the facilities, or you could have problems!

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See 2 more reviews by pointA2B for Kailua-Kona
West Chicago, Illinois
Senior Contributor
44 reviews 44 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
35 helpful votes 35 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 3, 2013

We took Saddle Road from Mauna Kea Summit North towards Waimea. It was all paved and a perfect back road to see the scenery from the middle of the island.

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See 3 more reviews by kandak for Kailua-Kona
Graham, Washington
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
3 attraction reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 1, 2013

The road is a little rough at the beginning of the Kona side, but it rapidly turns into a smooth ride. Drove it twice from Kona to Hilo and had no issues...But the weather was perfect each day.

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See 2 more reviews by JWVillagomez for Kailua-Kona

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