Saddle road is a great short cut through Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Mountains cuts your time to hilo by 45-60 depending on fast your drive and how good the weather is. I recommend going there in the mornings because the view is spectacular. From the West side, you drive through 10 miles of small ranch road till you hit...
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Saddle Road, Kailua-Kona
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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.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Springfield, Missouri
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We took this road as a return from a trip to Akaka falls. It was a good road , very interesting as you see no towns, no stops , just lava and lots of goats! The rain and "vog" was quite thick at one point so I crept along on darkness in the middle of the day!
Make sire you...
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Placentia, California
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We took the Saddle Road from Kona to Hilo. The first 10 or so miles from Kona were a little narrow and bumpy but not bad. Awhile before we hit the Mauna Kea Observatory there is a new highway with very smooth payment most of the way to Hilo. We could see more highway construction going on. At one point...
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Manassas, Virginia
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Saw our first Nene on this road. We used Saddle Road three times while on the Big Island for 9 days. The first time just to see if it was as bad as we had read about it. It is not a bad road and once the construction around the army training area is finished it should be a main...
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Nashville, Tennessee
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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.
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Top Contributor
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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Tucson, Arizona
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Enjoyed taking this road across the island! Range of scenery was unbelievable. Would not recommend night time travel.
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Pittsburgh, PA
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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...
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Omaha, NE
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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...
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San Francisco, California
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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...
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