We enjoyed taking this route back to Kona after our visit to the Volcano. Happened to have a clear day with great visibility, and very few other travelers upon the road.

Definitely a good way to experience some beautiful scenery. Nice drive between Hilo and Kona. There was some road construction for a short distance on the Hilo end but nothing that backed up traffic. We did not have time to take the road up to the Mauna Kea observatory but we were able to see it quite well since there... More 

This new road is a great improvement - I hear- to the old narrow road. It was easy to drive at night, and well marked. Be aware that although our GPS was freshly updated, the directions still wanted to take us to an old section of the road, and the 2014 map we had didn't have the new west intersection... More 

If you are in a hurry to get from one side of the island to the other, this route shaves some time off of your journey. Temperature are considerably cooler as you gain altitude and you should be prepared to experience some rain mixed with low clouds. As you near the top, be sure and keep an eye open for... More 

We left Hilo at night in a major rain/lightening storm and drove back over Sadle Road to Kona, to our condo. The drive was a relief after the two-lane rough road a few years ago. We are thankful for Daniel K. Inouye's highway for safe travels at night.

Even with the ongoing construction, this is the fastest way to travel across the big island. Diverse scenery.

A beautiful drive! Basically see all the different altitudes of The Big Island, from low dessert, lava beds to Muauna Loa Observatory and green pastures. They are redoing the road, currently, so it has construction areas, but it will be a straighter ride when they're done!

The review and travel books all talk about how bad this road is but I did not think this was the case. I'm from the Deep South and I'm used to roads that are not in tip top shape. This road only had about 1/2 mile area that was under construction repair that was a little rough.

Saddle road cut close to 40 min From Puako via Waimea to the volcano. Beautiful ride, currently a little road construction on the tail end reaching the Hilo side.