I am looking for some Big Island Bicycle route advise. What is the best route from Kailua to Volcano.
There is really only one road around the south side?
There’s only one route- Hawaii Belt Road. Be careful, there’s not a lot of shoulder for much of the road, not a lot of anything from South of Honaunau. I wouldn’t recommend riding it alone. You will cover some beautiful area though…kj
Can you ride Saddle Road?
If you’re planning on going North to saddle road ( the looooong way to Volcano) you’ll have to take Queen K to Waikoloa and head up that hill to the top highway (the top road is in no way safe to bike from Kona North). That’s a hellish long hill to climb. Personally I wouldn’t want to bike saddle road. Much of it is crappy. People drive crazy up there because there are no cops to be found. There’s nothing for a very long ways. Toward the middle there’s the military camp. If you have a problem you could be stuck, and it gets cold up there. It would also be a hard ride, very hilly, gaining elevation until you head down into Hilo. Then from Hilo you’d have to ride quite ways South the Volcano (probably in the rain). Are you staying at Volcano for a while? If so, save some energy to ride around the park. Its beautiful and safe…kj
Yeah, the upper road from Kona is a death trap. Very dangerous!
You can also head towards Waimea and go around along the coast ending up on the Hilo side. This is probably the best route road wise but about 100miles from Kona to Hilo and then another 30 (mostly climbing the last 20) to Volcano. Going around the south side is pretty tight in spots but it opens up eventually. I’ve never actually ridden the whole way either way but everytime I’m back there I think about doing it. If you ride around the south side you may hit some pretty nasty headwinds and loooong gradual uphill the last 20 miles or so to Volcano as you climb through the Kau desert.
Yeah, the Hamakua coast would be a nice scenic ride, that climb up to Waimea could be tough…kj
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What are we thinking, we missed the best route of all! Ride south to Hawi, yup the ironman and honu route to Hawi and then take the back road (super steep I’ve heard) to Waimea and then around to Volcano=) definetely get your money’s worth! From Waimea you get to descend back down most of the way to Hilo. I’m actually jealous because I’ve never gone around the island and I’m from Hawaii and grew up on the big island. One day…
That would be a great ride and safer than riding up to Waimea from Kawaihae. I’ve never ridden all the way around the island either and grew up here as well. I’d be more inclined to do so if we had better roads/safer drivers…kj
I circumnavigated the Big Island (counterclockwise) on a solo bike tour in 2001. I don’t remember the exact route but I was off the Belt road as much as possible between Kailua and Captain Cook. At Captain Cook, I descended into Kealakakua Bay which of course meant that I had to climb back out but it was very scenic.
Kagemusha,
I rode from Kona toward Volcano a couple years ago and it was a very pleasent ride with no problems with traffic and the shoulder was fine. Not very often was there traffic going both ways so plenty of room for the cars to get around me. People warned me that it might be a scary ride but it was not at all scary.
The climb from Kona is a gradual climb and there were really no steep climbs along the one route you can take.
Of course I am from San Francisco so almost anything is mellower then here as I ride in The City. But I would do it again in a second. You may want to add a mirror onto your glasses for the first 30 miles or so but after that you are out in the middle of nowhere and the traffic was not really an issue. The only thing I can think of is that the roads are a bit narrow in places so when a big truck goes by you know it.
Willy in Pacifica
It’s day 1 of ultraman without the swim, 96 miles all very nice. Big winds over the lava on the south side but the views make up for it.
Take 11 all the way. http://www.ultramanlive.com/course.html
If I ever go back I will ride the “red road” 130 to 137 to 132 back to Pahoa. The most beautiful place I have ever seen.
This is 11, I think just past Na’alehu.
This is the red road on 137
Have Fun
Dave