Going to VNP from Kona??

We are on the POAm and want to go to the Mauna Kea Summit. The only daytime tour available is through the ship from the Hilo port. At $99/person, it will cost just as much(maybe more) to rent a 4WD from Harpers at Kona and taxi to/from the airport to pick up the car early. But I don't want to miss VNP, so is it reasonable to drive to VNP from the Kona port? I realize its a much longer drive but what are the roads like going around the west side of the island? Any recommendations greatly appreciated!

According to Google Maps, it is 98 miles, 2 hrs. and 42 minutes each way to VNP from Kona. That's a lot of driving to turn around and head right back. You wouldn't get to see much while you were there to make it back, get your car turned in, and tender back to the ship.

We are on the POAm and want to go to the Mauna Kea Summit. The only daytime tour available is through the ship from the Hilo port. At $99/person, it will cost just as much(maybe more) to rent a 4WD from Harpers at Kona and taxi to/from the airport to pick up the car early. But I don't want to miss VNP, so is it reasonable to drive to VNP from the Kona port? I realize its a much longer drive but what are the roads like going around the west side of the island? Any recommendations greatly appreciated!

From the King Kamehameha Hotel at the port (If you rent a vehicle from them) it's a 73.2 mile trip one-way, 2 hours one-way to the summit 13,796 feet. Dress warm if you do this. The roads are good, except for the Mauna Kea Summit, you'll need a 4 WD.

To SR 190 ..........................4 miles

SR 190 (Hawaii Belt Road) 32.5 miles

SR 200 (Saddle Road)........18.6 miles

Mauna Kea Observatory Rd.14.5 miles

This is from the web-site:

Ordinary vehicles cannot cope with the steep, unpaved road; you will need to obtain a four-wheel drive vehicle, or take a commercial tour. There are no opportunities to "look through" the telescopes at the summit, and visitors are not allowed at the summit after dark.

 

The road up the mountain can be dangerous, particularly in bad weather.

 

The high altitude of the observatory carries serious health risks and routinely impairs physical and mental activity.

 

The Keck observatory and the UH2.2m telescope have visitors galleries from which the telescope may be viewed at certain times. The Keck gallery is generally open 10am - 4pm Mon-Fri, while the UH 2.2m

The point is we really would like someone else to drive this, therefore the tour, which only goes from Hilo so I can't go to VNP from Hilo.

We were on the POH in August, and after weeks of planning our day in Hilo, our highlight was going to be VNP, little did we know about Hurricane Flossie and the Big Island earthquke that was going to cancel our Hilo stop. We had our heart set on it and we weren't going to be be denied!

So we decided to go from Kona, and I can say that it really worked out well. Just make sure you rent your car at the King Kam hotel(we rented from dollar). The trip was less than two hours each way. We tried to play it safe and we spent only two hours in the park, afterwards we wished we had stayed more since we got back with plenty of extra time. The drive is beautiful, high up along the coastline driving through the various lava eruptions throughout the years. On the way back we stopped at punalu'u black sand beach, amazing, right off the main road and to think we only stopped because we saw a tour bus turn there. Must see!

That was the highlight of our trip and we would go back in a heart beat.

Just be sure to leave a little wiggle room in your schedule. As there is only one road around the island...if there is an accident on the road...traffic can be backed up for hours. There is very little chance a detour could be set up to keep traffic flowing....there just are not any other roads to detour on!!

I hate to say it, but you are talking apples and oranges here. VNP (Volcanoes National Park) and the summit of Mauna Kea are not the same thing.

VNP is at the Kilauea Caldera which is why the tours there are out of Hilo. See this map: http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/upload/map_islandcolored_2005_300dpi_lg.jpg

Mauna Kea is sort of in between Hilo and Kona and (as RSWBADGER pointed out) there are serious driving issues involved.

Pete

Refer to original post. Claudia did not want to drive to the summit so she wanted to know how viable it was to drive from Kona to VNP since the tour to the moana summit only leaves from Hilo and with only one day there in Hilo if she did that she would miss VNP unless she could go from kona.

Thanks for the info, lasnev. My DH is an Astronomy nut and I'm a nervous nelly so I'd really like to let someone else take the risk of driving Mauna Kea summit. We'll plan on trying VNP from Kona and just leave plenty of time to get back.

You can do VNP from Kona, it's just a long drive. As long as you realize that and give yourself time to get back, it's okay. We have driven from Kona to Hilo for dinner(about 90 min.), the park is only 30 minutes more. Take the Saddle road,(RT 200) which will take you pass the Mauna Kea turn off, BTW. You can bypass Hilo by taking sie streets, but it's easy just to pick up HWY 11 and follow it to the park - that's just in case you want an option. Either way it's long and dependent upon traffic!

Good choice to not drive up to Mauna Kea - by taking a tour, you'll have time to acclimate and not have to worry about dicey driving conditions.

Charlie

On the map, it sure looks shorter to take the south route, Route 11. Is there a benefit to go north to Saddle Road and go through Hilo?

It's not usually as crowded(except during the morning rush hour 8 - 9a.m and then againg 5 - 6 pm many Kona folks work in Hilo). We drive it more our of habit than anything else, plus my husband likes to check in at the military base and Camp Longstone on the way over. We've only used the southern route twice in the 35+ times we've been to the Big Island and we always take at least one trip from Kona to Hilo if not more. Much of the Saddle Road has been improved, although parts are still narrow, and bumpy.

Of the two, the southern route is more green and tropical, the Saddle Road takes you into the interior of the island and lets you see about four different climate zones. We love the rolling grasslands with the ocean in the far distance, but you are isolated for a time, so make sure you have a full tank of gas and food/snacks/water for your trip over.

Charlie

With all of the construction going on up on the Saddle Road (they are straightening it), much of it is a rough and bumpy ride right now. There are long expanses that are just gravel...no pavement...and flagmen guiding you through the portions that are one lane. It saved us NO time on our Costco run over to Kona last week. We took the Saddle Road more out of curiosity...just to see how the project is coming along. Once the construction is completed...it will be really, really great!!