Cycling in different parts of the Big Island (Hilo, Kailua: to rent, homes)

[TwoPearls]

Hello everyone-

I'm mapping out our next trip to the Big Island (it will be a 5 1/2 week stay this time) and I'd like to get around on bike a bit while there. I plan to rent from All Kine in Hilo. I've logged thousands upon thousands of miles in nearly every part of the country (except Hawaii) over the last 30 years, but now that I'm well into my 40's, I'm not interested in 70-mile days or crazy overnight cycling adventures anymore. For this trip, I intend to simply bike into town, or to the pool for morning swim, or to the farmers' markets, etc. (And maybe a few little 20-milers ) Generally, though, just want some low-stress pedaling.
We are staying in different places all over the island.
SO, I'm wondering about the safety, ease of travel, and overall bike-friendliness around certain towns:
If I'm staying north of Honokaa, how well can I travel into town on Hwy 240?
What about cycling around (and between) Hawi and Kapaau?
How about around Pahoa? Riding along Hwy 130 from Leilani Estates into town? And if I pedal along 132 into Kapoho? (I seem to recall Hwy 132 not having any sort of shoulder, but can't remember the width or shoulder on 130.)
Lastly, any input on biking in and around Hilo?
And what about Hwy 19/Mamalahoa Hwy- east side? (I know it's long-- are sections of it better than others?)

Thanks for your help!

P.S.-- I almost forgot Waikoloa Village. We are only going to be there for our last 4 days (near the golf course). Is it feasible to round-trip to Hapuna Beach from there, or is the highway too ridiculous with traffic? Is there another beach I might ride to? Will it be a huge climb heading back? I may be returning the bike before we head over there, unless anyone thinks I'd really enjoy biking there. Not a big fan of the West side, just want to spent a small amount of time there before leaving.

[leilaniguy]

The shoulders on 130 to Leilani are the same as 132, only about 2 feet, and since the lava flow emergency they are not maintained well at all. Much of the route is covered in Buffalo grass, which you would want to avoid at all costs. (like razor blades)

[cagary]

Hwy 19 between Honokaa and Hilo (its better to ride it this way because its downhill.) is a fairly straight high speed road, but the original way to travel this route was a slow, meandering road named (Old) Māmalahoa Road. On some maps Māmalahoa Road seems to be interchangeable with Hwy 19, but this is not completely true.

What happened is Māmalahoa Road was straightened so one could travel quickly between the major towns on the island, but much of the original road still exists. This is a great way to see the small towns that were bypassed when the highway was straightened. The old highway can be found on both the mountain side and ocean side of Hwy 19. I don't know of any maps that show all of the old highway, but they probably exist. Unfortunately, you'll find much of the old highway is now Hwy 19 so you'll have to ride on the highway much of the time, but when you see a side road which goes off the highway, take it and you'll probably be on Māmalahoa road.

The four mile long "scenic route" on the ocean side of the highway just north of Hilo is probably the most famous stretch of Māmalahoa, and should not be missed.

[TwoPearls]

Mahalo for the great info! Leilani Guy, I don't remember seeing many people on bikes in that area, so the lack of shoulder may be a deterrent. Good to know about the buffalo grass, too!
And Cagary-- thank you, thank you! You've given me a great route for some exploration on the bike.

[davephan]

I drove around a lot all over the Big Island. The only place I noticed bicycles was on Highway 19 (Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy) and the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area (which I think is the best beach on the Big Island). The shoulders are pretty wide on highway 19 and the shoulders are paved. The terrain is pretty steep, which might be OK when going south but it would be tough going in low gear up north. There isn't any shade along that road, so if there weren't a lot of clouds at the time you are cycling on highway 19, you'd really be blasted by the sun!

Everywhere else I drove on the Big Island looked like it might be pretty dangerous to ride a bicycle, except for maybe parts of Hilo and Kona.

We drove on Waikoloa road many times since we stayed in Waikoloa Village on one of the visits to the Big Island. Waikoloa road is has pretty narrow shoulders as I recall and might be a pretty dangerous place to cycle. It's about 1,000 foot climb from the coast to Waikoloa Village by the golf course with lots of curves along the way. Cycling around Waikoloa Village would be a breeze (easy and maybe a bit windy). Waikoloa Village is an oasis of green up there surrounded by lava fields. Most of the homes up there look consistently nice. If you are looking for a good place to stay and need a recommendation, send me a DM.

[hotzcatz]

Calling out the highways by number isn't gonna be very useful to you when you're actually on the island. Nobody uses the numbers, just the highway names. The number can stay the same yet the highway will be somewhere halfway across the island. The names are usually for a smaller portion of the road and much more useful.

If you don't know the name, then just put the starting point and destination in place of the number. i.e. "Hilo-Volcano" highway or "Keaau - Pahoa" highway. On the Kona side of the island, there is the "upper road" and the "lower road" between Waimea and Kailua-Kona. Check out a map, it will be obvious which ones they are. The road (highway) up at the top of the island is the "Kohala" highway.

I think even GPS units go by highway names even though they can't pronounce them.

None of the "highways" on the island may be what you are used to calling a "highway". Think of a two lane blacktop road and that's pretty much all the roads we have. There are some sections where there might be two lanes going each way, but no limited access high speed types.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Calling out the highways by number isn't gonna be very useful to you when you're actually on the island. Nobody uses the numbers, just the highway names. The number can stay the same yet the highway will be somewhere halfway across the island. The names are usually for a smaller portion of the road and much more useful.

If you don't know the name, then just put the starting point and destination in place of the number. i.e. "Hilo-Volcano" highway or "Keaau - Pahoa" highway. On the Kona side of the island, there is the "upper road" and the "lower road" between Waimea and Kailua-Kona. Check out a map, it will be obvious which ones they are. The road (highway) up at the top of the island is the "Kohala" highway.

I think even GPS units go by highway names even though they can't pronounce them.

None of the "highways" on the island may be what you are used to calling a "highway". Think of a two lane blacktop road and that's pretty much all the roads we have. There are some sections where there might be two lanes going each way, but no limited access high speed types.

Maybe locals don't like to use highway numbers. Maybe locals reference the highways only by names. However, the numbers are on the signs along the roads as well as the names. If you go to Google Maps on your smart phone, it will also see the numbers and the names. We also picked up several copies of the "This Week Big Island" travel guide, which were free at the Kona airport and also available many places all over the island on tourist guide information stands. The This Week Big Island guide has a free map right on the back page, which also uses both numbers and names. The numbers are easier to remember for a visitor or newcomer, since they are only 2 or 3 digits long, except for one 4 digit road, "2000" near Hilo. The highways are more commonly referenced by numbers on the the maps than by the names. There may be some roads that only are referenced by names, such as the Daniel K Inouye Highway. The local television news also uses both numbers and names to reference roads in their news stories.

My Garmin GPS worked pretty well on the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. I remember when frequently driving between Kona and Waikoloa Village, it called highway 19, Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, although I don't know if it mispronounced it or not. I could still figure out what the GPS was trying to say, just like when people severely misspell words, the human mind and see through the misspelling and figure out what the word despite the word being misspelled.

I know in Hawaii a highway doesn't mean the same thing as a highway on the mainland. Highways in Hawaii could be a lot narrower and slower. After visiting Hawaii just one time, people will know that.

[sliceoftoast]

I bike on the highways fairly frequently. The traffic volume means that it's not especially pleasant and relaxing, but I feel safe enough on the shoulders. There's lots of debris on the shoulders, though, so be prepared for flats. Smaller roads (like the Red Road and the scenic route round Onomea Bay) are gorgeous but they're so narrow that the traffic freaks me out. Most people pass you slowly and with space, but plenty don't. Everyone's risk tolerance varies, but as a rule I feel OK when there's a decent shoulder and somewhat tense when there isn't. That doesn't apply in the Volcano NP, though; that's a great place to ride.

You could do worse than calling/visiting the Hilo bike shops to get their opinions as well.

[TwoPearls]

Originally Posted by sliceoftoast

I bike on the highways fairly frequently. The traffic volume means that it's not especially pleasant and relaxing, but I feel safe enough on the shoulders. There's lots of debris on the shoulders, though, so be prepared for flats. Smaller roads (like the Red Road and the scenic route round Onomea Bay) are gorgeous but they're so narrow that the traffic freaks me out. Most people pass you slowly and with space, but plenty don't. Everyone's risk tolerance varies, but as a rule I feel OK when there's a decent shoulder and somewhat tense when there isn't. That doesn't apply in the Volcano NP, though; that's a great place to ride.

You could do worse than calling/visiting the Hilo bike shops to get their opinions as well.

Thanks! Yes, I was thinking the Red Road would be an awful place to ride, even though it would be so beautiful. I've ridden in all sorts of conditions all over the country so I'm used to rough shoulders and also (unfortunately) quite adept at fixing flats on the fly! I will definitely ask around at the bike shops.

[rashawill]

Waikoloa Road is very dangerous for bike riding. Hardly any shoulder at all. If you ride down to Hapuna Beach the ride back up will be a lot of work! Two weeks ago a man was hit by a car and killed on the upper part of Waikoloa Road up near the turn to Waimea.