Skip to main content
SCENIC BYWAY

Mamalahoa Scenic Highway

38.7 miles: 0 hours, 50 minutes

Connecting Waimea and Kailua-Kona, the old Mamalahoa Highway (SR 190) is part of the Big Island-encircling Hawai’i Belt Road. It’s known as a mauka route (meaning “toward the mountain”). The prevailing features of hardened lava fields and grassy hillsides lack the lush tropical look of tourist Hawai’i, but there’s a bucolic peacefulness to these rural landscapes.

flickr/Steve Boland

In Kailua-Kona, stop at a coffee shop for a cup of famed Kona coffee, grown on Big Island plantations. The highway climbs from sea level to nearly 2,500 feet as you enter wide-open cattle country; pullouts along the way offer sweeping vistas of distant mountains. The 40-mile drive ends at Waimea, surrounded by ranches and farms—and there’s nary a palm tree in sight.

THE VALUE OF TRIP CANVAS

Travel Like an Expert with AAA and Trip Canvas

Get Ideas from the Pros

As one of the largest travel agencies in North America, we have a wealth of recommendations to share! Browse our articles and videos for inspiration, or dive right in with preplanned AAA Road Trips, cruises and vacation tours.

Build and Research Your Options

Save and organize every aspect of your trip including cruises, hotels, activities, transportation and more. Book hotels confidently using our AAA Diamond Designations and verified reviews.

Book Everything in One Place

From cruises to day tours, buy all parts of your vacation in one transaction, or work with our nationwide network of AAA Travel Agents to secure the trip of your dreams!

BACK TO TOP