Kohala Coast Scenic Driving on Hawaii’s Big Island

Are you ready for a Big Island drive that’s absolutely amazing? One of our favorite scenic drives is along the Kohala Coast. We love it because we get to see major contrasts in landscapes and climates — from dry, barren, rocky land to lush, green, and finish off with driving the cooler, pastoral land of the extinct Kohala volcano. It’s mind boggling that you can see these strikingly different landscapes within miles and minutes of each other.

The landscapes of the now-extinct volcano Kohala, along with the typical tradewind weather patterns, combine to create these very distinct microclimates. The Kohala area of the Big Island displays one of the most compact examples of leeward and windward climes in Hawaii. Take a look at the following satellite map of the Kohala area. Notice on the left side, the land looks more tan with very little green. Then, notice how green the right side is.

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I do hope you’ll plan some time to drive around the Kohala area as part of your Big Island vacation. Here’s how I recommend you take in this scenic drive:

1. Start on Highway 270 from Kawaihae driving north towards Hawi

Here, you will see dry grasslands with kiawe trees. This is considered to be the leeward part of the Kohala.

Protip: During humpback whale season (late December through March to mid-April), try to find a legal and safe spot to park to do some whale watching. We’ve seen some whales come in really close to the shoreline in this area.

2. Continue on Highway 270, driving through the thick rainforest, until you reach the end of the road at Pololu Lookout

Notice that as you drive from the leeward side to the windward side that you see more and more green vegetation. As you approach the end of the road, you’ll basically be in a tropical jungle.

Continue driving to the literal end of Highway 270 and park where you can legally do so. Here, you can simply take in the view of Pololu Valley, but if you’re up for a bit of a short, but steep hike, follow the Pololu Trail down into the valley to the black sand beach. The hike isn’t very long, but it is steep.

Protip: If it’s recently rained or the weather looks like pending rain, we suggest you skip hiking the Pololu Trail, as it gets really slippery. Being on this slippery, hard-packed, red dirt incline is quite a challenge, as we once experienced.

3. Double back on Highway 270 and visit the King Kamehameha Statue in Kapa’au

Double back on Highway 270. Stop in the small town of Kapa’au to see the King Kamehameha Statue on the mauka (mountain side) of the road. The statue is in front of the North Kohala Civic Center. The address for the civic center is 54-3900 Akoni Pule Hwy, Kapaau, HI. (Note that there are public restrooms located beside of the civic center.)

4. Visit Hawi

Stop in the former plantation town of Hawi. It’s a small town that’s easy to walk. In terms of directions aim for 55-3415 Akoni Pule Hwy, Hawi, HI as an address and look for free street parking in that vicinity. That’s at the Bamboo Restaurant, which we mention more about below.

Hawi was once the hub the bustling sugar cane industry that operated from the late 1800s to the early 1970s. The architecture is distinct to the sugar plantation era. We love these colorful old buildings set in a lovely green backdrop.

One of Hawi’s current clams to fame is that it is turnaround for the annual IRONMAN World Championship held in October.

Walk around the galleries and shops of Hawi. We’ve purchased some locally-made art and crafts from Hawi.

If you’re looking for lunch or dinner, we’ve enjoyed dining at Bamboo Restaurant in Hawi. Do check their hours in advance as their opening hours vary.

5. Drive across the Kohala summit ridge on Highway 250

From Hawi, turn onto Highway 250 towards the mountain and Waimea. The cooler air combined with the fertile grasslands makes this area ideal for the picturesque cattle ranches along the ridges. You may want to pull over, where safe to do so, to take in the views of the island and snap some photos. On a clear day, you might even see Maui off in the distance.

Highway 250 is also known as the Kohala Mountain Road. Though the mountain reaches its peak at 5,480 feet above sea level, the road doesn’t actually reach that height. The elevation on the road is estimated to be about 3,000 feet above sea level. Continue on Highway 250 until it ends at Highway 19 and to turn right, towards the ocean.

6. Go to the Hamakua Mac Nut Factory

From Highway 19,  turn right onto Highway 270, heading back towards Kawaihae, Turn right on Maluokalani Street to visit the Hamakua Macadamia Nut factory and visitor center. (The address is 61-3251 Maluokalani St, Waimea, HI.) Here you can sample just about every macadamia nut flavor that’s imaginable. You can also take a self-guided tour to see the factory.

7. Go to the Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

Turn back on Highway 270 heading back towards Highway 19 and towards the beach resorts of the Kohala Coast and Kona. Turn right at the signs for Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Here, you can learn about ancient Hawaiian culture and history.

Final Notes/Advice

That concludes this particular scenic drive. I’m not sure exactly how many different scientific climates you might pass, but if you are like me, you will marvel at the amazing changes you’ll see within minutes and miles. It’s a beautiful contrast that you almost can’t believe unless you see it with your own eyes.

In terms of timing this drive, I would advise a morning start and allow a couple of hours, at a minimum, to allow time to stop and enjoy the scenery. A morning start would also align well to allow a lunch stop in Hawi.

We have driven these roads in a similar fashion starting from Highway 250, then turning right on 270, doubling back on 270 to follow it to the end in Kawaihae. That was a nice drive, as well, however, we recommend the order that we’ve highlighted in this article because we like the dramatic contrast going from the leeward side to the windward side and then experiences the Kohala ridge drive.

If you have time, we highly recommend taking the Kohala Waterfalls Tour, which you can include as part of this scenic drive. The tour leaves and returns from the town of Hawi.

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See more ideas of what to see and do on your Big Island vacation.