Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor
Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor is a State Scenic Byway in Hawaii. Within Hawaii it covers roughly 11 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor follows Old Mamalahoa Highway for about 10 miles through Kona coffee country on Hawaii's Big Island. Route 180 links Palani Junction near Kailua-Kona to Honalo Junction farther south, the route of an ancient Hawaiian footpath. It takes its name from Kamehameha the Great's Kanawai Mamalahoe, the 'Law of the Splintered Paddle,' which granted safe passage to travelers for centuries before the trail was widened into a road. Midway along the drive sits Holualoa, a former sugar- and coffee-plantation town now dotted with working coffee farms, artist studios, and small galleries housed in early-20th-century storefronts. In March 2009 it became Hawaii's first officially designated state scenic byway, a step toward eventual federal recognition. Elevation gain gives the route sweeping views of the Kona coastline below, a contrast to the flatter coastal highway most visitors use, and it rewards a slow pace over roughly an hour rather than a quick pass-through.
- Old Mamalahoa Highway
- Holualoa
- Kona coffee farms
- ~10 miles
- Law of the Splintered Paddle
- Hawaii's first state scenic byway
- 2009
Plan a drive on Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor
No campgrounds are listed close to Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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