What is the distance around the Big Island of Hawaii?

Big Island Geography The Island of Hawai'i is the youngest and largest of the Hawaiian islands, measuring over 4000 square miles in size. In fact, the 7 other Hawaiian islands' would fit comfortably together within the Big Island's land area. A trip around the Island via highways 19 and 11 is a total of 222 miles long!



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At its greatest dimension, the island is 93 miles (150 km) across.

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There are three routes depending on what you mean by “across” since there is no road directly across the island. To drive from Hawi in North Kohala south to South Point at the southern tip of the island would take about 5 hours . To drive from Kona to Hilo on the quickest route would take almost three hours.

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The Big Island of Hawaii (which is sometimes called just Hawaii) forms one end of a long straight archipelago of more than 100 islands, atolls, reefs, and shoals that extend to Kure Atoll (see Figure 3), a distance of more than 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles).

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Considering how big the Big Island is, it's really very easy to navigate. The two main roads are Highways 11 and 19, creating one big loop around the entire island.

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However, driving in Hawaii does come with its own set of challenges that you should be prepared for, including poor road conditions. While the more populated islands like O'ahu or the Big Island have decent roads, the more rural isles like Kaua'i have roads that are often unpaved and difficult to drive on.

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The Big Island in a nutshell: The 206,315 inhabitants of the Big Island (which is only 14.3% of the total population of the state of Hawai?i, 2022 census) mostly live in and around the two large population centers in the island: Hilo (the capital) on the east coast, and Kona on the west coast.

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Employment opportunities are very limited on the Big island, locally known as Hawaii Island. It's the largest island in the state but is home to less than 15% of the state's total population. There has been a major transition in the island's economy from sugar cane and coffee production to tourism.

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Kona is a walkable seaside village, so allocate the early hours to exploring every inch of the town on foot. There's plenty of shopping opportunities, an excellent farmer's market and key attractions such as Moku?aikaua Church, the oldest Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands.

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But, that said, some months are still better when considering things like weather and your budget. The best times to visit the Big Island of Hawaii, taking into consideration the weather, how crowded, or not, the island is, and demand for accommodations are the month(s) of April, May, August, September, and October.

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Mamalahoa Highway, referred to modernly as the Hawai?i Belt Road, includes Routes 11, 19, and 190, encircling the Island of Hawai?i, from Hawai?i Volcanoes National Park to Waimea through Kona. This is perhaps the greatest – and longest – road trip you can take while in Hawai?i.

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With its magnificent geography – including secluded beaches, the world's most active volcano, epic waterfalls, lush jungles, and sprawling Volcanoes National Park (over 500 square miles in size!) – it is no surprise that the Big Island is one of the world's most-visited tourist destinations.

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The Big Island is the largest and most volcanically active of all Hawaiian islands. It is know for its beautiful nature and many cool activities and it is almost impossible to fit everything in your vacation – even if you stay more than a month!

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If you really want to hit the most isolated bit of beach or waterfall, you might use 4wd (or rather the extra ground clearance), but most people will find far more than enough to occupy a week without getting off the paved or graded roads.

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Big Island by Bus Hele On Bus is the Big Islands Public Transportation system. If renting a car isn't an option for you, but you want to get out of Kona, you can Hele On to some pretty awesome places. Keep in mind, the bus does not run Sundays and public holidays and the fare is $2 exact change each way.

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On a clear day, like Sunday, from Honolulu's east side, you can see nearly all of Maui County: Molokai, Haleakala, and Lanai.

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Depending on when you want to travel and how far in advance you book your tickets, travel between the Hawaiian islands can be very reasonable. Flights can be found as cheap as $39 each way on Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines. $39 is the best we've seen. Expect to pay between $50 to $100 for a one-way ticket.

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Honolulu is the capital and major city of the State of Hawaii. It is on the Island of Oahu. The only way to get to the Big Island from Oahu is to fly. There is no ferry.

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