Scenic byway, Island of Hawaiʻi · Hawaii

Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast

Seven miles of Aliʻi Drive on the Kona Coast, from Kailua Village to Keauhou, past Huliheʻe Palace, royal surf spots and heiau.

Also known as Aliʻi Drive

Along the Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast

Photo: Calbear22 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source

  • LengthAbout 7 miles[1]
  • Drive timeNot verified
  • RoadsAliʻi Drive[1]
  • Start and endHistoric Kailua Village to Keauhou[1]
  • Fees and passesNot verified
  • Best seasonNot verified
  • SurfaceNot verified
  • Vehicle notesNot verified
  • Seasonal closuresNot verified

Before you go

Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.

About the drive

Hawaiʻi has no federally designated byways, so we start with two of the Island of Hawaiʻi's designated scenic byways. Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast follows about seven miles of Aliʻi Drive from historic Kailua Village to Keauhou.

The route tells the story of 700 years of Hawaiʻi's aliʻi, its ruling class, passing four of Kona's seven royal centers. Stops include Huliheʻe Palace, the royal surfing grounds of Kahaluʻu, Hawaiʻi's oldest Christian church and several heiau (temple sites); treat the heiau with respect.

We haven't verified a route line for this byway yet, so the map shows the stops only.

Stops along the way

  1. Kailua Village

    Historic village at the north end, home of Huliheʻe Palace, one of three palaces in the U.S.

    Official information · 19.63928, -155.99025

  2. Kahaluʻu Bay

    Royal surfing grounds along Aliʻi Drive.

    Official information · 19.58054, -155.96704

  3. Keauhou

    South end of the byway.

    Official information · 19.56064, -155.96227

Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Sources

  1. Island of Hawaiʻi Scenic Byways (Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, GoHawaii) (checked 2026-10-22)
  2. Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.

Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).

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