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I am looking for a detailed map (much more detail than, say, here) of the Hawaii Big Island, that will show which roads are paved and which are not. This is to determine where I will be able to get to with a rental car, given that my contract forbids driving on unpaved roads. Specifically, I'd like the map to show roads to all major beaches, state parks, etc.

I've heard that car rental agencies sometimes give out such maps, but I'd like to look at a map in advance to plan my trip.

Where can I find such a map online? (Or, if nothing online, perhaps a good printed map that I can order for a reasonable price?)

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  • As an aside .. how will they know? Unless they have GPS tracking built into the car, a car wash does wonders!
    – Peter M
    Nov 12, 2016 at 0:32
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    Some maps (but not very clear) are linked from the Roads in Limbo page.
    – mkennedy
    Nov 12, 2016 at 0:46
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    @PeterM - The rules against driving on certain roads in Hawai'i have to do with getting service to you in the event of a breakdown. Tow truck drivers will not tow a car through certain areas, so those areas are off limits. They don't track you and penalize you, but if you break down somewhere bad be prepared to pay the price.
    – user13044
    Nov 12, 2016 at 1:04
  • @Tom I understand the recovery issue, but there are dirt roads and there are dirt roads. Some you can do 60mph on and some you need full FWD. But your comment on Tow Truck drivers intrigues me. What are these certain areas?
    – Peter M
    Nov 12, 2016 at 12:30
  • @PeterM - It is far easier for rental car companies to issue a blanket ban on dirt roads, rather than providing a detailed list some you can some you can't. A couple of well known examples of "tow truck no go", where tourists feel compelled to go are on Maui, the Piilani Highway on the backside of Haleakala (Kaupo area) and Hwy 340 along the northeast side of the West Maui Mountains.
    – user13044
    Nov 13, 2016 at 0:43

2 Answers 2

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For topographic reasons, Hawaiian islands have ring roads, road and street networks supporting the cities, and maybe a few (often difficult) roads up or over the volcano.

You can find more detailed maps (that indicate paved/unpaved) here, but I think all the roads to parks and beaches are on the less detailed ones you already linked to, or in @pnuts' comment.

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  • I assume the dash roads like = signs are not paved.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Nov 12, 2016 at 0:45
  • @pnuts - which double dashed roads are you referring to? I didn't look at every map, but they seemed pretty up to date from my driving point of view,
    – user13044
    Nov 12, 2016 at 1:09
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    @pnuts - "north of the 132", you must be from California. Yes part of the Beach Road is paved, part of it is not. Guess the cartographer marked it based on the unpaved stretch.
    – user13044
    Nov 12, 2016 at 2:04
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For what you are doing, there are no limiting roads. All of the access roads to the well known major beaches, beachside state parks and over the saddle are paved and acceptable under rental car contracts. There are a couple of obscure beaches in North Kohala and Ka'u districts that have dirt or lava rock access roads, but if you know about those beaches, chances are you already know about how bad the access roads are 😉

The double dashed routes on the Moon maps that Andrew linked to are dirt or lava roads, the single dashed lines are hiking trails.

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