Skip to main content

Banyan Drive

By

Banyan Drive is an approximately one-mile-long scenic street located on the Waiakea Peninsula of Hilo.  Banyan Drive is lined with approximately fifty of the namesake trees which have survived numerous tsunamis on Hilo Bay.  Banyan Drive was developed in 1933 and has become one of the more well-known attractions in the Hilo area.  


This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 




Part 1; the history of Banyan Drive

Banyan Drive circles the Waiakea Peninsula of Hilo.  The peninsula can be seen just prior to the creation of Banyan Drive on the 1932 United States Geological Survey map of Hilo.  


In 1933 numerous Hilo community members floated the concept for a Banyan tree-lined street which would be planted by celebrities.  Banyan Drive was constructed on Waiakea Peninsula and was surfaced initially with crushed coral.  The initial eight trees of Banyan Drive were planted during October 1933 and were viewed by President Franklin Roosevelt when he toured Hilo in 1934.

Over the years numerous additional trees have been planted along Banyan Drive:

1934:  10 trees
1935:  15 trees
1936:  6 trees 
1937:  5 trees
1938:  4 trees
1941:  2 trees
1952:  1 tree
1972:  2 trees
1992:  1 tree (which was a replacement for one lost in a tsunami)

The trees of Banyan Drive have remained resilient despite having withstood numerous tsunamis rising out of Hilo Bay.   Fifty trees still line Banyan Drive into modern times.  The trees bear the names of the planting celebrities.  



Part 2; a ride along Banyan Drive

Banyan Drive can be accessed from Hawaii Route 19 (Kamehameha Avenue) by turning north onto Lihiwai Street.  Banyan Drive is accessible via a right-hand turn from northbound Lihiwai Street.  





Banyan Drive loops Waiakea Peninsula to Hawaii Routes 11 and 19 at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue and Kanoelehua Avenue.  Banyan Drive is lined with the namesake trees and passes by notable places such as Liliuokalani Gardens.  






















Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The alignment history of US Route 50 in Dayton, Nevada

By
Dayton is located in Lyon County and is the second oldest community in Nevada having been founded near mining claims in Gold Canyon circa 1850.  The community of Dayton historically has been part of the California Trail, Pony Express and Pioneer Route of the Lincoln Highway.  Since November 1926 the community has been served by US Route 50.  Originally US Route 50 passed through Dayton along what is now Old US Route 50, Pike Street, Main Street, River Street and Daney Canyon.  Modernization of US Route 50 would begin during the early 1930s when Daney Canyon was bypassed and would continue into the 1940s Federal Aid Program era when the downtown bypass was developed.  This blog will serve as history of US Route 50 in Dayton and exploration of the original alignment in the community.   US Route 50 can be seen below bypassing downtown Dayton on the 1956 United States Geological Survey map. Part 1; the history of US Route 50 in Dayton Dayton is the second ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian Gulch Extension and the Indian Gulch ghost town site

By
Indian Gulch Extension is an approximately 6-mile-long rural highway corridor in the Sierra Nevada foothills of western Mariposa County.  Indian Gulch Extension begins at Indian Gulch Road near the namesake ghost town of Indian Gulch.  From the ghost town site Indian Gulch Extension extends southwesterly to the Merced County line where it becomes Waltz Road.   The former Gold Rush era community of Indian Gulch which was settled near Santa Cruz Mountain in 1849 and had standing structures until the early 1970s.  What is now Indian Gulch Extension was approved for construction by the Mariposa County Commissioners in 1862.  The purpose of the corridor was to provide Indian Gulch with a direct connection westward with the greater Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton-Los Angeles Road would go onto define much of the Mariposa County and Merced County line.  Part 1; the history of Indian Gulch and Indian Gulch Extension Indian Gulch Road is named aft...
Post a Comment
Read more

West Canyon Road (Snow Canyon State Park)

By
West Canyon Road is an approximately four-mile dirt service road located in Snow Canyon State Park.  West Canyon Road follows Snow Canyon from the Whiptail Trail to the northern State Park boundary and intersects numerous trailheads.   West Canyon Road was the original main road through Snow Canyon after it was designated as a Utah State Park in 1957 and opened to the public in 1962. Part 1; the history of West Canyon Road Snow Canyon is located in the Red Mountains north of the city of Ivins in Washington County, Utah.  Snow Canyon is one of many sandstone canyons located in the Red Mountains.  Part of the extinct Santa Clara Volcano punctured the Red Mountains via lava tubes. From approximately the year 200 to 1,250 the area around Snow Canyon was inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans.  Mormon pioneers established Santa Clara south of Snow Canyon in 1854.  Local legend has it that the settlers discovered Snow Canyon in the 1850s while searching for m...
Post a Comment
Read more