Skip to main content

Kalako Drive

By

Kalako Drive is an approximately 6.5-mile rural highway located on western side of the Hawaiian Big Island.  Kalako Drive begins at Hawaii Route 190 Mile Marker 34 and ascends east along the volcanic slope of Hualalai to an approximate elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level.  The corridor is one of the main throughfares in the Kona Coffee Belt and was developed during the early 1980s. 


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 Kalako Drive

The coffee plant was brough to the Kona District in 1828 by Reverend Samuel Ruggles.  Ruggles imported Brazilian cuttings which took well to the wet western slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa.  By the 1870s quality of Kona District Coffee would be recognized and branded by the local plantation owners.  

The so-called Kona Coffee Belt lies at an elevation ranging from 500 feet above sea level to 3,200 feet.  The area is known for consistently receiving more than 60 inches of rain annually amid temperatures ranging from 60F-85F.   The volcanic soil conditions and proper drainage also play a significant factor in the consistency of coffee cultivation.  

Kaloko Drive first appears on the 1980 United States Geological Survey map of Hawaii County.  The roadway is shown only to extend to what is now upper Huo Street.  


The modern extent of Kaloko Drive appears on the 1982 United States Geologic Survey map of Kailua-Kona.  The modern roadway ends shortly east of Huehue Street.  




Part 2; a drive on Kaloko Drive 

Below the Hualalai Cloud Forest can be seen in around the Mountain Thunder Coffee plantation located on Hao Street at approximately 3,200 feet.  Mountain Thunder was opened for business approximately shortly after the completion of Kaloko Drive.  The plantation tour guide claims the facility receives 100 inches of rain annually. 










Hao Street intersects and crosses over Kaloko Drive.  



Kaloko Drive winds west through the terrain amid wide and sweeping switchbacks (six in total) to a terminus at Hawaii Route 190.  














Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more