Volcano back to Kohala at night- scary drive?

We%26#39;re staying at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in about 2 weeks, and plan to spend a day at the Volcano. I know we should stay over in Hilo or something, but we%26#39;ll only be on the BI for a few days at the end of our honeymoon and don%26#39;t have the time to stay on both sides of the island. We%26#39;re used to driving long distances, so it isn%26#39;t a problem, I%26#39;m just worried that if we wait to come back to the hotel until after dark, the road might dangerous. I would imagine it isn%26#39;t well lit in many parts. Should we purposely leave the Volcano while we still have daylight? And how far of a drive is it? I%26#39;m estimating 2-3 hours one way. Thanks!

Volcano back to Kohala at night- scary drive?

we deliberately left VNP a bit early to be sure we got back to Kona in daylight, but I no longer care to drive at night.

we went southern route but assume you will go through Hilo. I don%26#39;t think there are lights anywhere along route except in Hilo. and Waimea.

You could hope for a cloudless night and moon.

Volcano back to Kohala at night- scary drive?

At night you%26#39;re looking at about a 3 hour or longer drive. If you come back via the North it%26#39;s a bit faster and likely safer (better road conditions). The south is VERY dark and after driving it twice I wouldn%26#39;t want to do it again unless I had to. We drove from Hilo to Kohala one morning around 4am (we had a tour at 6am and were in Hilo that night; long story, big schedule mistake) and it was a MUCH easier drive.

But I%26#39;d give myself 3+ hours from the Volcano to Kohala, especially if you start from the end of CoC.

The view at night IS worth the stay in the park though. We did it three times and it was well worth it. But we also were in Hilo one of those really late nights.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no volcanoes in Minnesota, so you HAVE to go to VNP, and you HAVE to be at the end of CoC road after dark.

As long as you are patient, awake, and take the northern route through Hilo, it%26#39;s really not that bad. There are no deer, moose or bears on the road, so I%26#39;d actually prefer driving in the dark than at twilight.

Yes it is Very dark.and no street lights at all... From the end of chain of craters roadis 1 hour after dark ( 35mph) and another 1 hour to Hilo, 1.5 hours Hilo to Waimea and another 30 min to the Mauna Kea. Figure 4 hours

The southern route is not a good choice after dark... no services and very winding road for the 100 mile drive

ok no snow except on mtntops but road is getting better going across saddle and rental agencies are allowing. Rain and mud slides can slow traffic on north route but roads are wide enough just wind in and out of hillsides with guardrails. Yes being from Mn we are use to long rides at night and yes no deer but donkies and goats to watch for. 190 may save time but what I%26#39;ve noticed is there are more speeders at night. Route south of Kona have driven lots at night but it is narrower and not as many guard rails You definitely want to be wide awake coming back you are on inside but alot more residencial areas you are going through as well. We have not left hilo until after 10 at night many times just follow crowd but be sure to fill up in hilo cause cheaper and there are not many stations along way between big cities open at night. This year have noticed alot more police and they drive everything imaginable so keep eye out for blue light on top.