Do I really need 4wd for the Big Island?
 

"Big Island Revealed" strongly recommends 4wd for the Big Island. We will be spending 3 nights on the Kona side and 3 nights on the Hilo side. Any thoughts on whether or not we really need the 4wd - I am trying to keep within a budget and the 4wd will cost me considerably more and will probably mean giving up some other activity.

I can't think of any reason you'd need 4 wheel drive. I've driven around and across the island and never had a problem in a compact car!

We've traveled around the Big Island on three trips, never used a 4WD.

Went the to Big Island last year,we drove on 2 of the 3 roads that were
off limits for our car rental agreement. For the Green Sand Beach
you do not need a 4 wheel drive, For
Waipio Valley, if you plan to go to
the bottom, it would be highly
recommended. Otherwise, you do not
need to get a 4wd vehicle.

The book is generally good, but I think that particular 4wd recommendation is totally bogus. It's true that there are a lot of unpaved roads, but they are not the ones most tourists will ever use. If you really want to hit the most isolated bit of beach or waterfall, you might use 4wd (or rather the extra ground clearance), but most people will find far more than enough to occupy a week without getting off the paved or graded roads.

A 2WD vehicle is fine for the road to South Point, but if you want to drive to the Green Sand Beach you'll need a 4WD. Otherwise just park at the end of the road and start hiking east (5 miles) on foot.

As Sven pointed out you'll also need a 4WD to explore Waipio Valley, Saddle Road and the approach to Mauna Kea summit. Most car rental companies make customers sign an agreement not to drive on these roads, even with a 4WD.

If none of these attractions are on your list then save your money and get a 2WD vehicle.

<font color="red">A<font color="orange">l<font color="green">o<font color="blue">h<font color="purple">a<font color="black"> Kcinmo,

I find the BI-revealed to be fairly accurate with regard to individual BI locations where they recommend 4WD, if you factor potentially rainy (muddy) or sandy conditions in, on the other hand we usually rent a 4WD, mainly for increased ground clearance, and have not yet had a need to engage the 4WD though we would avoid driving in extreme areas like Waipio Valley, since other means of transportation are available. :S-

For visiting volcanoes national park, a few days in Hilo &amp; Kona, I would recommend a front wheel drive vehicle to meet your budget$), and unless you plan on going somewhere off the beaten path-like one learns about by reading BI-Revealed, you will be fine.</font></font></font></font></font></font>

I did 3 days Kona side/3 days Hilo side and didn't rent a 4wd. We drove to the Waipio valley overlook and considered hiking down into it, but decided not to. You could also do a tour into the valley. We ended up doing the hike from White Rd. to the back of the valley rim on another day.
In the Puna region there are a few beaches/sights that are pretty empty and are still easily reachable. We went to several places where it was just us and nature so I didn't feel like we missed out by not seeking out the hard-to-access ones.
We still miss our white Alero :-)

Thanks everyone for your advice - we will get the compact car and have more money for other things!