Banyan Drive

Scenic Banyan Drive, which loops around Hilo Bay's Waiakea Peninsula, is named after more than 50 Banyan Trees that line it. The ground roots of these eerie hardwood trees extend like Gothic snakes across the sand, and long, spindly aerial roots dangle from overhead, giving the banyans a cage-like appearance. The trees were planted by celebrities like Amelia Earhart, F.D.R., and Fannie Hurst, and most of them date to the 1930s. Some of the trees were lost to tsunami waves that devastated the town of Hilo, most notably in the 1940s. The road traces beaches, swimming areas, parks and hotels.