Originally Posted by DanTravels

I rented from DTG (I forget which counter I went to, but same difference) on 16 February and the only prohibitions were Waipio Valley, the Green Sand Beach road at South Point, and the summit of Mauna Kea. Saddle Road and Mauna Kea Access Road up to the visitor station/end of the pavement are apparently fine.

I can remember the days - not so long ago - when rental agencies told me all of Saddle Road was off-limits, but with the improvements and realignment proceeding apace, the part of the road on the actual "saddle" is in great shape now, very modern, safe and easy to drive, and the slopes at the ends are getting fixed, so even though it's still terribly inconvenient to get a tow truck up there, people are less likely to get into trouble and need one.