Looking to escape the city traffic, suburban boredom, summer heat or your neighbor’s noisy weekend home improvement marathon? There’s only one thing to do: road trip! Just because we live on an island doesn’t mean you can’t get behind the wheel of a car (or hop on a city bus!) to seek out fresh air and new scenery.: What’s your favorite island road trip? Email us at features@staradvertiser.com.

KAAAWA: Destination barbecue

» Round trip: 50 miles

» Route: Take Likelike to Kahekili offramp heading west; once road merges with Kamehameha Highway, it’s another 8.4 miles to Uncle Bobo’s, across from Swanzy Beach Park.

Find a change of pace and barbecue done right at Uncle Bobo’s, a favorite of the horse wranglers at Kualoa Ranch. Owner Robert Joyce’s barbecue is hand-rubbed with spices, cooked in a smoker out back and served with sauce on the side. The joint sells shave ice, too — making it a good choice after a day of kayaking at Kualoa Regional Park or a tour of Kualoa Ranch. It’s a funky place, with a few tables outside along the sidewalk and a small indoor dining area, but the food and the friendly regulars (wiry surfer types and local families) make it a destination. If you’re in the mood, order takeout and picnic at Swanzy; the overcast skies and waves breaking on the sea wall inspire contemplation. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends; 237-1000, unclebobos.com.

— Elizabeth Kieszkowski

WAAHILA RIDGE: Call of the wild

» Round trip: 10.5 miles

» Route: Take H-1 east to King Street exit, keep left on Kapiolani Boulevard/Waialae Avenue, turn left on St. Louis Drive and find your way to the top, turning left off Peter Street onto Ruth Place; park is at end of the road.

Cooler heads prevail at Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area at the summit of Saint Louis Heights. The 65.9-acre state park sits on a ridge of Norfolk pines and offers wide views of Manoa and Palolo valleys. It’s very family-friendly, with picnic tables and well-maintained restrooms.

To be amid trees and the mixture of sunshine and shade has always made the park a memorable place for Deborah Ward, spokes woman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"It’s a forest setting," she said. "There is a wonderful breeze with a fresh, mountainy smell."

Visitors can stretch out on grassy areas or seek out deep shade.

"It’s very relaxing," Ward said. "If you like the quiet sound of the wind in the grass — well, that’s something very special about it."

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, the Waahila Ridge Trail at the back of the park offers a 2.4-mile hike with great views. It’s described as "a steep but easy romp" that transitions into a more difficult hike. Although leashed dogs are allowed on the trail, keep in mind that a special pig-control hunting program is ongoing and there may be hunting dogs in the area.

Learn more about state parks and trails at www.hawaiistateparks.org and www.hawaiitrails.org.

— Mike Gordon

KA IWI: Coastal cruising

» Round trip: 42 miles (35 miles circle route with return via Pali Highway)

» Route: Take H-1 heading east, which turns into Kalanianaole Highway, and keep driving.

Whenever I feel the itch to get off the island but can’t find the time or funds to leave the rock, a cruise along the Ka Iwi coastline always soothes my restless spirit. Whether I pull over at one of the lookouts and watch the azure waves crash against the stark, volcanic sea cliffs or just cruise the roughly eight miles of highway from Hawaii Kai to Wai ma nalo, the stunning view is enough to make me forget about rock fever.

The picturesque stretch is a favorite with Hollywood crews, getting screen time in "Lost," "50 First Dates," "From Here to Eternity," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and many shows and movies.

A stop at Halona Blowhole on the way back rounds out the trip, allowing me 10 more minutes of playing tourist before heading home.

— Donica Kaneshiro

KAHUKU: Down on the farm

» Round trip: 74 miles

» Route: About 12 miles north of Uncle Bobo’s in Kaaawa on Kamehameha Highway.

Driving north from Kaneohe to Kahaluu, just after you pass the Hygienic Store and the Sunshine Arts gallery, look to the left for a wood building and sign for Wai ahole Poi Factory, at the Waiahole Valley Road junction. Stop for a Hawaiian plate lunch of kalua pig, squid luau or laulau, or pick up a pound of freshly pounded poi.

The poi factory, in business since 1905, recently adopted regular hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, 48-140 Kamehameha Highway, 239-2222.

Continuing north, the trees give way to reveal a sweeping view of the turquoise-colored ocean as you head past Kualoa Ranch and see the unmistakable Mokolii Island, or Chinaman’s Hat. This is about where I start daydreaming of what it would be like to live right on the coastline, with a morning dip in the ocean part of my daily routine.

As you start passing landmarks like the Polynesian Cultural Center and Malaekahana, you’ll begin seeing First Wind’s turbines on the horizon. That means you’ve arrived at Kahuku, best known for shrimp trucks. But there are other delights.

Kahuku Farms (across from Romy’s shrimp stand) offers a one-hour, tractor-pulled wagon ride through the farm, 2 p.m. Friday through Monday, followed by a sampling of fruit at the Farm Cafe, open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Look for the white fence and orange flags. Experience the feeling of wide open space, learn how papayas, bananas and lilikoi grow, and meet the farmers.

You might be able to buy farm-grown apple bananas or lilikoi jelly and honey mango body butter. Don’t leave without picking up a mango iced tea, smoothie or scoop of homemade ice cream (vanilla, apple banana or lilikoi) for the road.

Tours are $15 ($12 for kids); call 628-0639 to book ahead and get $2 off.

— Nina Wu

WAIPAHU: Foodies welcome

» Round trip: 30 miles

» Route: Take H-1 west to Exit 8-B toward Wai pahu; merge with Farrington Highway

I’m a Waipahu girl, graduated Waipahu High class of ’82. Though I’ve lived the last 15 years a mile away from my hometown, it wasn’t until I moved to Waikele that I discovered new roads that make Waipahu accessible in just a couple minutes. So it was that on a recent Saturday morning I went in search of K’s Bento-Ya, home of tasty boxed lunches filled with fried tofu, mochiko fried chicken, corned beef hash patties, old-style sushi and musubi. My brother-in-law, another child of Waipahu, introduced me to the food a few years ago. K’s is in a humble building at 94-164 Awalau St. Inside, amid an extensive collection of maneki neko and stacks of bento, the proprietor asked for my name because customers usually order ahead (call 671-0160). My heart dropped for an instant, but when I left, holding close a precious box of food, I knew I was having a lucky day.

I’ve since taken to puttering around old Waipahu town along Waipahu Depot Road. One endlessly interesting venue is Waipahu Festival Marketplace in the old Big Way Supermarket. It’s like an indoor Chinatown, where ethnic grocers display mountains of colorful vegetables and you can find all kinds of seafood and meat, from tilapia raised at Mari’s Garden in Mililani to stewing chicken and pig’s head.

Turns out Waipahu offers a great array of food options, all unfussy and unpretentious — just like the town. Try these:

» Rocky’s Coffee Shop (94-314 Waipahu Depot Road, 677-3842): Great fried-rice omelet and old-style hospitality

» Tanioka’s Seafood (94-903 Farrington Highway, 671-3779): What’s NOT at Tanioka’s?

» Wat Get Kitchen (94-752-C Hikimoe St, 671-6611): Ono pastele and gandule rice

» Highway Inn (94-226 Leoku St., 677-4345): Longtime Hawaiian food favorite

» Thai Kitchen (94-300 Farrington Highway B04, 671-9488): New owners skillfully execute old recipes

— Joleen Oshiro

WAIKIKI: Not just for tourists

» Round trip: 6 miles

» Route: Do we really need to tell you how to get there?

Like Haleiwa Town, Chinatown, Kaimuki and Kapahulu, Waikiki is one of the few areas on Oahu that offers enough shops, restaurants and diversions to make a walking tour interesting. Start your morning at the Ewa end, where you can drop by Waikiki Beach Walk’s Mahina boutique for trendy bamboo-cloth bandeau dresses and racerback tops if you’re in need of cool togs to wear. Or you can head next door to Hono lua Surf Co. for a mix of his-and-hers sporty apparel.

Slip into Orchids at the Halekulani for breakfast accompanied by fresh fruit smoothies blended with Hawaiian honey, or try the Halekulani Sunrise — a combination of orange and lime juice, honey, egg white and a dash of nutmeg.

My idea of a perfect day would be filled with decadent pleasures, so a massage about this time sounds right. Head to the Moana Lani Spa (237-2535) in the Moana Surfrider, where treatments also give you access to a water therapy room that lets you decompress in a serene whirlpool with a view of the ocean. When you finish, walk up the block and wrap your hands around shave ice from Coconut Cafe at 2441 Kuhio Ave. Keep the sun off your face with a Panama hat from nearby Straw Garden, at 159 Kaiu lani Ave.

In the late afternoon, duck into Waikiki Aquarium, where the cavernous exhibition offers shaded viewing of colorful living corals, iridescent giant clams and hypnotic undulating jellyfish. It’s $9 to get in ($6 for kamaaina, seniors, military and students; $2 to $4 for kids); call 923-9741.

By the time you pop out, it should be nearing sundown. Find a spot on the beach to bask in the last light of day, or grab a beachfront table at Hau Tree Lanai at the Kaimana or Michel’s at the Colony Surf for cocktails and dinner. Assuming you left your car where you started, stroll back to the Halekulani for a peek at the new L’Aperitif bar at La Mer and another cocktail before heading home.

— Nadine Kam

MOKULEIA: The end of the road

» Round trip: 73 miles

» Route: Take H-1 west, then merge onto H-2 North after Pearl City; highway becomes Wilikina Drive, Kaukonahua Road and then Farrington Highway.

The North Shore is synonymous with Haleiwa and the famous surf spots that draw world-class competitors and mobs of spectators in wintertime. But I frequently wind up in the region west of Haleiwa, from Waialua to Kaena Point.

The fun drive is one reason, though you have to be careful. Kaukonahua Road from Schofield Barracks toward Waialua is known as "da windy road" (as in twisting and turning) for good reason, and there is the occasional roadside memorial to remind you of the danger of too much speed. But if you take it easy, you can enjoy a view of the ocean unfolding in front of you as easily as you can from the more crowded Kamehameha Highway.

Once in Waialua, stop at the old Sugar Mill for some coffee and visit with the local craftspeople and surfboard shapers ensconced there, or catch a bite at one of the diners at the nearby strip mall. From there it’s a short drive along Farrington Highway to Kaena Point. Along the way you’ll see the Mokuleia Polo Field — matches are on Sundays during the summer — and farther along you’ll get to Dillingham Airfield, where you can ride in a glider, go sky diving or simply watch aircraft taking off and the parachuters spiraling down.

Opposite the airfield is Mokuleia Park, a summer haven for windsurfers and kitesurfers, as afternoon thermals accelerate the tradewinds. Most are respectful of swimmers and waders, so go ahead and take a dip.

Go farther along Farrington and you’ll get to Camp Erdman, site of the Others’ village in the ABC TV series "Lost" (many of the beach scenes were filmed in this area), and then finally to the end of the road at Kaena Point. I guess the hardy hiker can hoof it out to the very tip of the island, but I’ve been satisfied to just park and enjoy the rocky, wild coast, munching on a Spam musubi from the service station at Waialua.

— Steven Mark