Cycling in Maui

Ever thought of Cycling in Maui, Hawai'i?

Until February 2010, I certainly hadn't.

In February 2010, Kate and I headed over to Hawai'i for a quick holiday. It was mainly for a proper relaxing type of holiday as we'd never had one plus we'd snaffled 2-for-1 flights from Jetstar.

I'd never given much thought to Hawai'i as a cycling destination as I'd always wanted to go surfing and bodyboarding there, having been inspired by the likes of Mike Stewart, Jaws (break, not movie) and Magnum, PI.

After absolutely unwinding with a week on Waikiki, just surfing, relaxing, and eating way too many lattice fries and drinking too many cocktails at Dukes, plus dodging the tsunami-that-never-happened, we headed to Maui.

And boy was I surprised.

Sadly I didn't have my bike with me, so didn't get any cycling in (probably fair enough as I was off to France and the Etape in July without the company of Kate), but if you're considering Hawai'i for a holiday, the possibility of some cycling might sway you. And if you're looking for something different, a Cycling in Maui trip is worth some consideration.

Where to go Cycling in Maui

There are loads of great cycling places in Maui. It's not a huge island so don't expect the variety of riding you'd find in the French Alps, Pyrenees or the Dolomites, but there's still some good riding allowing you rack up lots of k's and climbing.

There are definite spots to avoid like out near Hana—the road is shocking.

Haleakala

The awesomeness of a cycling in Maui trip became apparent when Kate and I drove up Haleakala, an ancient shield volcano.

Haleakala (which means house of the sun, read more about its uses including astrophysical research and more at the Wiki link) is approximately 1M years old and is enormous.

It's 3055m high (that's right!) and the ascent is about 57km, if you start at Paia, with nearly 3,000m of ascent. Yikes!

As we drove up the volcano, I was struck by a few things.

First, wow, the roads are pretty good.

Second, the change in climate zones and trees was quite amazing.

Starting in sugar cane and pineapple fields, in humid, warm temperatures, we moved through cooler groves of eucalypts (which felt and smelt like riding back home in the lower Aussie alpine areas) then higher into pine forests reminiscent of Canadian and American ski areas.

The top is like a Martian moonscape with hardly any flora apart from some hardy salt-bush type vegetation. In fact, Silversword grows here and the slopes of Haleakala are the only place on earth it grows.

We started in humid, still conditions, moved into cooler, windier elevation and then entered a band of really foggy, almost drizzly climes. The trade winds were prevalent at some altitudes until we got toward the top, where the clouds cleared, the wind disappeared and we arrived at the peak in sunny, clear, dead-still conditions at 10,000 feet.

It was absolutely amazing.

The cloud bed stretched as far as the eye could see across to the Big Island where the volcanic twins, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, peeked through the clouds.

It was quite awe-inspiring (and humbling) to be almost suspended in the clouds with only ancient volcanos and other sight seers for company.

The views across the volcano crater are incredible. An arid moonscape stretches down 800m into the crater bed which is 11km x 3km (in other words, huge). People hiking in the crater appear to be as small as ants, such is the sheer scale.

As I said, incredible.

The ride up covers some rolling fields and hills until you reach the climb proper where it's switchback after switchback.

How hard is Haleakala?

The ride itself is not steep, it's just unrelenting.

According to Climbybike, the route from Paia is rated as 4.8/5, so, very hard.

Most people seem to take 4-6 hours to get to the top (fastest time is 2'50”!) and 60-90 minutes down, so budget for 5 hours if you're a decent climber and descender and much longer if you're not as strong.

Also remember, once you get to the higher slopes, the air really thins out. I felt a few twinges of altitude sickness, though nothing compared to being on the Aguille du Midi in Chamonix.

As you can see from the Climbbybike profile, it's not super steep.

Also remember, the tradewinds (more on those below) can conspire to give you a 60-90km/h headwind heading up, so keep that in mind.

Where to start Haleakala from

From VeloNoamd reader Laura W:

If you go back to Hawaii we used the town of Paia as our base and highly recommend it. It is less touristy, has a relaxed feel, and a great cycling base. You can start your ride to Haleakala right there, ride the Road to Hana (amazing ride), and the West Maui Loop. We didn't do the West Maui Loop but heard good things. There are approximately 4 amazing routes that start ride from Paia.

You can also easily do Haleaka from Wailea and surrounds.

What to pack for an ascent of Haleakala

The ride is long and passes through lots of different weather, so you need to be prepared.

You'll need:

• Lots of water – the last commercial water is at the Kula Markets, though the visitor centre on the volcano has water too.
• Money for snacks at stops.
• If you want to walk around at the top, perhaps some SPD-SL MTB pedals. You might be better served driving up to do hiking and sight seeing.
• Warm clothes: you'll need to pack a wind breaker and perhaps an extra layer of clothing for the descent. The descent can take 90 minutes (!). Some people end up hypothermic, so be warned.

Want to race up Haleakala?

Each year, the famed Race to the Sun starts in Paia, and races to the summit of Haleakala.

Get more information here.

If you're thinking of heading to Maui in the Haiwaiian summer, think about timing your trip to do this race. It changes each year from June-August, so check the race date first.

As an aside, if I had to choose between an Etape du Tour/Marmotte trip with a trip to France for the Tour, with some Italy/Spain thrown in, I'd choose Hawaii, but only because I've done Etape a few times now.

Upcountry

The Maui Upcountry extends roughly from Paia down to Wailea/Makena and onto Haleakala's slopes, taking in the paniolo town (Hawai'ian cowboys) town of Makawao.

The upcountry affords great views and is usually a bit cooler than the lowlands, making it ideal for riding. It's often less busy too, making the riding nicer.

Expecting rolling hills and pasture lands, quiet roads and stunning views.

West Maui Loop

The West Maui loop is about 95km up into the mountains and around to Kapalua. You can do it in either direction, and the half near Lahaina is pretty flat along the coast.

This is the Honoapiilani Highway (route 30) on the west side of the island and it hugs the beach for a lengthy stretch and is pan flat in long stretches.

You'll see whales in the whale season right next to shore, and there are plenty of places to stop and rest, or do some sightseeing.

It's a super nice ride.

The link below includes a link to send to your device or download. You can also get a GPX download from Map My Ride here. (I haven't linked to Strava as it irks me that you have to be a premium member to download the GPX.)

Roads to avoid cycling in Maui

The Hana Highway (Route 36 and 360) heading out Kahului is unsealed in parts, narrow and riddled with potholes. It improves markedly once it turns into the Piilana Highway/Kula Highway (Routes 330, 31, 37).

Be aware that Route 31 (Piilani Highway) is very remote and desolate as it crosses Haleakala's rain shadow. As you can see, very remote. It gets better around about where it turns into Route 37 (Kula Highway). If you have a few people in your group and lots of water, it's a nice ride on a quite, well sealed road.

The Kahekili Highway out of Kahului (Route 340) is also poor in parts and quite narrow and winding in parts heading up into the hills but is part of the West Maui Loop and is well traversed. Just be careful with traffic.

Planning your rides

The tradewinds are absolutely shocking in Maui. These means you need to plan your cycling very carefully to ensure you don't have a 60-90km/h headwind coming home.

In Hawai'i the trade winds are felt 83-95% of the time in the summer and 42-60% of the time in the winter, however I can tell you they blew what felt like 100% of the day during winter when we were there. They usually blow up in the morning, and the time varies.

The tradewinds are lessened in the Maui upcountry due to being in Haleakala's wind shadow, so any of the areas around Wailea, Makena and Haleakalas slopes are ideas.

Get a Maui County cycling map.

Other Things to do on Maui

Golf

Maui is absolutely replete with great golf courses.

We stayed near the Wailea Golf Club and the Wailea Old Blue Golf Course and both looked as good as any I've played (which includes some fairly spiffy Melbourne sand belt courses).

Golf in Hawai'i isn't cheap but it's worth it.

Sight-seeing and exploring

We headed to Makena on our first day, driving into an old volcano lava field. The water at La Perouse bay is that unearthly pale blue vibrant colour and there's lava everywhere.

Julia's Best Banana Bread on the Planet near Kahakuloa Bay is worth a stop for the amazing banana bread. You can also stop just afterwards to have a look at the Nakalele Blowhole. You can drive or ride there, but be aware the road is a little dicey in parts. It's on the West Maui Loop so there's plenty of cyclists around and most drivers should be aware of your presence.

The Shops at Wailea are fun. There's lots of high end shops (like Tiffany) and it's fun to have a look. I don't recommend having a caramel thick shake AND a double ice cream from the ice cream shop Lappert's.

The Hana Highway takes you through little villages where there are numerous food stops. All I can tell you is try the pulled pork or fish taco.

Whale watching and swimming with sea turtles

You MUST go humpback whale watching and diving with sea turtles if you are there in whale season (November-May).

We went with the Pacific Whale Foundation who took great care of us. They have a sighting guarantee for the core part of the breeding season which is awesome too.

We had one of the head researchers with us, who also spends time here in Australia so we had a good chat to him.

It's hard to convey the sense of wonder watching one of these magnificent creatures breach the water right near you, as if they know you're watching and want to show off.

At one point, I didn't have my camera up, and one breached right near the stern of the boat—and I mean right near us—with almost its entire body arching gracefully out of the water. The research guy just looked at the whale, then us, shaking his head in wonder, gobsmacked, almost in tears of joy. If a person like that who has spent thousands of hours watching whales can still be left speechless, you can imagine how amazing it might be. Thought I didn't get a photo, that memory is etched in my mind forever.

It's hard to describe the sense of feeling very small at watching flumes of water all around you with scores of whales breaching and frolicking and flicking their tails in Maalea Bay. (Did you know whales are uniquely identifiable by their tail markings?).

Another amazing thing to do is a snorkelling tour. We did one of these with stops at two spots including the stunning Molokini. We mainly did this to go swimming with sea turtles. Again, a humbling experience being suspended in warm water, surrounded by turtles idling past in an almost ethereal fashion.

If you go snorkelling, make sure you take a thermal (wetsuit) top if you're prone to cold. This skinny-ish cyclist's body got cold in between islands!

A delightful surprise was hearing whale calls under the water—scores of whales calling out, with their ghosty calls calling to us from the water. Transcendental magic.

The PWF does a range of tours including the whale and snorkelling tours that we did. The whale tour came with lunch and a drink, so definitely check out the Pacific Whale Foundation who do great research and conservation work.

Where to stay on Maui

We stayed at Wailea at the Hotel Wailea. It's premium accommodation at a very good price. In fact, when we arrived, Kate thought we were at the wrong spot. It's perched up the hill from the beach, but it's exquisite.

VeloNomad reader Laura W wrote in:

If you are looking for a great place to stay and reasonable prices, we rented a unit in Paia with a private home owner through Flip Key. The location and home owner were amazing. The owner, Daniel, is a retired windsurfer and cyclist and his 23 your old son, Dean, is a pro wind-surfer.

The 2 units (Studio, 2 Bedroom) available are private with a kitchenette but Daniel, his wife and son live on the property and you can knock on their door if you need anything. It is also only 100 meters from an amazing beach, Baldwin (or Baby Beach as locals call it). We would enjoy breakfast on the patio, cycle until after lunch, and then chill on the beach for the afternoon…perfect!

Maui Bike Shops and Maui Bike Rental

There are a few bike shops around the island, but reader Laura W again chips in with this valuable information:

There is bike shop located ride in Paia, Maui Cyclery [Ed: which runs the Go Maui Cycling website]. The owner, Donnie, and his staff were great. Ryder Hesjedal runs his annual clinics with this cycle shop…in fact Ryder was there when we were visiting and me missed seeing him by a few minutes.

The shop rents decent quality bikes [Ed: including carbon frames with compacts, Di2, 105, Ultegra or Rival or Litespeed Ti bikes with various options] but we brought our own, despite the high baggage fees of the US (approx. $100/each way….plus $50/each on Hawaiian when we jump islands). In the end, it cost approx. $500/total for 2 bikes which was cheaper than renting given we cycled for 5 days. I also like having my own bike.

Other bike shops including West Maui Cycles hire bikes out.

Obviously you want to take your own bike, but weigh up the costs of extra baggage and insuring your bike (VeloNomad insurance tips) plus the need for a bike bag (VeloNomad bike bag reviews).

Getting there and car rentals

Hawaiian Airlines flies frequently to Maui airport, where there are loads of hire cars.

We hired a little Dodge which was fine for most tasks.

If you plan on hiring a surfboard, you might want something with racks, or else, hire a Jeep Wrangler.

We would have appreciated a 4WD (aka 4×4) on some of the coast roads as they get pretty gnarly.

More information

• Tom's Bicycle Blog has some great information on Cycling in Maui.
• West Maui Cycles is a valuable source of information and bike hire.
• Go Cycling Maui (Maui Cyclery) also has a great hire fleet and does tours.