Go on A Bike Tour Down Haleakala

Feb 12

Haleakala is an extinct volcano in Hawaii that rises 10,023 feet above Maui’s cloud line. There are a few amazing bike tours to choose from to explore the views from the top. These are self lead tours that are very easy to follow. The tour starts in Pa’ia, and the company equips you with helmets, bikes, raincoats and gloves to start the exhilarating trip downhill for 23 miles! As long as you’re comfortable on a bike I highly recommend this tour. Outside of the water activities it’s number one!

Details:

Starts in the city pf Pa’ia
Half shuttle ride / half self led bike tour
$75per person+ depending on the tour

Option #1: Morning ride

Start your tour meeting up at about 8:45am in the city of Pa’ia, where you’ll check-in and take a shuttle to the starting point high on the mountain.

Pro tip: grab Açaí and coffee at Pa’ia Bowls on the way in for breakfast before you start the trip.

At the beginning of he trip you get geared up in Pa'ia and go through a safety briefing. After you’ll hop on a shuttle, and as you ascend the mountain, the shuttle drivers will walk you through the turns you’ll be making, stops you can make for food and shopping, and historical facts.

You’ll start the bike ride portion of the trip in daylight overlooking the south side of Maui. As you can see below there are gorgeous views from the top.

There are plenty of lookout points you can stop at along the way to take in the view. The downhill is steep enough where you can go up to about 20 mph, and you almost never have to pedal.

After a solid amount of downhill you’ll come upon The Kula Lodge. We stopped here for lunch at about noon. This is a great location for a bite to eat, both the interior and exterior tables overlook a lush tropical garden. They also have a massive outdoor wood fire pizza oven, and tropical Hawaiian drinks.

At your last right turn, there’s a National Park sign. I always love to stop at these for a quick photo.

You’ll also see sheep, goats and horses along the route downhill. Occasionally free roaming cattle also stop in the middle of the roads.

There is great stretch of shops in Makawao, where you can get the “infamous” locally made treats from The Maui Cookie Lady, or shop local stores. I found an adorable Hawaiian print dress at Holoholo Surf.

At the end of the trip right before you return to the shop, you’ll see this array of rainbow surfboards along the right side of the streets. It’s a great place to snap a photo. After all, Hawaii is the rainbow state.

Finally, you finish this tour where you started in Pa’ia. You have to have the bikes back by 3:30pm. We were having so much fun we ended up getting them back just a few minutes before the end time.

Option #2: Sunrise Bike Tour

Maui Bike Co. does an amazing adventure trip to Haleakala Volcano for sunrise. For this tour, you have to wake up in the middle of the night to be at the starting point at about 2:30am (ouch!).

You start this tour the same as the previous, with a shuttle to the top, where you can watch the sunrise from high above the clouds. The clouds and light changes frequently as the sun comes up, changing the shapes and colors of the sky. Bundle up for this experience, it's cold and windy so I recommend bringing layers. Even if it's 80 degrees at sea level it will be cold at 10,023 feet.

Pros of this option: You get to see a stunning sunrise from above the clouds

Cons of this option: It’s cold and you have to start the trip so early, and not all the shops and restaurants are open on the way down