by Maui Sunriders | Mar 29, 2017 | Blog
There’s an incredible amount of awesome stuff to see and experience on your way down from atop Haleakalā. Let’s start with the view! From the moment you embark on your journey up Haleakalā, you’ll begin to see glimpses of the majesty that is Maui; vistas and valleys, green rolling hills and so much more…
Once you’re near the top you’ll mount your bike for the trip back down. From here on it’s an at-your-own-pace adventure. Don’t forget to stop and snap a few pictures of yourself, and of course the views. The twisting and turning of the road reveals endless opportunities for selfies and staged shots with your friends.
On the way up the mountain your guide will show you where to turn on your way back down. The first right on your way down is where the long zig-zag Crater Road runs into Kekaulike Ave (hwy 377) better known as Haleakalā Highway. Much of this area is upcountry residential neighborhoods. Soon after your first right you will see Kula Lodge and Restaurant on your left (Check their hours to see if they will be open during your ride).
The next few miles is some of Maui’s most incredible rolling hills and countryside. You’ll see endless views of farms and ranches; Eucalyptus and Jacaranda trees surrounded by vibrant green meadows. There’s just no chance you’ll not stop to take a few pictures in this area.
Next up you might see a herd of goats mowing the tall grass on either side of the highway. And often there are beautiful horses standing near the fence just waiting for you to share some of the rich green grass that’s just on your side of the fence. Then you’ll cut across from Hwy 377 to Olinda Road via a short jaunt through some country backroads (turn right on Kealaloa Ave from 377 to the “Y” where you’ll take a right onto Hanamu Rd, then left on Olinda Road). It’s important to pay attention to your guide’s instructions about this easy to miss transition from the highway to Olinda road. Ahead you’ll turn left onto Olinda Road right at the Oskie Rice Rodeo Arena.
Don’t forget to checkout our Olinda Forest Bike Trail Guide!
You’ll be heading into Makawao Town now. This is a very cool town to explore so don’t be shy. The little shops, galleries and restaurants are a welcome break—especially SipMe Cafe which is open early most days. Here’s a brief list of some of the more popular restaurants and maybe some tasty bites for the next leg of your trip.
- Polli’s Mexican Restaurant
- Casanova’s Restaurant
- Rodeo General Store (hot coffee)
- SipMe Cafe (open early)
- Komoda Bakery (Maui Landmark)
- Market Fresh Bistro
- Makawao Steak House
Read “Exploring Makawao Town” for more details about this little upcountry hamlet.
Your adventure isn’t over yet! Up next you’re on your way down to Paia through some very different landscapes, passing historic churches and lots and lots of sugarcane. You’ll peddle right through Skill Village which used to be where a bunch of skilled folks used to live in support of local pineapple and sugarcane industries.
After a short while you’ll reach Paia Town where you’ll find everything unimaginable to explore and experience, including a Buddhist Stupa. Mana Foods is the local grocery store that’s an experience all on it’s own. You can get a tattoo, a pizza and local Maui handcrafted beers all right here in this little beach town. Here is a list of some of the more popular restaurants in Paia Town:
- Hana Ranch Provisions
- Cafe Des Amis
- Cafe Mambo
- Maka by Mana
- Charley’s Bar, Grill & Sushi
- Rock “n” Brews
- Milagros Mexican Food
- Paia Gelato & Hana PicNic Lunches
- Paia Bay Coffee
- Paia Fish Market
- Anthony’s Coffee
- Flatbread Pizza
You can read more about Paia Town in, “Stopping for Lunch in Paia Town”.
This is just a taste of the different areas along your Maui Bike Trip. You’ve got a lot of time to explore and enjoy the countryside and the local flavors. Make the most of your trip by creating memories and going further on the backroads of Maui.
Here’s an overview map of the entire trip:
“I took the sunrise tour and had a blast!”
– Diedre J. J. Bush
5-star reviewed Maui Sunriders on Google
by Maui Sunriders | Mar 26, 2017 | Blog
At the summit of Haleakalā, Maui’s majestic dormant volcano, it’s easy to forget where you came from as you look out onto what feels like another world. At dawn, the peak itself often becomes its own island, suspended in a soft sea of clouds amidst the scattering of smaller island peaks around you. Although the vistas from this altitude are always spectacular, these moments at dawn are some of the most magical… right before the clouds melt away.
This is, no doubt, why for millennia, mankind has been transfixed by this special spot on the legendary Maui volcano summit and inspired to tell grand stories about it. The Hawaiian people have a great oral tradition, and the story of Maui snaring the sun is one of their favorites!
The Legend of Maui The Demigod and the Haleakalā Volcano
The legend goes that the trickster demigod Maui (after whom the island is named) once set out to capture the sun and convince it to slow down. His mother Hina was a great artisan but complained that she was unable to sun-dry her kapa (bark cloth) because the days were too short. Undaunted, one night Maui journeyed to the peak of the mountain Haleakalā (which actually means house of the sun) and lay in wait for the sun to wake up and rise from its crater.
The details differ from legend to legend, but as soon as the sun showed itself that morning, storytellers agree that Maui swung a mighty lasso and snared the sun, holding it fast! He allowed the sun to go free only after it had agreed to travel more slowly through the sky for half the year. Thus the seasons were born, with shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer. At last, Maui’s mother Hina could complete her fabrics, and the people of the islands were also able to enjoy the warmth of the sun and taste the fruits of a long growing season.
“Maui Snaring the Sun,” a pen and ink by drawing Arman Manookian circa 1927
Some Facts About the Haleakalā Volcano
The jury may still be out on the historical accuracy of this particular tale, but here are a few facts we do know about the Maui volcano!
- Haleakalā is not actually an extinct volcano, but merely dormant. Its last eruption was in the year 1790.*
- The “great basin” or crater below the summit is 3,000 feet deep, 7.5 miles long, and 2.5 miles wide. It was worn by long years of water and weather erosion.*
- The summit of Haleakalā is over 10,000 feet in elevation**
- The volcano is now encompassed by Haleakalā National Park with over 30,000 acres of beautiful landscapes and diverse wildlife. The park is a popular destination for hiking, swimming, camping, tours, and (of course) Maui Sunriders Haleakala downhill bike tours!**
** Facts provided by the National Park Service
(Sunrise photo by Ewen Roberts via Flickr)
(“Maui Snaring the Sun” courtesy of Honolulu Academy of Arts)
by Maui Sunriders | Mar 4, 2017 | Blog
Our Maui volcano tour offers a chance to see a unique side of Maui – Upcountry! Along the slopes of the dormant volcano Haleakalā sits a world of serene beauty, crisp mountain air, and amazing mountain to ocean views. This world is quite different than the golden beaches of Maui featured on postcards, but it’s equally beautiful and engaging.
Biking through Upcountry offers a chance to really experience this beautiful landscape first-hand. And the great part about our particular Maui volcano tour is that you can experience all of this beauty at your own pace, on your timetable. Because all of your biking tours are self-paced, you can stop and go as you please. Stop to pick a flower or shop at a unique boutique. You can choose where you want to stop along the bike route.
One of our favorite stops along the route is the Kula Lodge and Restaurant. Located at about 3,200 feet on the western slopes of Haleakalā, this charming lodge provides a quiet place to stop and relax, take pictures, or enjoy a nice lunch.
Kula Lodge Garden Terrace
“Kula is the Undiscovered Maui, a place only the adventurous discover. You won’t find tourist traps or snorkel shops. Instead there will be birds singing from Jacaranda trees and flowers that grow to startling sizes and beauty,” notes Kula Lodge on its website.
Yes, this beautiful lodge sits amid a garden of flower farms with paths lined with protea, carnations, and tropical flora. With panoramic views from the West Maui Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, this lodge, situated on the hills of Haleakalā, is the perfect place to stop along the Maui volcano tour and snap a photo. But, why not also stop and enjoy a bite to eat as well?
The restaurant at the Kula Lodge is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This unique restaurant features an outdoor garden terrace “cradled” among the trees overlooking the entire west side of Maui. On the garden terrace, a wood-burning pizza oven creates delicious pizza dishes. The Kula Lodge and Restaurant has its own Executive Chef that oversees all the culinary creations at this delightful restaurant. The Kula Lodge really offers spectacular views and an unforgettable setting to enjoy relax and enjoy a nice meal on your Maui volcano tour.
Kula Lodge filled with paintings by local artists.
Located right in the heart of Upcountry, Kula Lodge also is a nice place to stay if you want to spend a few days in the mountains of Maui. This “romantic hideaway” has 5 rustic lodges available for overnight stays. “Imagine spending a few days in a lush garden that overlooks an endless horizon,” the Kula Lodge noted.
If you’d like to do a little shopping on your Maui volcano tour, the Kula Marketplace and the Curtis Wilson Cost Gallery, both located at the Kula Lodge, have a variety of unique island gifts available for purchase. These shops feature one-of-a-kind art by local Maui and Hawaiian artists and craftsmen as well as homemade jellies, jams, and pastries.
With its sweeping views of the lush green countryside to the ocean, the Kula Lodge and Restaurant is a hidden gem in Upcountry and definitely a must-see on your Maui volcano tour.
(First photo by Belindah via Flickr)
(Garden Terrace photo by Bill Abbott via Flickr)
(Last photo by Belindah via Flickr)
by Maui Sunriders | Feb 12, 2017 | Blog
Visitors can see so many things on the Maui volcano tour, many things they might not otherwise have seen on their Maui vacation. This downhill bike tour through Upcountry Maui offers a chance to see this unique part of Maui up close. Sure you can drive through Upcountry, but that’s like taking a boat when you could go surfing. You’ll get to “experience” the adventure that is Upcountry and Haleakalā when you take the Maui volcano bike tour.
Although on our self-paced Maui volcano bike tours, you can stop as you want along the way, there are a few major stops that everyone should take on their volcano tour. One of these stops is Makawao Town. The historic little town of Makawao is the heart of what’s known as “Paniolo Country.” One of the last paniolo or Hawaiian cowboy towns in Hawaii, Makawao has its own unique atmosphere and feel. As the “biggest little town” in Upcountry, “
Makawao has one foot in its plantation past and another in its thriving arts community,” the Hawaii Tourism Authority noted. Yes, Makawao is a little bit of the old mixed with a little of the new, and this is what makes Makawao one of the must-see stops along the Maui volcano tour.
Makawao is where the paniolo still roam and rodeos are still a major part of life and the culture of Upcountry. Held annually on the Fourth of July, the Makawao Rodeo is Hawaii’s largest paniolo competition with all the traditional rodeo events like calf roping, bronco riding, and barrel racing as well as a parade through Makawao. Paniolo is still such a large part of the town’s life and heritage that you just might see a cowboy riding through town on horseback.
This eclectic town is jam-packed with charming boutiques and art galleries, all with an authentic, not so touristy feel, but more of a ‘this-is-life-in-a-small-Upcountry-town’ atmosphere. Once named one of the top 25 arts destinations in the United States, Makawao is home to many working artists. From watching glassblowing at Hot Island Glass to shopping for Polynesian jewelry, clothing, and home accessories to browsing numerous fine arts galleries and wood sculptor shops, Makawao offers a world of diversity in its shopping.
A diverse array of restaurants also calls Makawao home, including the famous T. Komoda Store & Bakery. This small bakery that has been a local tradition since 1916 is legendary for its pastries including its cream puffs and donuts on a stick. And as Mitchell commented on Yelp: “The best way to hit this spot is to take the Maui Sunriders sunrise bike tour. It is a great stop with 7 miles left to go in a 26-mile downhill mountain bike bomb. . . It looks like a bodega/convenience store, but the secret (well not that much of a secret) is that they make the most amazing fresh bread and donuts.”
So don’t forget to stop in Makawao Town on your Maui volcano tour! This eclectic little paniolo town has a lot of character and a cool story to tell.
(First Photo by “Allie_Caulfield”)
(Rodeo photo by “Travis”)
(Gecko Trading Co. Photo by “Allie_Caulfield”)
(Fourth photo by PV Photography)
(Komoda Store Photo by “Too Tall Paul”)
by Maui Sunriders | Feb 1, 2017 | Blog
For those looking to experience a different side of Maui, this hike is for you. If you’re pressed for time or want to hike and bike upcountry Maui on the same day, this trail is just right!
WHERE is Waihou Spring Trail?
Waihou Spring Trail is just up the road from Makawao in the Waihou Spring Forest Reserve. It is an intermediate level trail that also works as an easy forest stroll if you skip the last part which is a short but steep hike down into a ravine with some interesting caves. Getting back out can be a challenge if you’re out of shape.
How long of A Hike is Waihou spring trail?
The trail is about a mile or so round trip and takes about 1 – 2 hours if you’re not in a hurry. This is a short hike compared to some of the others, yet it will give your body a workout and fill your senses with the sights and sounds of the Waihou Spring Forest. The reserve is bordered by the state-run tree experimentation project, which is nearly 100-years old. This secluded hike features a variety of non-native species of trees such as Eucalyptus and Monterey cypress. Additionally, hikers can listen to native island birds such as bright red honeycreepers singing their song. Even axis deer may be seen occasionally.
What to expect when hiking WAIHOU TRAIL
Along the trail, an overlook provides some 
views between branches of the beautiful trees down the slope of Haleakalā towards the valley. A narrow, steep, and rocky trail leads down into Kailua Gulch. This canyon is scattered with boulders and is home to several caves which are actually old water diversion tunnels can also be seen cut into the face of the cliffs that surround you. Waihou Spring can be seen from here also surrounded by large fern and moss-covered stones. The spring even offers a bit of a cool breeze. The spring may be dry depending on the weather. This area of the Kailua Gulch is great for adventure exploring. Heavy canopied forests and open forests are also included along this hiking trail.
Directions to The Waihou spring trail loop
Directions to Trailhead: From downtown Paia, hwy 36, turn onto Baldwin Avenue and follow through the town of Makawao. Baldwin Ave. turns into Olinda Road. Stay on this road and follow it for almost five winding miles. Go up the winding road and it will bring you to the trail head of Waihou Spring Forest Reserve. You will also see a sign for the Tree Growth Research Area entrance.
Tip: Bring plenty of drinking water, snacks, camera, comfortable hiking boots or walking shoes, and mosquito repellent.
by Maui Sunriders | Jan 4, 2017 | Blog
While renowned for its gorgeous beaches, the majestic island of Maui is also known as one of the most beautiful places on earth because of its unique geographic features. What do we mean? Well, as you drive along the coast, you see a stunning ocean on one side and impressive mountains standing regally on the other. The striking beauty of these opposing landscapes is truly breathtaking.
And these divergent geo-features are what create a multitude of distinct microclimates that can best be seen on our Maui volcano tour of Haleakalā. Only on this bike tour will you get to experience a wide range of climates that make up Maui as you start at the top of the Haleakalā volcano and ride all the way down to the sea. But are these climates that diverse? What are some of the different microclimates you bike through on the Maui volcano tour?
Tropical cloud forests. As you make your way biking down the volcano below the forest line, you’ll see a unique change, a striking increase in vegetation in an area known as the cloud forest zone. This area, often featuring ground-level clouds, is at just the right elevation and has the right trade wind patterns combined with a significant increase in rainfall and cloud condensation to be, as the National Park Service described, “dripping with red and green native ferns.”
As you travel to lower elevations on the Maui volcano tour, you’ll transition into slightly different microclimates, more lush as you bike down, each with slightly different plant-life and weather conditions.
Flower farms, tropical gardens and rolling hillsides. Although still in the cooler mountain air of Upcountry, the area around the town of Kula is teaming with beautiful gardens and even farms of exotic flowers like protea, carnations, lavender, and other tropical flora. At an elevation of about 3,200 feet, Kula Lodge and Restaurant offers breathtaking views of surrounding mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Kula means “open country” in Hawaiian and aptly describes how the climate and vegetation shifts slightly in this area to a more open-air, dry, rural country set amid rolling green hillsides and offers the perfect climate and soil for farming.
Old sugar plantation areas. Further down the mountain sits a flat-lying area where acres of sugar cane fields once flourished. This tropical farming area sits closer to sea level and once helped to make Paia a bustling plantation town.
Sea level. Finally, you reach Paia Town and the ocean. As you end your Maui sunrise bike tour, you return to the warm ocean climate that most people think of when picturing Maui. This charming town is the heart of the North Shore and boasts some of Maui’s most beautiful white sand beaches.
The diverse microclimates you’ll not only see but also get to explore on the Maui sunrise volcano tour create a truly one-of-a-kind experience. From lush tropical gardens featured on the winding roadway of the mountain to the open-air pastureland settled on hillsides near Kula and finally back to the ocean, the amount of climate change you’ll experience is incredible. And all of this you can see in just under 2 hours (that is if you don’t stop to take in the sights, but we suggest you do stop along the way on our self-paced tour). Nowhere else can you experience the distinctive array of landscapes and climates that are collectively known as Upcountry Maui.
