La Perouse (Intermediate) – Kihei Bike Routes

La Perouse Cycling Route – Intermediate

35 miles, 1,800’ elevation gain

An elongated version of our La Perouse – Beginner route. For those looking for a little more time in the saddle!

Ride beachside along the flat Kihei frontage road (S Kihei Rd), soaking up the ocean views on your right. While there is a bike shoulder, stay alert as it’s a busy road! About 5 miles in, you’ll cross the town line into Wailea, where gentle rollers begin. We’ve included a couple of small detours that will take you off the main road; we think it’s well worth the extra pedal strokes to explore the quiet neighborhoods of Wailea and Makena.

For this intermediate version of our La Perouse route, we’ve elongated the return journey to include some bonus miles. There are a couple of excellent points of interest that are worth a look!

Cruise out to the youngest land on Maui.

About 7 miles in, traffic thins out and the road narrows as you begin the final stretch of road out to La Perouse. You’re passing through the youngest land on the island, and home to a monument and ruins of Hawaiians who once made their home on the sharp lava rock. On the way, you’ll pass a number of excellent swimming beaches and a couple of food trucks. Great pit stops to break up the ride, or to revisit with the family!

Be aware – while all paved, the final mile of the road to La Perouse is in exceptionally poor condition. If on a road bike, we recommend turning around when the pavement quality deteriorates to avoid a VERY bumpy 2-mile out and back. But, if you’re the adventurous type (and have a spare tube!), go for it!

Take the exploratory return journey to our Kihei shop.

It’s along the return journey from La Perouse that this route diverges from the Beginner level route. Head slightly uphill to link onto the start of the Piilani Highway.

Along the Piilani Highway, we’ve included a couple of sightseeing detours. The first (mile ~19) brings you through a beautiful, quiet neighborhood on the slope of Haleakala Volcano. A short steep climb awaits, but you’ll be instantly rewarded with a fun descent back down to Piilani Highway. Speed past beautiful homes, palm trees, and catch the occasional glimpse of the Pacific in the distance.

The second detour (mile ~24) is a quick out and back up to Maui Brew Company. The huge brewery is the perfect pitstop for a cold beer in their outdoor beer garden. If you have one beer too many, a quick shortcut down E Lipoa street and then a left on S Kihei road brings you back to our shop.

A third detour at the northern end of this loop (mile ~29) brings you to Keālia Pond – a hidden wetland treasure transitioning the urban development and agriculture fields. Here, endangered Hawaiian waterbirds are protected and go about their daily activities, and are joined by migratory birds in winter.  Quiet solitude awaits those that wander and explore the wetlands.  

The protected wetland is home to the ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt) and ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coot). It provides a nesting and feeding habitat for the endangered birds. In the winter months, there are over 30 species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and migratory ducks at the refuge.

A short, flat 5 miles from the wetlands brings you right back to where you started at our Kihei shop!