Maui’s Top 3 Road Bike Routes
If riding your bike on Maui isn’t on your bucket list of riding destinations it should be. Where else in the world can you ride through jungles, deserts, and mountains all in the same vicinity? The vast array of views are unmatched to other places to ride in the world. Between the wind and array of climbs, Maui will certainly challenge even the greatest of cyclists.
If you’re planning on coming to Maui to ride your road bike, these are the 3 primary rides that you should plan on doing.
1. Sea to Summit (Haleakala Climb)
If you only pick one ride to do here, this should be it. You start in Paia town and work your way up Baldwin street, through Makawao Town, Kula, and onward to the Haleakala National Park on the 4-5 hour, 36 mile, 10,000 foot ascent. It’s pretty amazing to be able to start off in a beach landscape, go through a forest landscape, then into the clouds, and finishing in Mars. My favorite part is the descent, the blissful hour of blasting down the mountain back to Paia.
2. West Maui Loop
The next most popular cycling route is the West Maui Loop. West Maui offers an entirely different array of landscape than climbing Haleakala, you will feel you are in Ireland, then New Zealand, then the Amazon rainforest. You’ll see amazing cliff-sides, rolling hills, deserts, and lush jungles on this 60 miles loop with about 3,800 feet of elevation gain. This ride offers a good mix of conditions, not just a straight climb.
3. Road to Hana Loop
Biking the road to Hana is a feat, it is about 95 miles with about 8,300 foot elevation gain that takes about 10 – 11 hours to complete. You’ll travel through a long stretch of desert on the south end and through a long stretch of jungle on the north, both with amazing ocean views the whole ride. The south side offers many straight stretches, but get ready for the countless winding road on the north end. It’s easy to be immersed in the beauty on the north side so you may not need your dramamine and the many waterfalls offer great places to cool down and take a break.
As you may be able to tell, Maui is a cyclists’ paradise. There should be no hesitation as to where to book your next cycling destination. If you need a guide/support vehicle, book a guide with Trek Maui, we’ll be happy to help you. Happy cycling.