Maui - Cycling Paradise
Blue skies, bluer water, lush flora, relaxing coasts, long climbs and winding hills.
When the airlines had a good sale on airfare to Hawaii we researched the various islands for possible cycling routes. And although we lived in Hawaii many years ago, love the people and cultures and enjoy all the water and suns activities it has to offer, we didn’t realize how great it would be riding our bikes in Maui. There are plenty of bike shops and tour outfits that will set you up for some great rides, and many will get you to the top of Haleakela for a bomb ride down. We chose to take our own bikes with us and went with an airline that allows bikes as checked luggage. <>
West Maui Loop
Although you can take this ride in either direction, we wanted to end up in Wailuku for dinner so traveled clockwise around the island. The loop is typically 60 miles, but we were staying in Kihei so this added a bonus dozen miles to the trip. The << A little information about preparation >> The first thirty miles were relatively flat along the western coast. We stopped at Papawai Point to watch the whales for a bit, and it turned out we had many whale sightings for the next couple of hours as we rode north. A refreshing stretch of trees in Olowalu covered the road with shade providing a nice break from the sun. There’s a lot of traffic but you have a nice bike lane on the shoulder, but still prefer the less crowded paths.
Fortunately for us, there is a turnoff before Lahaina, but make sure you don’t miss it as it declares “No Left Turn” but that doesn’t apply to bikes. The whole road was like a bike lane. No right turn sign, made this empty of cars. They route all the northbound traffic up and around on a new highway, so the old highway is basically empty of northbound traffic so riding along the bike lane was nice and quiet. The car traffic going into Lahaina is diverted up and eastward on the Lahaina Bypass, fortunately for us the left turn onto Honoapiilani Highway is for cyclists only. This results in four miles of very little traffic, felt like our own private bike lane most of the way. We did see some folks on a bike lane just east of us, but couldn’t figure out how to get there. We set ourselves up on Baby Beach, a nice family hangout, and had lunch enjoying a family teach a couple of preschoolers how to surf. Dad would hold the surfboard and say, “Climb up on the board. Good!” He would push the board a little ways and say, “Steady.” “Okay, now jump off.” Splash. Good times.
Next stop is the popular snorkeling spot Honolua Bay, with beautiful views and fun windy roads you forget you’re riding hills. A great place for photos, and I can highly recommend the smoothies from the food truck.
Soon enough you will come to “The Wall”, a steep but relatively short section that has you questioning why you’re doing this ride, but trust me, the next thirty miles are worth it. Beautiful rolling hills and farmland with requisite chickens, cows, goats, but also saw mongoose, and of course lots of birds everywhere.
Drivers were really nice, slowing down on blind curves and offering much appreciated words of encouragement as they slowly and passed us in the hilly segments of the ride. There are a few roadside stands along the north shore serving up banana bread, smoothies, fruits, and other goodies, we frequented at least five of them.
Now we come to the reward, Ichiban Okazuya restaurant in Wailuku. Having lived in Japan, Hawaii and Northern California, we’ve been to a lot of Japanese restaurants. This little unassuming house-turned-restaurant has the best chicken katsu I’ve ever had. Treat yourself, you earned it.
West Maui Loop
