Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to Kahului headquarters. Other trips available are the express excursion which goes dir-
ectly to the 6,500-foot starting point (and doesn't include hotel pickup) for $109 or a trip
which combines the descent with a van tour out to the Tedeschi Winery ($129).
If finishing the ride next to the ocean is a must,
Cruiser Phil's
(58 A Amala Pl., 808/
893-2332 or 877/764-2453,
www.cruiserphil.com
,
7am-7pm daily) offers riders the abil-
ity to bike from 6,500 feet all the way down to the beach in Pa'ia ($150). The section of
road between Makawao and Pa'ia passes pineapple fields and historic churches, and it's
a much better option than finishing in Pukalani or Ha'iku. Day trips that don't view the
sunrise are also available ($135), or if you would like to ride independently with Cruiser
Phil's ($99), on select days of the week you can meet a guide at 8:15am in Pa'ia and be
driven up the mountain from there. Tours eat breakfast/lunch in either Kula or Pa'ia, al-
though the cost of the meal isn't included in the trip. This is a good tour if you want to ride
independently all the way to Pa'ia and don't care if you see the sunrise. Companies offer-
ing similar itineraries and services are
Maui Mountain Cruisers
(381 Baldwin Ave., 808/
871-6014,
www.mauimountaincruisers.com
,
9am-5pm weekdays, 10am-4pm weekends),
Mountain Riders
(15 South Wakea Ave., 808/877-4944,
www.mountainriders.com
)
, and
Bike It Maui
(808/878-3364,
www.bikeitmaui.com
), all of which finish in the town of
Pa'ia.
Maui Easy Riders
(808/344-9489,
www.mauieasyriders.com
)
is the island's new-
est bike company, with tours beginning at 9am
For regular road cyclists who aren't looking to ride down the volcano, one of the best
Upcountry rides is the stretch of highway from Kula to Kanaio. Starting at Rice Park off
Kula Highway (Hwy. 37), the 30-mile round-trip takes you south through the communities
of Keokea, Ulupalakua, and finally to Kanaio, a dry ranching outpost on the “back road”
to Hana. There's a 500-foot elevation drop from Kula to Kanaio, and the views along this
ride span from the north shore all the way to Makena and Lahaina. This is a popular week-
end ride where cyclists often take halftime at Grandma's Coffee House in Keokea, and the
scent of eucalyptus and freshly cut grass accompany you on the entire trip.
Mountain Biking
Many people are surprised to learn that on an island best known for its ocean activities
there is decent mountain biking. While it doesn't compare to places such as Tahoe or
Moab, there are still downhill rides and single-track trails where even the most hard-core
mountain biker can still have a good time.
The area with the most trails is the
Polipoli
section of mountainside high above the pas-
tures of Kula. While a number of the trails in Polipoli are rated as pedestrian only, the
Wai-
