Ascending Haleakala

Introduction

In February of 2004 I rode my bike to the top of Haleakala on Maui. The route was a beautiful 36-mile ascent from sea level to10,023 feet. My goal was merely to finish, so I rode it as a tourist, taking my time to enjoy the magnificent views and have a "The Journey is the Reward" experience of 7.5 hours.

Though the ride was not easy, neither was it particularly difficult. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this ride was well within my capabilities.

Here is some information that may be useful to others thinking about taking the same ride.

• What is the road like?
• What kind of training did I do?
• What equipment did I use?
• What about rental bikes?
• What else do I need to know before starting off?

Route

Baldwin Avenue passes through a small business district and some residences, then quickly becomes agricultural. The road rolls a little, but climbs gently. Some landmarks are a closed sugar mill, the Holy Rosary Church, the Union Church, and the Rainbow County Park.

Crossing Halimaile Road (Route 371), there are a few shops and restaurants on the way into Makawao. At a few points along this road I rode directly into the early morning sun, which probably made it difficult for overtaking cars to see me.

Crossing Makawao Avenue (Route 40), Baldwin becomes Olinda Road. Here is the steepest part of the entire ride, a short pull of no more than 200 yards. Past the residential area there are open fields on your left.

After a good mile or so I turned right onto Hanamu Road. The road rolls a little here too. After 0.8 miles I veered left onto Kealaloa Avenue (essentially straight through the intersection) and soon arrived at Haleakala Highway (Route 377).

At this point the serious climbing began, with 5 miles of 6.6% grade. The route is pleasantly rural, with some shade from the early morning sun. I began to see downhill riders zip past, wearing motorcycle helmets and yellow raincoats. A leader rides sideways on his bike so he can monitor the paying customers, and a support van often follows the last rider in the group. I waved and yelled, "Good Morning" but few responded; it may have been hard to hear through their motorcycle helmets, they may have been sleepy after witnessing sunrise near the summit, or perhaps they were too busy staring at the back tire of the rider in front of them. One tour leader pointed to me and exclaimed, "There's another one of those crazy guys!" Meanwhile I was thinking exactly the same things about them.

When I made the left turn onto Crater Road (Route 378) I started to feel that I was putting a dent into the mountain. The sign at the intersection announced that there were only 22 miles to the summit, and I had completed one third of the total climbing.

The Sunrise Market—on the left after the first switchback—is a key stopping point. It is the last place to buy food. It is also the last place to get drinking water and the last toilet until the lower Visitor's Center near the park entrance. There are some picnic tables out in back of the store. I took the opportunity to eat a snack and chat with tourists or downhill riders who had stopped to take a break there. As I set out again, the downhill riders shouted out silly things like, "You're going the wrong way!" or "I hope you didn't pay money to do that!"

This next part was my favorite part of the entire ride. The road proceeded through a series of gentle switchbacks. After passing a grove of eucalyptus trees and the Pony Express horse ranch, the road traversed open grassy slopes, with fine views down upon the towns of Kihei, Kahului, and the other mountain—Puu Kukui—that forms the "head" of the island of Maui. Far above the white observatory dome gleamed in the morning sun. Looking back, I could see the road snake back and forth across the mountainside. Two guys in a pickup truck were unloading a hang glider that they were going to launch from the side of the road.

When I came across a downhill group stopped by the side of the road to fix a mechanical problem, I took the opportunity to cross over to them and chat. They were friendly and curious. I learned that there were two or three other ascending riders on the road ahead of me. The tour leader gave me the "hang loose" hand signal, while the van driver shouted out a friendly, "See you at the top!"

Either I missed a few elevation signs, or some of them were missing. Just when it was starting to seem like forever since the last elevation marker, I crossed a cattle guard and saw the 6500 foot sign. Nearby, two downhill tour guys in a white van were laying out a dozen mountain bikes at a wide spot at the side of the road , so I stopped and asked, "Hey, where are all the riders?" They had gone to the top by van and were going to return and begin the long coast down from that point. While I ate one of my sandwiches they told me about their work and the Cycle to the Sun race to the top of Haleakala in July where the record time is about 2.5 hours.

Maybe it was the peanut butter, but from that point it seemed like a short ride to the park entrance. The attendant must have thought I was a local, because when I pulled out my wallet to hand over the $5 entrance fee he asked me if I needed a map this time. I should have asked him if there was a kama'aina rate.

From the park boundary it is a little more than a mile to the lower Visitor's Center where there are water and restrooms. Now at the 7000 foot level—70% of the way there—I was still feeling fine but starting to feel the effects of the altitude, most notably shortness of breath and a slight headache. These were good incentives to stop often to enjoy the views.

Someone who rides but has only been to the summit to see the sunrise thought the park roads had too much traffic and were too narrow to be safe. I did not find this to be a problem in practice. By the time I hit the park, the morning traffic was long gone. The few cars that passed me gave me lots of space.

When I reached the upper Visitor's Center I pressed onward the remaining half mile to the summit. By my estimate that last half mile is on average twice as steep as the previous riding. This makes it a fitting, challenging cap to the entire ride.

At the summit parking lot I rode the wheelchair ramp to the 10023 foot sign. The building at the top gives you shelter from the wind, a view of the crater, and indicates points of interest such as the 13,000 foot peaks on the Big Island, 130 miles away.

Some of the motorists at the summit had passed me on their way up. They told me that they were rooting for me, and they were happy to see that I made it.

On my way down to the upper Visitor's Center I detoured toward "Science City" to check out the observatory domes. Unfortunately the area is posted "No Trespassing" so I could not do much better than the view from the summit. Evidently the astronomers like their privacy.

The summit Visitor's Center is rather modest. The most prominent feature is a large relief map of Haleakala. The restrooms are quite large, and there is water. It may seem strange to learn that this Visitor's Center closes at 3 PM, until you realize that it opens at 6 AM to accomodate the sunrise crowds.

At the Visitor's Center parking lot I met up with my wife and kids and drove down with them.

Preparation

I am proof that an average rider can make it to the summit. My riding mileage for the weeks prior to my Haleakala ride were 25, 70, 136, 0, 108, 70, 124. On one 70-mile ride I did 7500 feet of climbing. Another training ride included 5000 feet of climbing, including one mile of 13% grade.

With this kind of mileage base, I rode most of the Haleakala ascent in or near my lowest gear: a 30x28 gear (29 inches). I took it slow, enjoyed myself, stopped frequently to rest, eat, drink, and chat. I hardly suffered at all, and always felt that the ride was well within my capabilities. It took me about 7.5 hours to complete the ride.

One of my most useful training rides was an 82-mile trip north from Wailea and counter clockwise around the "head" of Maui. I did this ride the day after I landed on Maui. It was a beautiful ride in its own right, but it also reminded me to work hard at staying hydrated. I started out during the cool early morning hours and neglected to increase my fluid intake as the day grew warmer. Eventually I developed a dehydration headache and suffered mightily as I dragged myself through Kapalua and Lahaina on my way back to Wailea.

Equipment

I rented a Trek 1000 road bike at South Maui Cycles in Kihei. This bike had an aluminum frame, Shimano Sora components, alloy wheels, 25 mm tires, and a triple crank with a 29-inch low gear. The bike came with two water bottle cages, a pump and a seat pack that included a Park patch kit, tire irons, a spare tube, and some allen wrenches. I brought my own SPD pedals and my Brooks Pro leather saddle.

The rental bike was basically okay, but it had a few minor problems. The shop made no attempt at all to adjust the seat to fit me, so I was on my own. One of the brake blocks was dragging on the rear rim. Another brake block was scraping the front tire when the brakes were applied. There was some kind of kink in the front brake cable that kept the front brakes from opening completely until I moved the front reflector out of the way. Finally, there was an intermittent dull clunk when pedaling up steep slopes in a low gear. I made the necessary minor adjustments, and ignored the intermittent clunk.

Depending on the weather, you may need some cold weather gear. This is especially true if you do the descent. Temperatures are supposed to drop 3 degrees per thousand feet of elevation gain, so the weather at the summit should be approximately 30 degrees cooler than at sea level. That would put the temperature at the summit in the mid 50s.

During the ride up I was comfortable in my summer attire—short sleeve jersey, riding shorts, helmet, gloves and cycling shoes. I also packed a wind shell, riding tights, a Gore Tex raincoat, and padded gloves with fingers. Of these, the only thing I ended up needing was the wind shell. The weather was sunny and warm for me; your mileage may vary.

To stay hydrated I carried a Camelbak Blowfish, which sports a 3-liter water bladder and enough space to hold a lot of stuff. In addtion to the extra clothing, that stuff included two peeled oranges, two peanut butter sandwiches, three Cliff bars, a map, an Alien multi-purpose bicycle tool, a wallet, and a watch. I carried one large water bottle filled with Cytomax. In reserve I carried (but did not use) powder for a second bottle of Cytomax and a small sample of GU Energy Gel.

If I had started out before daylight, I would have needed lights. I bought a set that included a red LED flasher and a white halogen headlight but ended up not using them.

Rentals

Maui has several bike shops. I located two of them through web searches, then checked the phone book when I landed. Note that the yellow pages appear to be written for residents: as a visitor it was sometimes hard to figure out where the bike shops were located.

I rented my road bike from South Maui Cycles, 1993 South Kihei Road # 5 , Kihei, (808) 874-0068. The yellow pages say it is located in the Island Surf Building. I chose them because they were the closest shop and they had a bike that met my minimal standards.

It worked out well for me to rent from them, because I didn't have to drive half way across Maui to rent the bike or return it. This was particularly important on departure day: because our vehicle was full of people and luggage, I had to ride the bike back to the bike shop. My wife picked me up after I did the rental return.

The rental was $30/day or $130/week for the Trek 1000 that I rode. SPD pedals cost $3 more, and there was an additional $3 fee if I got a flat. There was also a fee if I the bike was dirty when I returned it.

I took the full week rental even though I planned to only ride every second day. It was worth it to guarantee that the right sized bicycle would be available for me, and would be properly adjusted. It was also worth it not to have to keep going back to the bike shop, which would be necessary if I rented by the day and returned. Finally, it was worth it to be able to start riding early in the morning, instead of waiting until the bike shop opened.

The shop made me sign a rental agreement promising that I would not ride their bike down Haleakala because the brakes were unsafe for such a ride. Because I brought my own helmet, I had to initial a clause that a helmet was recommended and offered to me, and I had declined it. If I had rented their SPD pedals, I would have had to initial a clause that SPD pedals were dangerous because a rider could fall over and get hurt. It was clear to me that they were worried about liability and were trying to cover themselves in every imaginable way.

If I stayed in the Lahina area, I would have rented from West Maui Cycles, 1087 Limahana Place #6, Lahaina HI 96761, (808) 661-9005. This shop was larger than South Maui Cycles and carried a wider range of rental road bikes. I could have rented a Giant road bike for $30/day if they had any in my size, or a much nicer Cannondale R2000 road bike for $150/week. West Maui Cycles is located just off of Route 30, just south of the Cannery Mall.

The bike shops may be willing to drop off and pick up your rental. This could be especially convenient if you do not have a car or are in a hurry.

Other Information

Start early. South Maui Cycles recommended getting on the road no later than 7 AM to beat the heat. If you start out too early there's a chance you'll run into heavy auto traffic from the tourists descending after the Haleakala sunrise; as I drove toward Pa'ia I could see long lines of headlights headed down the mountain. By 6:45 it was starting to get light enough to ride without lights, and that worked out well for me.

Watch dehydration. As the day heats up, you need to increase your fluid intake. I carred a 3-liter Camelbak Blowfish, which in retrospect was overkill for this ride. I would have been fine carrying two large water bottles, filling them at the Sunrise Market and the two Visitor's Centers.

Carry enough food. My two sandwiches, two oranges, and Cliff Bar were not enough. There is no food past the Sunrise Market. If someone is picking you up, ask them to bring you a snack.

Carefully consider your pace. I took it slow and easy to maximize my chances of success. It was enjoyable to take my time, check out the scenery, and talk with people I met along the route. I had a good time and hardly suffered at all. If I did the ride a second time I would probably push a little harder to challenge myself physically. I might also consider riding back down the mountain insteading of catching a ride.

Resources

Google turned up many useful web pages. Brian De Sousa has a nicely detailed web site that provides lots of information, including a clearly outlined map, an elevation profile, photos, and detailed directions. Don Axtell's web page describes his mental struggle to get to the top Dan Swiger's web page described his ride and includes photos, a topo map, and an elevation profile. Bicycling Magazine's article on ascending Haleakala is a good read. Mike Jacoubowsky of Chain Reaction Bikes has a nice page with lots of pictures.

While in Maui I bought Six Islands on Two Wheels, a Cycling Guide to Hawaii by Tom Koch, ISBN: 0-935848-79-7. The copyright is 1990 so it is a little dated. I did not find it very useful for the Haleakala ride, but hope it may prove useful for planning future rides.

I bought the Maui County Bicycle Map for $5.95. It includes the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. The map says, "Single copies of this map are available from: Maui Bicycle Shops and from Maui Visitors Bureau, 1727 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793, 808-244-3530. The map includes elevation profiles for some routes, though not for the entire ascent of Haleakala. It also includes information about the climate, including rainfall, temperature, and tradewinds. Bike shops, police, fire, emergency callboxes, and points of interest are clearly marked. Major cycling routes are color coded according to road width, traffic volume, shoulders, and pavement quality. A low resolution sample is scanned online here.

For $3.95 I also picked up "Map of Maui, The Valley Isle", which provided a few more more road details. Budget-minded riders will do fine by picking up any one of the large number of free maps at the airport.