Conquering Haleakala

This past October, I ventured to the island of Maui in Hawaii for a week of adventurous activities, sun & warm weather, relaxation, and to attend a wedding!  To start the activities, I arranged to do a sunrise journey to the top of Haleakala with Mountain Riders.  After sunrise, the journey would take us 38 miles, from 10,000 ft to sea level, on bike and all downhill.

Reaching the top of Haleakala for sunrise means getting up early, extremely early.  After a 2:00am wakeup call and thirty minutes to prepare, down to the hotel lobby we went. Mountain Riders arrived and promptly picked us up at 2:30am.  At pick up we met Monty, the driver and one of our two guides. The van was already full of adventure seekers as we were the last stop before going into Kahului to prepare for the Haleakala experience.

During the van ride into Kahului, liability waivers and safety information were passed out and we each signed our life away.  After the paperwork, time for a nap during the drive from Lahaina to Kahului.  Once in Kahului we assembled at the Mountain Riders headquarters to watch a safety video and there we met our other guide, Mike, who would be taking us on the thrilling 38 mile trek from 10,000 feet down to the Pacific Ocean.

After the safety video, back into the van we go with bike trailer attached for the ride up to the top. Ears pop as we climb Haleakala and lights can be seen from below.  Once at the top it's bloody cold, about 40 (f) degrees but seems much colder with the wind blowing. Wind breakers and gloves are provided to keep us warm. Much needed coffee is provided with a continental breakfast which we eat in the van.

Sunrise over the Haleakala crater is beautiful and the island of Hawaii can be seen in the distance.  Once back in the van we drive to the summit of Haleakala and are able to see the spectacular, but endangered Silversword, which only grows on the top of Haleakala.

Next we drive down to the staging area, get our bikes, and prepare for the journey downward.  Once we are assembled on our bikes and helmets are on, we proceed downward.  On the way down are many hairpin turns and no guard rails in several places - miss a turn and you could be in serious trouble. Once in the upcountry we reached some great straight-aways and extreme speeds between the hairpin turns as we continued downward. Upcountry is of extreme beauty and several different smells hit the senses where plants such as eucalyptus are grown.

During the downward journey we make stops to take pictures, to allow vehicles to pass and to allow our guides to provide information. Our guides, Monty & Mike are knowledgeable and provide us with the history of Haleakala, its ecology, and the many landmarks we pass downhill from the Haleakala Observatory at the top, the Haleakala Ranch, the many farms, churches, sugar cane fields, and the Baldwin Field Dormitory.   One would have to travel from Mexico to Alaska to go through all of the ecological zones we went through in 38 miles which makes the Haleakala experience special.

In Makawao Town we stop at Polli's Mexican Restaurant for breakfast.  The food hit the spot and downward we went to Paia Town and the Pacific Ocean. Once finished, the bikes are packed up and back to Kahului to drop off the trailer and visit the gift shop.  Finally, after a long exciting morning, we are delivered back to our hotel in Lahaina just in time for a well needed nap!   

Haleakala Information

Haleakala (Hale-a-ka-la) means "house of the sun" in Hawaiian and is a dormant volcano which last erupted between 1480 and 1600 according to the United States Geological Survey.  The summit is 10,023 ft (3,055m) and the Volcano takes up most of east Maui.

To protect Haleakala, with its rare plants such as the Silversword and other species, Haleakala National Park was created and in 1980 was designated an International Biosphere Reserve. The Haleakala Crater at the summit was used by NASA for training prior to the moon landing because of its unique topography.

If you will be going to Haleakala on your own, please note there is an admission fee per vehicle at the Haleakala National Park entrances. If you decide to drive up to Haleakala, use care and be aware for bicyclists.