Perfect Day #40 — Bicycling & Hiking Down Haleakala or Skyline Trail

Taking short or long hikes in the Haleakala Caldera, sometime after sunrise and a breakfast that you’ve brought along (no food at the summit), is at least a half-day activity. A thrilling bicycle ride downhill 38 miles to Pa’ia is an activity for another day that still leaves open the rest of the day on the North Shore. The road to Tedeschi Winery (Hwy. 37 changes to Hwy. 31 near MM 20 past Sun Yat Sen Park) is a marvelous bike ride, with or without a bike ride down from the summit. After a tour of the winery and wine-tasting, you could return to Keokea, turn into Thompson Rd. and bike a few miles in that direction, until the road dead-ends, before returning.

Rent your own bike, including transportation to the summit, and the day is yours to decide whether you want to ride down Crater Road or Skyline Trail through Polipoli Springs State Recreation Area, continue cruising (not much pedaling needed) on Hwy. 377 to Pukalani and Makawao or pedal in the opposite direction on Hwy. 37 to Keokea, Ulupalakua and Tedeschi. The ride down Skyline Trail can include additional miles and hours of biking around on roads and trails within Polipoli.

Get picked up at nearby Rice Park by a Aloha Bike Tours that will take you to the summit. (See http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/aloha_bike.html)
Kula and ‘Ulupalakua are such wonderful areas for bicycling, especially on countless sideroads, that it’s a wonder that more visitors who love to cycle don’t do it.

You can bike from Upcountry garden to garden to see tropical flowers such as plumeria, orchids, hibiscus, red ginger, heliconias and anthuriums at Kula Botanical Gardens, Protea Gardens of Maui, Sunrise Market and Protea Farm, Enchanting Floral Gardens of Kula and others, but you also can see acres of these proteas, bromeliads and other flowers in the gardens in Kula as you pedal along local roads. The landscaped slopes of Kula Botanical Gardens (admission $5 adults, $1 children 6-12, 878-1715) on Upper Kula Rd. is covered with more than 1700 types of plants, shrubs and flowering trees.

If you rent a bicycle at one of several bike shops in Kahului (for example, Island Biker Maui), you can work out a deal to return the bike in Kahului, and from Hwy. 37 bike down on Pulehu Road to Hwy. 36 and Dairy Rd. Another alternative, discussed elsewhere, is to rent a bike from Haleakala Bike Co. in Haiku (see http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/haleakala_bike.html) and have a fun bike ride back there through Makawao to Kokomo Rd. Wonderful local food waits at the Haiku Cannery and Kokomo Rd. area (Hana Hou Café, Island Tacos, Kimura Saimin Shop, Lynne’s Café and Veg Out) or stop in Pukalani at Maui’s Tamales & Best Local Food for, you guessed, great tamales.

Biking Down Haleakala

You can watch the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala and bicycle down the mountain. It requires getting up at 2 a.m. (and dressing as warmly as you possibly can without getting too bulky). A van picks you up at 3 a.m. (at least you don’t have to drive!) and takes you to the summit. With a guide, about a dozen other bicyclers, and a support van bringing up the rear, you’ll bicycle at about 20 mph (pretty fast!) downhill from the summit of Haleakala for about 38 miles through Makawao to Pa’ia on the North Shore.

Some bicycle tour companies will transport you to view sunrise at Haleakala’s summit and then let you off at the edge of the Park to bicycle down to Makawao on your own. On tour company will guide you down Haleakala and then, instead of bicycling downhill to Makawao and Pa’ia, the group turns on Hwy. 377 to Ulupalakua and Tedeschi. (See: http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/bike_maui.html)

Skyline Trail

As an alternative to bicycling down Haleakala along Haleakala Hwy. (378), you can bike or hike down Skyline Trail from Science City to Polipoli Park and then via the Mamane Trail to Waipoli Road. After following rough trails on Skyline, where you’ll have to walk your bike occasionally, the last six miles are on steep, narrow, winding but paved Waipoli Road to its junction with Hwy. 377.

The Mamane Trail was created by the Maui Mountain Bike Club and is a favorite of local bicyclers. The trail ends at the intersection with Waiakoa Trail. Going .6 of a mile straight down will take you to the Polipoli Access Road. Taking the Waiakoa Trail will take you across many dry river beds (you may have to walk your bike occasionally) to the Waiakoa Loop Trail about 7 miles away. These trails also are great for people who love mountain running as well as hiking.

The bicycle trip down the Skyline Trail is only for experienced (intermediate and advanced), adventuresome riders. The main hitch is that you need two cars with bike racks: one to take you and your bike up to Science City atop Haleakala and the other to pick you up near the beginning of Waipoli Road and Highway 377. Take Hwy. 37 southeast past the first entrance to Hwy 377, and then, at the second entrance to Hwy. 377, backtrack on Hwy. 377 for just 1/3 mile to the junction with (unmarked) Waipoli Road.

The journey to the summit of Haleakala through Upcountry no doubt will wet your appetite for seeing more of Kula, the belt of forests, small homes, farms, ranches and gardens around the 3,000-foot level of Haleakala. Some of Maui’s most charming, comfortable and affordable vacation rentals are hidden on Kula’s many sideroads. 

Polipoli Park
Polipoli Park at the 6000+’ level is only a small part of the Kula and Kahikinui Forest Reserve on the slopes of Haleakala. For Mauians, its greatest attractions are wild pig hunting and, between May and July, picking tasty Methley Plums, although year-by-year the plum trees have been damaged by pickers and overgrown with vegetation.

For the best visibility, arrive early in the morning. To get to Polipoli Park, from Hwy. 37, take a left on Hwy. 377 and then a right on Waipoli Road for a steep, winding, bumpy drive for about 10 miles to the end. The last three miles of the road are not paved. (Advisory: Polipoli Park is remote, wet, and cold. It rains frequently. You need rain gear and warm clothing. And remember that hikers share the trails with mountain bikers.)

A dense, frequently fog-bound forest, Polipoli includes a maze of crisscrossing trails that require you to be alert to “false trails.” The Skyline Trail runs 8.5 miles from the Polipoli Campground to Science City at the 9,750-foot level or the other way around. You can start the trail from the top or bottom. A popular starting point is 6 miles from and 3,800’ below Science City at a place called by locals “Ballpark Junction,” one mile from the Haleakala Ridge Trail. Drive on Polipoli Road to Ballpark Junction (also the start of the Kahua Road, good for mountain biking) and hike from there up to Science City. Hikers also walk the 7-mile Upper Waiakoa Trail that begins at 6,000’ and climbs 1800’ over rocky terrain to outstanding views.

The Redwood Trail leads to a wonderful view near the rentable State Park cabin. Redwoods were planted in this area as part of reforestation in the 1930s. In less than 2 miles, the Redwood Trail joins the Tie Trail which connects with the Plum Trail through more redwoods and other trees to an overlook of ‘Ulupalakua Ranch. All of this takes a couple of leisurely hours to cover about 2 miles.

If you’re up for another hour of hiking on the Polipoli Trail and the Haleakala Ridge Trail, you’ll reach sections of the trail with wonderful views just in time for a lunch break. Make your way back on the Boundary Trail to the ranger’s cabin at the intersection of the Redwood-Plum trails. The Boundary Trail passes by tall purple fuchsias that attract rare ‘apapane birds.

Cabin Rental
Just one housekeeping cabin is for rent in Polipoli Springs. The cabin has no electricity, a fireplace and plenty of firewood. Bring your own water. You can camp for a week at the campground, which has drinking water. Contact the Hawaiian Division of State Parks (243-5354 or 984-8109) to make a reservation.

Other Adventure Trips

In addition to exploring the sideroads and gardens of Kula on a bicycle, several more adventuresome possibilities include:

• Join a guided hike with Hike Maui, the Hawaiian Hiking Company or Maui Troopahz to Polipoli, Kipahulu State Park or into the Haleakala Crater.
• Join Maui Eco Adventures Latatude for a combination of hiking in and around Haleakala with a helicopter excursion over much of the volcano, rainforest and coastal Maui [see http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/maui_eco_advents.html)