trigeeky wrote:
Hi Slowtwitchers!
I will be visiting Maui, HI this Dec and I wish to ride up Halaekala as a birthday gift for myself :-)... I have a few questions:
1. How is the weather in Dec at sea-level (Paia, the starting location) and at the Summit?
2. How can I find some company to ride up with? Are there other forums, cycling clubs, etc.? I am flexible on the date from Dec 23-25, 2018
3. If I find myself stranded at the summit or along the way due to heavy rains/snowstorms, how easy is it to hitch a ride back?
4. Chances are pretty low, but is anyone here planning on doing that ride during that time frame?
thanks!
-C
I've done it in February the last two years. Weather is always nice down in Paia and cools as you climb. Watch the weather and pick your date as best you can. When I did it I was going pretty hard both times, but never needed any extra clothes on the climb. I did wear a thin undershirt. It was fairly pleasant just standing around up top. BUT, it will be chilly no matter what on the descent. Last year shortly after I got to the top the clouds rolled in and the first third of the descent was freaking cold!
I would bring the following for the descent:
1. Light wind jacket
2. Cycling cap (Forgot it the first year and bought one at Maui Cyclery)
3. Arm warmers
4. Long finger gloves like Defeet wool gloves.
Hot tip, bring one bottle and put a cut off bottle in your other cage to hold your wind jacket to maximize pocket space. One big bottle was more than enough for me both times. If you need more water you can stop and get it at the ranger station/park entrance.
What you bring for the descent is always a trade off between what you want and what you want to carry. I used to work for the Air Force (civillian) and we did a two week TDY to Maui where we worked at the GEODSS site at the top of Haleakala back in the '90s. This was in December. Each day we drove up and at the end of the day I rode my bike back to the condo I was staying at in Kihei. In that case since I didn't have to carry it up with food, etc. I'd go full arm warmers, cap, wind jacket, leg warmers and gloves. I remember that I'd generally hit the warm air thermocline at around 7,000' where I'd stop and strip down. I did not ride down on the day it SNOWED up there...
As others have mentioned Donnie at Maui Bike Shop in Paia is great and his shop is literally right at the bottom of Baldwin Rd. which is the rode up Haleakala. He rents nice bikes if you aren't bringing your own.
Bring small gears. As I mentioned I rode it pretty much full gas (under 3 hours). I had a 28 the first year and that last stretch was REALLY unpleasant in my 36x28. Last year I used an 11x32 cassette and was much happier for that stretch.
You have to stop and pay at the park entrance and if you're trying to go fast for a time that is kind of a drag. The ticket you buy to enter the park is good for a couple of days so you could ride up or drive up to the park entrance at about 6,000' and buy a pass the day before.
Other rides worth doing would be of course, the west Maui loop. Pick your direction based on the wind. It is quite a slog heading north between the mountains into a 20mph headwind... Check out Waipoli Road, via Pulehu. Waipoli is hard! A 32 is an absolute requirement for Waipoli, but it's very cool, a lot like the Mortirolo in Italy. It tops out at around 6,000' to a gravel road. It is my understanding that you could follow that gravel road to the top of Haleakala, but not on a road bike, or even gravel bike I believe. You'd need a MTB.
Really in my opinion, most of the best riding is based out of Paia.
Have fun.
Kevin
http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com My Strava