Mt. Haleakala - Paia Maui

Did the beautiful Haleakala climb in April 2013 whilst on holiday from Australia. Luckily i stumbled across the blog and got some useful tips before the ride. I rented a Felt F3 road bike from Maui Cyclery in Paia. I got some directions and the bike held up well.

It took me roughly six hours to the top including rest breaks and plenty of stops for photos/videos, i wasn''t in a rush really. Weather was good on the day, i was cooling down through the clouds but once beyond that it was sunny and warm enough on the ascent. The park ranger at 7000feet was pleasantly surprised that i had brought several layers of clothing for the descent as they said it is quite common for unprepared cyclists to become hypothermic as they come down. Come prepared for the cold!

I took all my food, gels, two liters of water in a camelbak, rain jacket/gloves/hat/warm mid layer plus the jersey i was wearing knee length bibs. The descent took me 90mins to Paia, the road surface is excellent and i appreciated the extra clothing on the way down. As the weather was perfect i could have had a layer less but you never know what the weather will be like at that altitude. Epic climb, nice constant gradient. Really enjoyed it, my local climbs seem so small now:)

My personal climb rating:

Rode this one with my son in December 2010. He had just turned 10 but is an avid cyclist who rode his first century when he was only 9. Dipped our toes in the ocean near Kahului in the am in 80 degree weather. We broke the ride up in 7 mile sections. We took our time but set a steady pace Mom drove the 'team car' and provided donuts every 7 miles. With 10 miles to go the clouds rolled in and it started drizzling first quickly turning in to a steady downpour and 42 degrees. We made it to the top in just under 6 hours...not bad for a 10-year old. In the cold and rain we put our stuff in the car and drove back down. It is not a hard climb as it never really gets steep (except the last 1/4 mile from the visitor center to the top) but it is long and unrelenting. Definately like to come back.

My personal climb rating:

I planned this ride all summer repeatedly riding up and down 300 ft. hills and got my opportunity to try it Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2009) with a rented Trek 5000 from South Maui Bicycles. I started from our hotel at Wailea just before dawn with a tire dip, then rode north to the sugar cane plantation, took the rough shortcut to the new main road from Kahului, and started climbing. Last water was at Kula Market at 3000 feet. At 3500 a Colorado woman passed me also on her way up. I was out of water and had some cramping by the visitor center, but rehydrated and refilled there. The lady's husband also caught me. This was their 2nd climb of the week. He told me it was easier from here, but the last 200 feet were tough. It went smoothly from there. I was at 51 miles total at the top from the resort. The 36 miles down and the tailwind across the island made for the fastest 50 miles ever! Sunny and hot on the way up, cloudy and misty on the way down and a pheasant nearly hit me in the head on the descent in the fog. What a great time! Haleakala was everything I expected.

My personal climb rating:

I'd hiked in Haleakala crater for three days in 1979 but have wanted to ride it for some time. I'd completed my other bucket list item (Maratona d'les Dolomiti) last year with my older son so I'd do the other on Labor Day with his brother.



Rented bikes from South Maui Cycles. Mediocre Treks but triples so low enough gearing for this 61 year old. We didn't start riding until about 8:00 AM. My wife went for her own ride for a couple of hours and left Paia in 3 hours to provide support towards the top.



It's a long climb but never really steep except that short stretch right before the summit. We stopped several times for pictures and supplies. I struggled a bit around 3,000 feet but Eric talked me through it. Unfortunately, he had a bad patch about 6,000 feet (old cycling injury) and quit at the visitor centre shortly after the park gate. My wife asked me if I'd make it and I said ""Of course."" I was just pedaling, not very fast but pretty consistently, or so I thought. When I loaded my GPS file, I saw that I slowed down the last bit, but felt OK.



Do it again? Maybe. Glad I rode it? Definitely.

My personal climb rating:

Did this climb on Jan 1, 2011. Perfect day, sunny and no wind. Dipped my toes in the ocean in Paia. Took 4:40 to climb although I did make a mistake and turned off Baldwin to early which caused me to loose 350 feet of elevation and go an extra 2 miles. Other than that no complaints. Hill is relatively easy for the first 9500 feet. I was not in great shape for this so just concentrated on keeping my heartrate low as I didnt want to blow up. Nice steady climb. Last little bit was tough though and especially the 1/2 mile climb from the parking lot up to the actual summitt which was about 12% grade. Was barely moving. Just spectacular views from the summit though. My family met me at the top so i didnt have to ride back down... Highly recommend as a bucket list thing to do....

My personal climb rating:

I heard about the ride up Haleakala from a friend in Calgary and thought Id give it a go. My fitness was not the best (it was November) but I gutted it out. It is truly desolate as you get closer to the top, and I couldnt see much through the fog. An epic climb, in my opinion.

My personal climb rating:

My cousin and I began the day at sunrise in Paia with our feet in the ocean while holding our bikes for the camera. Im a little stronger rider than my cousin but we stayed together at an easy to moderate pace until the 5000 foot mark which took 2:15. After a 5 minute stop to fuel up with my Dad, who was doing support in the car, we started again. This time I left my cousin and picked up the pace. The weather was phenomenal, as were the views and the climb. The second half took 1:40 for a total of a bit under 4 hours. Fun descent. I was pretty tired afterwards. Its hard to believe that Johnathon Vaughters did the climb in 2:30!!!

My personal climb rating:

On 10/7/2008 my wife and I flew into Maui and I was off to accomplish my goal. We were staying in Lahina so I rented a Cannondale at West MauiBikes. I’ve got to tell you at this point, that on Wednesday my wife and I drove up the mountain in our rental car, and upon reaching the summit I turned her way with disappointing look on my face and said “no way, this is just too much, too long too steep, too desolate.” The next day I arrived at the intersection of Hana Hwy and Baldwin about 5:30 am, saddled up and headed out at 5:55 am, still partially dark. Although the weatherman was calling for rain, it turned out to be the perfect day, sunshine all the way up. I started early enough to capture good temps at the bottom and enjoyed favorable conditions throughout the climb. The main focus was pace, keeping my HR below 160 bpm. I made the stop at Kula Market for a liter of water which allowed me to top-off the bottles, then I was on my way again and didn’t stop next till the 8,000 ft. level. I was fine up to this point, but between 8 and 9,000 feet it was tough, 9 and 10,000 even tougher, more like brutal. But I made it, without dying. Total riding time, 4:50 with 10,169 ft of climbing according to the Garmin. What a day, What a ride!

My personal climb rating:

I quit playing soccer two years ago at the age of 52, and last year picked up road biking at 53 as a more sane way to keep in shape. I had only been at it about five months when we went to Maui. I rented a Cannondale to tool around the island and on a whim one day decided to see how far up Haleakala I could go. Starting at about 2,600 feet where our lodging was, I plodded along to the top at 10,000, stopping only once at 7,000 feet (the park visitors center). It took me four hours up, and I was very thankful for the family that gave me food at the top as I had not planned to go that far at all. Great memory and a confidence builder. Id love to go back next year as I think I could smash my time after riding the mountains of Colorado for a year.

My personal climb rating:

Haleakala is a definite 5 rating on the basis of distance and total elevation gained ... anything less and you are disrespecting the mountain. This monster holds the world record for the greatest elevation in the shortest distance. Ive had the opportunity to climb it four times ... in the rain, the wind, and under race conditions. If you think it rates less than a 5, return in August and race it to the summit ... and then see how long it takes your body to recover. The color profile needs a RED strip in the 56th and 57th klm where the final 1/2 mile ascent to the newer summit includes a 14% and 19% pitch.

My personal climb rating:

Well I guess the answer is that I did not climb Haleakala because I got caught in a cold/windy rainstorm that left snow on the mountain for the first time since 2003. When I left Paia it was misty and while it cleared up just past Kula and during my break at the Sunrise Market, it got just plain cold and wet about 2 miles short of the park entrance. I paid my soggy park entrance fee as the ranger gave me a bewildered look in his warm hut, but could only get to the visitor center with hypothermia setting in. The rangers there gave me a nice blanket to re-heat and frankly saved my life by talking me into stopping. Still it was the ride of a lifetime and I got some unfinished business of 2000 more feet and 7 more miles. 4/5 only cuz of the weather.

My personal climb rating:

I just got back from Maui and have to say it was a bit of a disappointing climb. How on earth did that get rated the 5th hardest climb? It wasnt easy but it wasnt any more of a challenge than climbing Beartooth Pass in Montana.

My personal climb rating:

At age 62, Im a mature cyclist, but an enthusiastic one. So, when my family and I planned a Christmas trip to Hawaii, I found the Go cycling Maui website, by Donnie Arnoult and signed up for the Haleakala climb. I arrived at the starting point early on Dec 23, and found that I would have two companions for the day, both well-known racers half my age! It helped that the rental bike was a virtual twin of my own. In spite of the moderate pace, however, I began to struggle a bit at about 5000 ft and considered bailing at 6500 ft. However, I kept cranking up the road to 7000 ft. We spent 20 minutes there, preparing for the next stretch of road. From there, I would continue, but stop whenever I needed to recover. That was a crucial decision, as the ride was never as hard after that. When I was above the 9000 ft sign, I knew I was going to make it. I finally summited 7 hours after beginning the climb, then began the ride back down. The ride down was totally different, as I was into and out of the fog many times while traversing the hairpins (glasses misting up, wet brake levers, etc.) I pulled into the parking lot 1 1/2 hours after leaving the summit. It was a hard day of cycling, but an experience to remember for years.

My personal climb rating:

Plenty of online research went into my prep for an ascent of Haleakala. Wanting to get it out of the way early I set off only a few days after landing in Maui. Rain in Paia had me optomistic that I could get above it. Eventually I did, but it was hard to hide from the wind. As 1000s of feet passed the rain returned and at the park gate where I would have had to pay my $5 park entry, I decided to descend. On the descent I got so cold i went nearly hypothermic. my next ascent came 1 week later where I payed closer attention to the weather and enjoyed what I consider to be one of the grand cycle routes anywhere. Up, up and away, the coastal plantations give way to green pastures and eventually a moonscape that offers views out over the ocean for miles around.On the descent it appeared that the road was built by a cyclist as I never dropped below 45km /hour and often hit speeds over 60 km /hour. This time i had a plastic jacket for the descent and it was a life saver even in great weather. My time was 3:55 up and 1:10 down, making it just over 5 hours for the 114kms. The grade map on this site does not reflect the final 300 meters to the true summit which hits about 12 percent grade.

My personal climb rating: