It's not even close to dawn, but here you are, rubbing your eyes awake, riding in a van up the long, dark road to the top of Maui's sleeping volcano. It's colder than you ever thought possible for a tropical island. The air is thin. You stomp your chilly feet while you wait, sipping hot coffee. Then comes the sun, exploding over the yawning Haleakala Crater, which is big enough to swallow Manhattan whole -- it's a mystical moment you won't soon forget, imprinted on a palette of dawn colors. Now you know why Hawaiians named it the House of the Sun. But there's no time to linger: Decked out in your screaming yellow parka, you mount your steed and test its most important feature, the brakes -- because you're about to coast 37 miles down a 10,000-foot volcano.
Cruising down Haleakala, from the lunarlike landscape at the top, past flower farms, pineapple fields, and eucalyptus groves, is quite an experience -- and you don't have to be an expert cyclist to do it; you just have to be able to ride a bike. This is a safe, comfortable, no-strain bicycle trip, although it requires some stamina in the colder, wetter months between November and March. Wear layers of warm clothing, because there may be a 30°F (16°C) change in temperature from the top of the mountain to the ocean. Generally, tour groups will not take riders under 12, but younger children can ride along in the van that accompanies the groups, as can pregnant women. The trip usually costs between $100 and $140, which includes hotel pickup, transport to the top, bicycle and safety equipment, and meals.
Maui's oldest outfitter is Maui Downhill (tel. 800/535-BIKE or 808/871-2155; www.mauidownhill.com), which offers a sunrise safari bike tour, including continental breakfast and brunch, starting at $100. If it's all booked up, try Maui Mountain Cruisers (tel. 800/232-6284 or 808/871-6014; www.mauimountaincruisers.com) or Mountain Riders Bike Tours (tel. 800/706-7700 or 808/242-9739), each of which offer sunrise rides for $120 to $125.
If you want to avoid the crowd, call Haleakala Bike Company (tel. 888/922-2453; www.bikemaui.com), which will outfit you with the latest gear and take you up to the top, but after making sure you are secure on the bike will let you ride down by yourself at your own pace. Trips range from $55 to $75; they also have bicycle rentals to tour other parts of Maui on your own.
If you want to venture out on your own, cheap rentals -- $10 a day for cruisers and $20 a day for mountain bikes -- are available from the Activity Warehouse (tel. 800/343-2087; www.travelhawaii.com), which has branches in Lahaina at 602 Front St., near Prison Street (tel. 808/667-4000), and in Kihei at Azeka Place II, on the mountain side of Kihei Road near Lipoa Street (tel. 808/875-4000).
For information on bikeways and maps, get a copy of the Maui County Bicycle Map, which has information on road suitability, climate, trade winds, mileage, elevation changes, bike shops, safety tips, and various bicycling routes. The map is available for $7.50 ($6.25 for the map and $1.25 postage), bank checks or money orders only, from: Tri Isle R, C, and D Council, Attn: Bike Map Project, 200 Imi Kala St., Suite 208, Wailuku, HI 96793.
A great book for mountain bikers who want to venture out on their own is John Alford's Mountain Biking the Hawaiian Islands, published by Ohana Publishing (www.bikehawaii.com).
