This blog started as a place to document my motorcycle travels and it’s high time to get back to my roots with the next couple of posts – starting with riding North Maui by Motorcycle.
It’s great to be back on two wheels, especially in paradise. Today I’m picking up a one-day rental from EagleRider in Lahania. From there, my wife Whitney and I are riding to the north part of the island, to the Nakalele Blowhole, grabbing some banana bread, around to Iao Needle State Park before returning back to Lahania.
Riding North Maui by Motorcycle
The real curves start above the Kapalua area. Our first stop is an overlook giving long views down the northwest Maui coastline and a good view of Moloka’i across the water.
The view across Honolua and Mokulea Bay, popular snorkel spots.
Looking back at the first bit of curves, you can see how the elevation varies as you dash through the valleys, hilltops, and valleys again. If the road continues like this, it should be a fun ride.
Spotted this pretty cool little Honda and took a photo just as the driver mugged a little bit.
Take a hike
Along the Kahekili Highway, there are lots of opportunities to walk paths to interesting geological features, like the Acid War Zone Trail, the trail to the heart-shaped rock formation, and the Nakalele Point Lighthouse.
Or, you can just pull over to take a longer look at the always gorgeous Maui coastline.
Okay, let’s get back on the bike to continue this journey of North Maui by motorcycle.
Nakalele Blowhole
A little further down the road, we come to the most popular tourist attraction ’round these parts – the Nakalele Blowhole. It’s super cool, but I won’t spend a lot of time talking about it here – read my full post on the blowhole here.
On the road again
Back at it, we’re weaving our way along the coast and going a little more inland for a little local treat. This part of the road is great. Most of the tourist traffic turns around and goes back to the resorts once they reach the blowhole. We’ve got all this twisty road to ourselves.
Julia’s Best Banana Bread
Dipping down into the tiny town of Kahakuloa, we’re stopping for a quick drink and some treats. The one-lane road into and out of the town could be pretty hair-raising if you’re in a big vehicle, but thankfully I don’t have to worry about pulling over for other vehicles on a motorcycle.
There are lots of signs that ask non-locals to keep out, so don’t think you can stop and wander your way down to the beach here. I advise you to respect the signage.
At the little Banana Bread stand, we grab some macadamia nut cookies, a bag (yes, a bag) of pineapple drink and banana bread. The banana bread was the best of the bunch.
We said hello to the pygmy goats, too.
Continuing through North Maui by Motorcycle
Leaving the valley with our treats, we follow the one-lane road up another steep hill until we’re back on normal two-lane blacktop.
Kahekili Highway opens up once again, once out of the valley and the views from the road continue to be incredible.
Iao Valley State Park
Before making our way back to Lahaina (or continuing on to the Road to Hana) a stop at the beautiful, lush Iao Valley State Park is in order. I have covered this visit in another post, so please take a look here if you’re interested in reading more about this stop.
Great Roads on Maui
Obviously, for many, the Road to Hana is a bucket list road. But I found this road to be great fun, have much less traffic, no wet spots, and plenty of variety.
Don’t let the Road to Hana overshadow this road or the road to the top of Haleakala Crater. Read about that road and the national park in this blog post.
Experience North Maui by Motorcycle
It was an easy-breezy experience at the Lahaina EagleRider, so I recommend them for your motorcycle needs.
Plan at least half of your day to make a full loop from Lahaina. If you intend to do any hiking or spend a lot of time at the blowhole or the Iao Valley, you’ll need more time.
It is possible to ride the Kahekili Highway and the Road to Hana in one day. However, it will be a very long day and you’ll have to ride in a spirited fashion. I do not think it would be possible to do Kaahekili, Hana, and Haleakala National Park road in one day.
Happy riding!
