Predawn-Morning Haleakala Bike Tour 6,500 to Sea Level

The Pre-Dawn trip, a less expensive alternative to our frequently booked out sunrise excursion, provides an equally stunning dawn display from outside Haleakala National Park. This tour allows you to experience the same 26 miles (42 km) bike journey from a 6,500’ descent down to the sea at Paia, all at a more budget-friendly price.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Makawao - Narrated tour through the quaint towns of Makawao and Kula proceeding up the slopes of Haleakala Ranch where you will watch the predawn colors before starting your bike ride.
  • Kula - The bike portion of the tour begins at the 6500 foot level of Haleakala. You will coast your bikes through the 29 sweeping switchback turns while viewing the beautiful island views.
  • Haleakala Ranch - On the slopes of Haleakala Ranch at 6500 feet your exhilarating bike tour will begin through the 29 switchbacks. Beautiful bi-coastal views can be seen as you ride down twice.
  • Historic Makawao Town - Located on the mid-slopes of Maui’s Haleakala volcano, Makawao has one foot in its plantation past and another in its thriving arts community. This charming town was once named one of the top 25 arts destinations in the United States.

Makawao is the biggest little town in the region locally known as Upcountry Maui and is famous for its Hawaiian cowboys, or paniolo. Since the late 19th century, horseback-riding paniolo have wrangled cattle in Maui’s wide-open upland fields. The Makawao Rodeo, held yearly on the Fourth of July, is Hawaii’s largest paniolo competition and has been an Upcountry tradition for more than 50 years. The weekend events include a parade and traditional rodeo competitions such as barrel racing, calf roping and bareback bronco riding, all with a few Hawaiian twists.

For a snack, follow the locals to get a famous cream puff from T. Komoda Store. Established in 1916 by Takezo Komoda, a Japanese plantation worker, this little store and bakery does big business.

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Bottled water
  • Use of helmet and chrome cruiser bike
  • Snacks (with a no-host meal stop)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Haleakala Park Tour
Additional Information
  • Weight restrictions apply; maximum weight is 280 lbs
  • Minimum height required is 5 feet
  • Age restriction: Riders must be over the age of 15 years old.
Location
497 Baldwin Ave
Baldwin Avenue
Departure Point: Guests will need to arrange their own transportation to meet at our Office at... Mountain Riders 497 Baldwin Ave, Paia, HI 96779, USA Return point: Returns to original departure point (times will vary depending on the season).
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(52 Ratings)
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H7680evkennetho
Jun 6, 2024
Family down hill biking fun! - Totally recommend this to everyone coming to MAUI the staff was a blast the trip was fantastic (wear a coat or warm jacket to sunrise) would do this again and again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K1354zfjenniferp
Nov 17, 2023
Best experience in Maui and this is the company to go with! - Greatest experience in Maui so far. I'm so glad we went with Mountain Riders vs the bigger company. We ended up riding with just 4 people and our guide (who had 25 years of experience) and we had an empty road vs being out there with 20+ riders with the bigger company (we saw them setting up as we were taking off down the mountain). The bikes Mountain Riders use are heavier and have bigger tires and drum brakes, which means you go faster and feel safer going around turns. Both our guide and our driver were amazing and we learned a ton in the van, including which celebrities live in which houses up in the mountains and where to get the best donuts on a stick. We had a great stop for breakfast and coffee before a nice easy downhill coast back to the starting point. I don't regret skipping the sunrise tour at the top of the mountain and just going with the pre-dawn tour. We got to see all the colors in the sky but we stayed 10 degrees warmer and got 2 more hours of sleep. My one tip is to dress warmer than you think you need (and bring gloves!) because at least in late Nov it gets cold at 6500 feet!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wayne_b
Jul 6, 2023
Ride with a view - The ride was really nice and the weather was clear. Definitely worth going to see the mountain and its views. Bobby or guide was very entertaining and put everyone at ease. He had very compelling story to tell and I appreciated the personal story he shared.
Review provided by Viator
Jerri_b
Jun 21, 2023
BEST excursion on Maui! - We had a WONDERFUL day on the sunrise and bike ride adventure! I felt like a kid again bike riding down the volcano. I would recommend this excursion to everybody!!
Review provided by Viator
Explorer52791825421
May 29, 2023
Must-do Maui experience! - A fantastic experience with wonderful guides! Highly recommended! Tip: if you're traveling from Wailea or anywhere far from Paia, make sure you schedule pre-dawn transportation to the headquarters with your hotel. Ubers are plentiful in Paia for the return trip home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_n
Feb 1, 2023
Perfect downhill bike ride - Tour guides were excellent and made the trip perfect. Even provided an extra coat and gloves for the chilly portion.
Review provided by Viator
Hvj1997
Jul 2, 2024
Recommended if you want to go downhill as fast as possible - We (family with 2 children, 19, 21) found the tour - with a few restrictions - good. Landscape and sunrise were magnificent. Info about exact time for departure, did not reach us. There are no jackets or hot drinks. The hint (light jacket) is completely insufficient. We had jackets, hats, gloves with us - but you stand about 1 hour at a good 10,000 ft. Altitude with temperatures around 5 degrees and wind, i.e. it is really cold. The bike ride is good if you want to go downhill as fast as possible. In our group, the average speed was 25-30 mph, i.e. 40 - 50 km/h (initially also around 35 - 40 mph, since even steeper.) The wheels are stable, the brakes work, but my bike broke the bike chain in the 3 turn. If you want to go down a bit more relaxed and at your own pace and maybe take more breaks than 2, I recommend organizing yourself. Claiming tips was very offensive. When asked about the indicated hot drinks we were referred to the stop in the small and really nice western town (very delicious bakery there) service and responding to customers despite the not inconsiderable price only conditionally.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendy_s
Apr 23, 2023
The sunrise was... - The sunrise was beautiful. The ride down was great. The guide and driver were knowledgable and funny. I think the tours should explain the fact they don't drive to the top and you ride only a certain part of the road down. We had a great breakfast and ride through the little town
Review provided by Viator
713jacquieh
Mar 12, 2023
Fun smaller group ride - Booked the Haleakala pre-dawn bike tour for $130 USD per person. It's $100 cheaper and held later than the one with the sunrise, so perfect if you've already done the sunrise thing and don't wanna get up so early. They moved the time back from 0430h to 0530h, notified us the afternoon before via text message, A-OK by me! Ended up in a group of four riders with tour guide Manny and van support Mark. Sweet to have such a small group considering all the other groups we saw were like 15+ people, which would suck for more experienced and daring riders. I felt we did quite a bit of waiting around at the start, so really happy they moved the tour an hour back. Check-in was fine once we located the place, drove by it twice due to dark conditions and poor signage. Waivers done online the day before, or at the shop, water and granola bars were made available in the office prior to the tour. The confirmation email stated we had to wear masks on the bus, but this was not the case. I asked the administrator Noni to please update this detail. There was also no pre-video we had to watch even though the email said there was. Eh, keep it simple. Drove us up to the 6500' mark area, where we watched the sky change colours and the guys did some bike maintenance. Found it a bit weird that the bikes were not prepped and ready before the tour, but it didn't slow us down. I just felt it was a bit daft for us to be hanging out there for like an hour before we started our ride. Fortunately the weather was excellent, and not cold at all, just a bit chilly. More layers needed for the ride of course, I would highly recommend gloves. They were provided from a rather motley selection. Going down the high part of the mountain was the best part, and we got to do it twice! Unfortunately since February 2023, part of the ride down the mountain (where the ranch ends and leading up to Makawao) is forbidden for biking companies. I get it, but it would have been nice to know beforehand. So instead we rode down the high part twice, and being in a small group, the second run was at our leisure. Naturally we blasted down as fast as we would dare, reaching a top speed of 43km/h (about 33mph). Super sweet. I tried to convince Manny to take us up a third time, no luck! Took about 20 minutes to ride down the second time. Mark then drove our group to Makawao, where we got a 45 minute break to get some snacks etc. The ride continued after this, from Makawao to Paia, all downhill, comfortable coasting. Honestly we had really friendly service from Manny and Mark, they were so funny, genuine, and just legit local! It felt more like a cool small business than a big tour company, which is what we wanted. Our tour partners from Michigan were also great, and Manny went out of his way to make sure the one person who had physical limitations felt safe and comfortable. We all cheered her on as she finished her second run from the top with Manny keeping an eye on her. Would recommend this company highly for the small group, the personal touch, and the heavier bikes with the drum breaks. Made for a great ride, brought back BMX memories for me. So, so much fun. Mahalo!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paulkosling
Jan 27, 2023
Gorgeous early morning vista's of Maui from a very unique perspective! - Our guides, Bobby and Monnie (?sp) were knowledgeable and informative! We learned some great intel about the Haleakala volcano and the surrounding landscape. Our acquired mascot the Jackson Chameleon was very entertaining too! The ride through the eucalyptus groves was amazing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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