november2011

62 SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011

THE LOWDOWN

ON UPCOUNTRY

You’ll hear the term a lot on Maui: Upcountry.

It refers to a swath of farms, ranches, and tiny

towns clinging to the western fl ank of Haleakala.

It is an area that seems a world away from the

sunny beaches and swank resorts more

commonly associated with Maui. Up there, the

air is cool, the pace is slow, and yoga studios

coexist with feed stores. With its diverting blend

of cowboy culture and alternative lifestyles,

you’ll fi nd more than enough reasons to return

Upcountry for another look after speeding

through on your mountain bike.

MAUI

On your first day in Hawaii, the time

difference might cause you to pop

awake before dawn. Why not

embrace that impulse and leap out of

bed for one of the most spectacular

sunrises of your life, followed by a

scenic 6,500-foot descent into the

world’s largest dormant volcano? Not

bad for your first morning in paradise.

Various outfitters, including

Haleakala Bike Company, offer

pre-dawn tours to the summit of

Haleakala, the volcano that created

the lower half of Maui, to view the

sunrise—and then provide

mountain bikes for a smooth,

go-at-your-own-pace downhill tour

of Upcountry Maui.

Looming more than 10,000 feet

above sea level, Haleakala is a natural

wonder not to be missed. And since

the summit sits above the cloud-line,

sunrise is a spectacular affair, with

cottony clouds shimmering all shades

of pastel as chilly visitors await the

moment when the sun spreads her

rays across the rust-red crater.

Yes, “chilly visitors.” Be prepared

for temperatures of 40 degrees or

below until the sun appears. After a

suitable period of oohing and ahhing,

you’ll pack away your parka for the

rest of the trip, and begin your

exhilarating downhill trek.

If you’re on an organized tour,

your bike ride begins just outside the

national park, at 6,500 feet. That

leaves plenty of coasting through the

lovely Maui countryside amid rolling

hills, past cow pastures, through lush

forests and tiny, charming towns.

You could make it all the way back

to base in a couple of hours, but

why? You’ve got the whole

afternoon to explore, and gravity is

doing all the work.

Biking on Maui

Ranch in Upcountry Maui

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

HAWAII

GE TAWAY

MAUI TROPICAL TIDBIT:

In downtown Lahaina, you’ll fi nd

the largest Banyan tree in the

United States. It has 13 trunks and

stretches most of an acre, but it is

accurately described as a single tree.