Distance: 7.6 miles
Climbing: ~1000 ft
Max Elevation: ~1080ft
Terrain: paved road
What makes this ride special? Scenery, View
Challenges: long climb, steep descent, on-ramps, tunnels, little to no bike lane, unpredictable rain, strong wind, drunk bumps, moss on road in winter
Special Instructions: ride with a rear light, there are dark tunnels and thick foliage which can block out a lot of sunlight
By far, the fastest way to get from the heart of Honolulu to Kailua or Kaneohe by bicycle is the Pali Highway. The Pali Highway is a challenging ride and can instill fear in even the most seasoned bicyclist. However, it is a beautiful ride and not as bad as you might think. This is one of my most enjoyable rides on Oahu. We'll cover all the important points from start to finish to alleviate your concerns.
- Getting on the Pali is the first challenge, but fear not. Navigate to Nuuanu Ave, and follow it mauka (towards the mountains). Nuuanu has 2 lanes for cars in each direction, so I take a good portion of the right lane.
- You will come to a T intersection at the end of Nuuanu Ave. You want to go right and get on the Pali towards Kailua via the bridge that crosses the highway. On this curving bridge, there is ALWAYS a large pile of gravel in front of a merging driveway - avoid it.
- From there, follow the Pali Hwy to Old Nuuanu Pali Drive (ONPD). The bike lane in this section is small, but there are multiple traffic lanes in each direction so cars give you space. Follow ONPD until it merges with the highway again. Savor ONPD, it is the most peaceful section of the ride - the calm before the storm. There's no bike lane but very little traffic.
- Merging back onto the Pali (go right) there is a substantial shoulder to ride on and you've almost summited the hill. If you want a break, get off at the Pali Lookout to enjoy the view.
- Just past the turn off and on-ramp for the Pali Lookout you NEED to take the whole right lane because you are about to enter a shoulderless tunnel. Keep the whole lane until you reach the bottom of the hill. Fortunately, it's all downhill from here and you can reach the road's speed limit. It is extremely dangerous to go slow here and you must have a rear light on your bike. As you descend, be on the lookout for water runoff crossing the road. This is where moss can grow. Brake before you hit these spots. There is one sharp turn to the right followed by a hairpin turn to the left before you enter the final descent.
- Near the end, look out for the drunk bumps going across the road. They don't feel like much in your car, but you might eat pavement if you hit them at 40 mph on you bicycle.
That's it, you're on the windward side! Kaneohe is left at the light, Kailua is straight, and Waimanalo is right.
3 comments:
Did this ride yesterday. FUN! On the ride down into Kailua turn right where Kamehameha highway intersets the pali. Super fun winding road to the bottom of the valley, intersects with Pali Highway again at the bottom (veer left at the Y in front of the big preschool on left.
If the trip over kills you catch the 57 bus back to town.
Oh yeah- I hit 60 on my road bike above Kapaa quarry road. Didn't have a speedo on mt mtn bike yesterday, but I imagine through the tunnels you'll be doing 70+ on a roadie.
Hello fellow bicyclists. I'm moving from Brazil to Hawaii, in Waimanalo and I was wondering how long it takes to go from one side to the other side of the island, because I may get a job in Honolulu and I would have to take a bus or I was thinking about riding my bike. I know it's not a long ride but there is the mountain in between and I don't know how high it is and how difficult it is to ride it up.
I would do it everyday, back and forth, do you think it would be too hard to do it?
Thanks for the input.
Fernando
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