Mountain Biking on Kauai | Trail Guide

Trail Guide for Mountain Biking on Kauai:

After planning for an upcoming trip to the island of Kauai, I decided to document all the information someone might need to know to go mountain biking on Kauai. The island also offers countless opportunities for adventure besides cycling. One day you could hike Grand Canyon like vistas near Waimea Canyon or hike multiple days to the private Kalalau beach along the Kalalau trail. If you plan to come to Kauai and just sit on the beach, don’t come. Kauai is to be explored.

Shops/Rentals:

Located on the southeast side of the island (about 5 miles from the airport), the shop sits centrally located to all the major resorts and trails. The closest trail to the shop is only 1 mile away, making a day rental the best option for a visitor.

• Daily to weekly rentals.
• Cruisers to full suspension bikes available for rental and for sale.
• Stocked Bike Shop.
• Full Service and Repairs.

How to get in touch:

     Website: kauaicycle.com
     Facebook: facebook.com/kauaicycle
     Phone: (808) 821-2115
     Email: kauaicycle@hawaii.rr.com
     Address: 4-934 Kuhio Hwy Kapaa, HI 96746

Hours of operation
Mon – Fri 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday Closed – Gone Riding

Located on the north shore of the island, the Bike Doktor offers limited service. Be sure to check them out if you are up in the area.

• Rentals
• Guided Tours
• Stocked Bike Shop
• Service and repairs

How to get in touch:

     Website: bikedok.com
     Facebook: facebook.com/NorthShoreBikeDoktor
     Phone: (808) 826-7799
     Email: N/A
     Address: 5-5052 Kuhio Hwy Hanalei, Hawaii 96714

Hours of operation
Tues – Fri 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sun – Mon Closed – Gone Riding
*All hours subject to surf.

Trails:

Using Strava’s famous global heatmap I was able to pinpoint popular trails on the island. Click each snip to open Strava’s heatmap.

North Shore: Powerline Trail

The Powerline Trail is one of Kauai’s most famous trail/jeep road. Towards the south side of the trail lies two posts on either side of the road marking the famous Jurassic Park entrance. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just google “jurassic park entrance kauai”.

On the northern end of the trail looks to be some singletrack trails that spurs off the main powerline trail.

East Side: Moalepe Road Trail and Sleeping Giant Trail

The popular Moalepe road trail seen on the left side of the image below is a great loop trail that passes through lush greenery and past the rainbow eucalyptus. The trail from the intersection of Waipouli and Olohena road to route 580 is about 4 miles long with only 630 feet of elevation change. Connect the Sleeping Giant trail (right side of image) and start from Kapaa, you are looking at a loop that is near 18 miles long and has 1,800 feet of elevation.

Kalepa Mountain Forest Reserve

This little trail system seems to be quite popular on the island as there are a number of segments posted on Strava. The only concern is that the trails are not marked. The trails are built up and around Kalepa Mountain so if you don’t see the ocean on one side you know you are on the west side, thus preventing you from getting too lost.

West Side: Waimea Canyon Dirt Roads

If you are looking to climb and gring some gravel or dirt roads, try the roads that finger off the main Waimea Canyon Route 550. From the looks of them, most are about 3 miles long and descend down towards the ocean, leaving about a 1,500 foot climb back to the main road. *Beware some trails might be hiking only.

Bike Tours:

Outfitters Kauai – Downhill Bike Tour

Don’t feel like pedaling or working too hard? Bike down 3,600 feet on the Kokee Road with Outfitters Kauai. For $109 they will bus you to the top and provide you with a beach cruiser to coast down the open road. Might be something worth doing with a family.. In my own opinion does not seem to be worth $100, but that seems to be the going rate for tourist things on Kauai. If you want to get wet, checkout Kauai Backcountry for their sugar plantation canal tubing.

Website: outfitterskauai.com

Helicopter Tour:

Then if you have extra time, I highly recommend that you take a helicopter tour around the island of Kauai. It is the best way to see all the sites. My wife and I went on the Safari Helicopters tour and really enjoyed it. Below is a short recap video of our tour that I put together with individual clips filmed on my eken H9r action camera. Look past the name as I only titled the video that way for SEO optimization. 😉

Featured Image by: Dhilung Kirat

-thebidon.