GAME PLAN: Unpack your gear at the Beach Village at Molokai Ranch, 40 tented waterfront bungalows set on 65,000 acres (26,305 hectares) of former pineapple plantation. Rent mountain bikes from Molokai Fish & Dive, then head out on more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) of sunbaked singletrack. Don't miss the Keoki Trail, guide Darrell Labrado's favorite route. "It's four or five miles (six or eight kilometers) down an old cattle trail that starts out in soft dirt, then crosses a riverbed," he says. "There are lots of dropouts, S-curves—and great places to catch air."

You'll also want a day on the island's jungle-covered east side
to hike the Halawa Valley, where recently reopened trails lead to Moa'ula Falls, a double-tiered, 250-foot (76-meter) cascade. On the north coast, the Nature Conservancy oversees the Mo'omomi Preserve, a collection of 40-foot-high (12-meter-high) coastal dunes that makes for an ideal half-day excursion; or head to the koa and eucalyptus forests of Pala'au State Park. It's near the starting point for the 3.5-mile (6-kilometer), 26-switchback trail to Kalaupapa Preserve, the still active leper colony 1,600 feet (488 meters) below. For a local's take on dinner, stop in at the Kualapu'u Cook House (you'll know you've arrived when you see an old wagon out front). It is the place for chicken katsu, Japanese-style fried chicken. 
 
THE VITALS: The Beach Village at Molokai Ranch ($298; www.molokairanch.com). Molokai Fish & Dive rents bikes ($45; www.molokaifishanddive.com).
 
HOT TIP: Molokai is home to some of the best coffee in all of Hawaii. Be sure to swing by the Molokai Coffee Plantation, the state's oldest, to take a tour and pick up a few bags of vanilla-infused Island Princess coffee.

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