Maui Online Guide

Imagine, mounting a bike two thirds of the way up a 10,000′ volcano and coasting over 20 miles to sea level with almost no peddling. This trip beginning on Maui’s dormant volcano, Haleakala, to the sea is truly a unique Maui experience, there’s literally nowhere else on earth it can be matched. So, it’s no surprise that this is one of the islands most popular activities.

The most popular tours are scheduled so that the riders can also view the sunrise above the crater. Of the parks 1.4 million annual visitors over two thirds come to view this often spectacular sight.

Bike tours from the top Haleakala started in 1986. In that year about 24,000 riders took the trip from the top of the mountain. Ridership increased each year reaching a peak of 106,000 in 2005. Beginning in 2006 ridership was capped at 90,000 per year by the Park Service so that they could better manage the tours.

In late 2007 the tour business was thrown a curve when the National Park Service issued a safety stand-down, temporarily prohibiting commercial bike tours within Haleakala National Park. Two riders had been killed and several others injured that year. The first 11 miles of the descent take place within the park and so is within their jurisdiction. The Park Service is currently conducting a study to determine if the tours can operate safely before deciding whether or not to lift the ban.

Since the bike portion of the tours are no longer available within the park, are the current tours still worth doing. In this series of articles we’ll examine:

• How the bike tour companies have adjusted to the ban
• Who the tour companies are and what each now offers
• We’ll focus in on one of the tour operators
• And finally we’ll give you our recommendations

Tomorrow, in Part 2, we’ll examine how the bike tour companies adjusted to the Park Service’s ban on commercial bike tours within Haleakala National Park.