Maui Bike Tours Down Haleakala Mountain
Imagine the thrill of riding down one of the largest dormant volcanoes in the world on a bicycle, and never having to pedal. This is a reality on Maui's Haleakala Mountain.
Thousands of downhill mountain biking enthusiasts have experienced this adventure on Maui since the industry began in 1982. Of all the activities on Maui, this is the most unique - the mountain bike ride that can't be done anywhere else on Earth.
 Haleakala Bike Co. Price Range: (From: $66.99 - To: $114.99) |
This is how most of the mountain bike tours operate:
You're picked up at your hotel and transported to the top of Mount Haleakala and its famous crater at a height of 10,000'. Here you're fitted with the windbreakers, helmet and gloves you'll be wearing on your downhill journey. You'll also be served a continental breakfast. This enormous crater is 21 miles in circumference, 3000 feet deep, and is large enough to fit all of Manhattan Island within its perimeter. If you choose to go at sunrise (a good choice) you will also see one of the most spectacular solar displays found anywhere on the planet.
From here you'll be transported via your van down to the entrance of Haleakala National Park at about the 6,500' level where you will begin your decent on your bike.
Each group of about 10 to 12 participants follows their "lead guide" down the mountain and he (or she) is in continuous radio contact with the "chase van" that follows the group with cameras and warm clothing, etc. Many stops are made on the way down for extraordinary views of the island. A luncheon stop is either made at one of the restaurants on the mountain or at the small town of Paia which is reached during the final descent to the seacoast.
Once at the bottom, the experience takes on a somewhat surreal quality as your mind keeps replaying the constant series of turns and roadways that led to your final destination. One glance up at the top and you realize that you've conquered a mountain. You've connected with Maui in some way that you know is different. You smelled the camphor of the eucalyptus trees as you passed through the forests, and you breathed the cool thin air from Maui's highest slopes. Today was a different day for you; one you won't soon forget.
One Final Word of Caution:
The bike tours down Haleakala have been among the most popular tours of any sort on Maui. Literally hundreds of thousands of cyclists have descended the slopes on these exciting tours. You must remember however that you are on a moving vehicle that is traveling at speeds generally a bit in excess of 20mph. It is incumbent on you to ride your bike safely. Though there have been relatively few accidents with regard to the overall volume of bike tours that descend the mountain some of the accidents that have happened have been simply disastrous and in fact there have even been some fatalities. Once again you must remember that the movement of your vehicle and how and where you guide it is ultimately up to you
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Here are a few bike tour companies we offer on the island of Maui:
Haleakala Bike Company (Self-Paced Bike Tours) - Ben Hall’s Haleakala Bike Company was the first bike tour company on Maui to provide a Self-Paced bike ride down Haleakala. These bike rides generally take you up to the summit to see the crater and then bring you back down the mountain in a van to a staging area just outside the national park at about 6500’. Then you’re off on your own to coast back to the Haleakala Bike Company shop in Haiku. The Haleakala Bike Company provides great tours for those who wish to take their time going down the mountain and progress at their own pace. Ben was one of the first to recognize the desire of many individuals to ride the mountain on a self-guided basis and his lead has gone a long way to satisfy that demand.
Bike It Maui (Guided Bike Tours) - Bike it Maui may be the smallest downhill company to roll down Maui’s Mt. Haleakala but it is big on performance. The company’s owners, Ralph and Petra, go out of their way to make their trip enjoyable. Quality bikes and gear are their mainstay and their choice of restaurants for lunch at Charlies in Paia is excellent (the cost of the lunch is already included in your ticket price). They also post digital photos of their daily rides down the mountain on their website so friends and family can see how much fun your having on vacation.
Cruiser Phil's Volcano Riders (Guided Bike Tours) - Cruiser Phil is a well known personality in the Haleakala biking industry and his company has always rated well on performance and on safety. We have known him for years and his proactive efforts to make his company one of the best on the mountain have gone a long way in creating the desired result. In the National Park Service Safety Analysis Report published in February of 2008 they wrote: “The accident rates vary considerably by company, which may indicate that the business practices of different companies are a factor in determining accident risk. Bike It Maui and Cruiser Phil’s have very low accident rates which may indicate that a particular company-specific operating practice can produce low accident rates”. It should be noted that Cruiser Phil’s is one of the smaller companies that traverse the mountain and as such he is capable of monitoring his quality control to a consistently high level.
Maui Downhill (Guided Bike Tours) - Maui Downhill is the oldest and certainly one of the most respected bicycle downhill companies to operate down Haleakala. It’s predecessor, Cruiser Bob’s, was the very first company to operate on the mountain and Rich Goodenough and “Cruiser” Bob Kiger were its original owners and founders of the industry in general. Rich eventually created Maui Downhill and continued the legacy that began with his and Bob’s original idea. Today his company is the largest on the island and he has established many of the industry standards that have become a hallmark of the downhill community over the years.
Maui Mountain Cruisers (Guided Bike Tours) - Maui Mountain Cruisers founders Jon and Cheryl Thuro have done a remarkable job over the years in pioneering many of the industry standards that are used by downhill bike tour companies on Maui today. As one of the original companies and one of the largest on the mountain today, Maui Mountain Cruisers provides an excellent full-service downhill experience. They have been recognized as an industry leader for years and have received extravagant reviews from many media icons including The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Travel Today, The Weather Channel, The Christian Science Monitor, Travel Magizine and Sunset Magazine.
Mountain Riders (Guided Bike Tours) - Mountain Riders is one of the larger bike tour companies that offers bike tours down Haleakala. Mountain Riders has been operative since the late 1980s and serves up an impressive variety of bike tour options. One very impressive part of Mountain Riders operation is that they have partnered with what may be considered the most experienced and respected sightseeing tour company on the island, Temptation Tours, to handle the Haleakala Park portion of their tour. Clients will have an unparalleled education of “all things” Haleakala after experiencing this portion of the tour with Temptation Tours.
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