Jan 17th, 2008
Haleakala Downhill Bike Tour Update - Still On Hold
Beginning October 10, 2007, downhill bike rides from the top of Haleakala were banned “temporally” for 60 day. The ban was put in place to study the safety of the tours. Those 60 days have come and gone and the downhill thrill rides are still not operating inside Haleakala National Park. According to this Maui News article, Haleakala National Park Superintendent Marilyn Parris said she expects to make a final decision on the ban in early March.
The ban only applies to the roadway inside the national park’s boundaries. As I reported back in the November update, some tour companies have modified services to begin the bike ride just outside the park’s gates.
If you want to see Haleakala, the good news is that there are many great alternatives for seeing it without having to take a white knuckle bike ride. I’ve already written my best advice for seeing Haleakala at sunrise. If you’d rather not drive, there are several tour companies who’ll do the driving for you.
Stay tuned to Go Visit Hawaii for the next report.
Note: Now see March 2008 update.
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2 Responses to “Haleakala Downhill Bike Tour Update - Still On Hold”
I was just up on Haleakala last month. It’s a good road up there. But I guess when you have novice bikers who aren’t used to biking on steep roads and drivers who aren’t used to driving those roads, and add in the fact that the road is kinda narrow…
Hi Adam. Thanks for commenting.
Yeah, unfortunately not everyone has good enough biking skills to be able to handle that steep and curvy bike ride. There were 2 people who actually died just last year from taking one of the downhill bike tours. I’ve also heard and read that many more people on those tours wind up in the emergency room weekly.
Did you bike it? What did you think?