biking down Haleakala
 

I thought I'd read somewhere on one of the bike tour company sites that all the downhill bike tours that start at the summit are guided, that independent bike rides where they take you up the mountain must start at the park entrance. Obviously, if you show up at the park with your own bikes, you can ride right from the top, but that'd leave one of my party to drive the car back down.

What's the scoop? Ideally, if I/we choose to do this, parking the car at the bike shop then all of us going to the summit for the sunrise and then leisurely, independently coasting back down would be what I'd prefer.

Check ou this site.

http://www.bike-maui.com/index.html

http://www.bikemaui.com/

Haleakala Bike Company does unescorted tours on full suspension mountain bikes, not single gear cruisers like many of the others use. You will appreciate this on the few inclines and if you wish to veer off of the mapped out course to explore along the way. They provide full face helmets and protective rain and wind gear, gloves, backpacks. If you want to ride from within the park, they offer a tour that is escorted to the park entrance and from there you are on your own to ride down at your own pace. My husband and I have ridden with them four times, and each trip becomes unique for us, as we explore on side trips and stop when and where we want. We usually make it an all day event, returning to Ha`iku in the afternoon.

We did the Haleakala Bike Co. independent tour as well. They do drive you all the way up to the top of the crater so you can see the sunrise. Then after you are done visiting up there they drive you down to the entrance of the park and you start biking from there.

I don't feel like we missed anything not biking from the very top. There is still plenty of biking. Having the freedom to go at your own pace and see your own things is worth it!

My husband and I just returned from Maui. We were driving up Haleakala and saw the bikers cycling down...IN THE STREET WITH THE CARS...I'm not sure if everyone who books these biking tours realizes that if you book with a group you have to bike down a narrow street, IN THE STREET WITH ALL THE CARS, and apparently you have to continue down at a certain speed to keep up with the group or they fine you...JUST WATCHING THIS SPECTACLE, MY HUSBAND AND I FELT IT WAS AN APPALLINGLY DANGEROUS "sport" and should be illegal!!! Just a warning to you all, if you choose to do it anyway at least you will understand exactly what you are signing up for. It's a steep narrow road winding down-hill, NO SHOULDER as I recall. Someone told us there are frequent accidents injuring bicylists.

Thanks for pointing that out.

I'm not sure though that it's much different from riding a bike on any city street. It's *always* a matter for caution - cars and bikes. When they collide, the car wins every time.

I'm also a certified scuba diver. That's a risky activity too. It's best to be aware of the risks and handle them accordingly.

Thanks again.

Most of the accidents that occur happen during the escorted rides. Usually one ride runs into another, or stops, short causing a chain reaction pileup. They tend to ride too close together and the van in the back causes more incidents that I belive it prevents. The last time we biked Haleakala we had thre differetent incidents where we caught up to an ecsorted groups who were stopped dead in very inconvenient places, or came upon traffic that was being restricted by a following van. It was quite annoying and caused to have to try to get around the group, they were stopped halfway up an incline because the bikers had walk their bikes up. Fine, be we were riding and anyone who bikes knows what happens when you have to suddenly stop pedalling on a hill climb.

With group rides, no one is fined for going slow. The group moves at the speed of the slowest cyclist, which is not only dangerous for others, but damn annoying.

Haleakala Highway is not a narrow street, nut a nice, modern, albeit two lane, highway. For much of the earlt ride on the switchbacks there is more than ample shoulder. Anyone who bikes will find it much nicer than your average heavily travelled road.

While there have been a few serious biking accidents, this is actually one of the safer activities on the island. Many more people drown while swimming, end up with serious head and neck injuries from the surf and rock jumping at pools, fall down inclines while hiking, and have traffic accidents biking on Haleakala. More people are hit by cars or have serious injuries in bike accidents off of the volcano than on it. My husband was hit on his bike while riding in a bike lane on South Kihei Road where the speed limit is 20 mph.

Hi I did this in August with a group called Maui Downhill. I felt they were well organized and safe. I loved it and it took the whole day. Frankly, I don't believe I peddled even once as this is truly downhill!
I did the day tour that leaves around 8:30 and finishes around 3pm with lunch included. I loved it and it gives you an awesome experience of going from a cold high elevation to tropical. It is a little scary - yes because of the cars and trying not to cruise down too fast. They give you all the gear you need. I believe it ran around $100 and I would do it again.

Yea, I am resurrecting an old post, but I feel my updated information to hopefully be helpful. I am in Maui as we speak, but unfortunately, I am in our lovely Kapalua condo alone. My husband is at Maui Memorial Medical Center with a broken collarbone and 6 broken ribs. We went on one of the companies that is unescorted. I disagree with the previous poster saying the Haleakala bike rides are one of the safest activities on the island. My (unfortunately belated) research yielded a frightening statistic: according to Haleakala Rangers accidents occur every 2 1/2 days, with nearly 13% requiring basic life support and having broken bones. The ride is RISKY. My husband was not hot-dogging and is an experienced bikerr. If you're at all unsure...DON'T DO IT.

Be careful if you do go, as an observer, it seemed scareeeeeeey to see them careening down the mtn.

There have been multiple fatalities and severe injuries. Sofee is doing everyone a favor by posting about her husband's accident. Two weeks ago, a woman received severe head injuries on the ride. A risk of broken bones, brain injury, or death? No thank you. I don't hang glide either.

With thanks to Sofee for posting. I am so sorry for her husband's accident. I have always thought this (biking down Haleakala) looked terribly dangerous and not fun. But people disagreed & poo-pooed when I posted this before. It just looked like a REALLY bad idea to me, as others are finding out the hard way.

I've also posted about this "adventure"; a friend who is a very experienced cyclist took a terrible fall, right onto the basalt that is everywhere on the ride. She'll always have facial (and other) scars.

BTW, My dad (age 72) and my mom (age 68)did Cruiser Bobs thought it was one of the best bike rides of their lives!

Biking is certainly not a risk free sport, but my husband had a serious accident ON the bike path in Pearl City, my father got in a nasty accident in Coroando, CA, a community that is basically one huge bike path.

Haleakala bikers just recently agreed to a new set of rules, where the groups will have specified turn outs to let cars pass. Hopefully this will eliminate some of the need to speed on the mountain.

Definately dangerous!! I was not the only person in the hospital from an accident on Haleakala. The number of accidents on that mountain is not made public, but much more than people think.

Elaine,

I would love to hear more about what happened to you, if you'd like to share.

Sofee:
I wish your husband a speedy recovery, thank you for sharing. I will be there end of May and had actually "considered" doing this since I had read that it was "safe to do" I will stick to my car ride. Lots of luck
Gina

Wanted to add that the postings from sofee on down are accurate. (Sofee: sorry for what happened to your husband). Chapter 8 of the book "Surviving Paradise" discusses the ranger studies she mentions and describes various accidents, some of them fatal. The ride is a lot tougher than most people assume, especially if they haven't been on a bike for awhile.

http://www.survivingparadisehawaii.com/buy_the_book.php

My husband also had an accident (luckily wasn't injured) biking down. Towards the end of the mountain, another bike cut him off and the ground was wet and muddy. He slipped and fell. He had skid marks on the side of his body and helmet (luckily he was wearing it). No one stopped to help him (none of the workers)! He was in the way back so I didn't know that happened until the end. This was 10 years ago. We were there on our honeymoon. Needless to say, we will never do that again.

Sofee, how is your husband? Could you entend your stay?