Are the Haleakala Bike Tours Physically Intensive?

We know you probably don’t bike down the side of a volcano every day, so you may be wondering how intense our Haleakala bike tour will be. Does a person need to be a professional cyclist to take on this Maui volcano? How fit should someone be to ride on the Haleakala sunrise bike tour?

Be assured that our self-paced Haleakala bike tours are not physically intense or only for the professional cyclist. In fact, almost everyone can bike the volcano on our tours.

Because the Haleakala bike rides are downhill, it is a pretty leisurely bike ride. Even those who were not exceptionally physically fit really enjoy our bike rides down Haleakala. We have had a 90-year-old bike rider join us as well as children as young as 10 years old. Although you won’t have any strenuous peddling uphill, you will be biking down a mountain with curved roads, so you will need to be comfortable and experienced at riding a bike and riding a bike with hand brakes. The only other basic restrictions we have is that our bike riders not weigh more than 300 pounds and not be pregnant, and that all children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Another aspect of our particular Haleakala bike tours that makes them not intense is their self-paced nature. Although we give our biking guests  a narrated tour as they ride up to the summit of Haleakala volcano, you have the option on our tours of staying in your own cycling comfort zone. Thus, you won’t have the pressure of trying to keep up with a group like many of the guided Haleakala bike tours. You can ride down the volcano at your own pace and stop wherever you would like at the many great towns, restaurants, and shops along the route. We think that this aspect of our bike tours makes them more enjoyable and more like biking at home with friends and family.

Are the tours dangerous? Really, the Haleakala volcano tours are no more dangerous than any other bike ride. You do however, need to be comfortable riding a bike, be able to focus, and be able to use hand brakes. But basically this bike ride will be dangerous only if the biker decides to ride recklessly. Our highest priority is your safety, so we take great care to provide you with all the necessary safety and biking equipment, as well as guidelines and safety briefings. And, you don’t have to be completely on your own. If at any time during the bike ride you feel uncomfortable or need assistance, just give us a call and we will come to help or pick you up.

So the most intense part of our Haleakala bike tours may not be the bike ride at all. The most intense aspect physically may be the cold weather at the summit of Haleakala. Especially during the winter and at sunrise, temperatures can be extreme at an elevation of 10,000 feet. We recommend wearing the warmest clothes you have with you and wearing layers that can be taken off as you bike down to warmer weather. But seeing the sunrise above the clouds at the summit is well worth the cold. The elevation itself at the summit could also present some physical challenges if you’re prone to altitude sickness so drinking plenty of fluids is important.

But not all intensity is bad. We could also say that the Haleakala bike tour is pretty intense . . . that is when it comes to its amazing scenery. Everyone will agree that the Haleakala sunrise is possibly the most incredible sunrise they’ve ever seen. It’s simply unforgettable. And the beautiful countryside you’ll see on the way down is a side of Maui you can’t miss. Upcountry Maui is breathtakingly beautiful and riding down through this amazing landscape on a self-paced bike tour is thrilling and relaxing all at the same time.