Happy Aloha Friday

[WaikikiFirst]

Is the eruption on BI likely to put enough gas in the air to change the local weather?

 

[geist1223]

On our first trip to Maui (Honeymoon May 2003) we did a tour of Haleakala. Van ride to top. Enjoy the sunrise. Then bike down to the ocean. Stopped at a Country Club for Buffet Breakfast. 10,000 feet to Zero Feet. It was amazing. They gave you warm hats, gloves, and jacket. You would shed them as you descended. National Parks no longer allows Bike Tours to start inside Park. Now they Bike Tours take you to the top for Sunrise. Then you get back into the Van to go down to just outside National Park and get on Bike. Nowhere near as great.

 

[Henry M.]

Can't wait to get to Maui on Friday next week. I'll be waving to Jeff from Ka'anapali!

 

[slip]

Can't wait to get to Maui on Friday next week. I'll be waving to Jeff from Ka'anapali!

I'll be waving from across the Pailolo Channel.

 

[mountainboy]

10,000 feet to Zero Feet.

National Parks no longer allows Bike Tours to start inside Park

There were many people who had serious injuries & several deaths with these tours..
Have seen (hardcore) cyclists riding up & down Haleakala on several trips (but not organized commercial trips)...
*There was a Maui county ordinance in 2022 for tours outside park also, as below...

From Google:
'The National Park Service (NPS) halted commercial downhill bike tours in Haleakala National Park due to an unacceptably high risk, evidenced by multiple fatalities and serious injuries in the years leading up to 2007. The suspension, which began in October 2007, was a temporary "safety stand-down" to critically analyze the activity, but has since continued. The NPS has not permanently banned all bike activity but continues to evaluate the operations and management of commercial tours through the park's Commercial Services Plan, which is the best tool for determining the future of such commercial activities within the park.

Reasons for the Suspension

• Fatalities and Injuries:
  A series of serious accidents, including three fatalities within a single year, led to the NPS's temporary suspension of tours.
  
  
• High-Risk Rating:
  A park service review found the in-park commercial downhill tours, as they were managed before 2007, posed an unacceptably high risk to park visitors.
  
  
• Liability Concerns:
  While not explicitly stated, the risk of accidents and potential lawsuits was a significant consideration for the park service, as it was for local authorities.
  

Current Status

• Continued Moratorium:
  The initial suspension has remained in effect since 2007 and continues pending a full evaluation of the activity through the park's Commercial Services Plan (CSP).
  
  
• Van Tours:
  Commercial companies are still permitted to operate van tours within the park under Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs).
  
  
• Individual Activity Allowed:
  The NPS ban does not affect individual visitors who choose to ride their own bikes within the park.
  

Changes and Regulations

• Maui County Ordinance:
  In 2022, Maui County enacted a law regulating commercial downhill tours on roads outside the park, limiting them to 10 riders, requiring a minimum age of 15, and restricting operations to a specific section of Haleakala Crater Road.
  
  
• Ongoing Evaluation:
  The NPS continues to evaluate the impact of commercial bike tours on park operations, resources, and visitor experiences'.

 

[artringwald]

There were many people who had serious injuries & several deaths with these tours..
Have seen (hardcore) cyclists riding up & down Haleakala on several trips (but not organized commercial trips)...
*There was a Maui county ordinance in 2022 for tours outside park also, as below...

From Google:
'The National Park Service (NPS) halted commercial downhill bike tours in Haleakala National Park due to an unacceptably high risk, evidenced by multiple fatalities and serious injuries in the years leading up to 2007. The suspension, which began in October 2007, was a temporary "safety stand-down" to critically analyze the activity, but has since continued. The NPS has not permanently banned all bike activity but continues to evaluate the operations and management of commercial tours through the park's Commercial Services Plan, which is the best tool for determining the future of such commercial activities within the park.

Reasons for the Suspension

• Fatalities and Injuries:
  A series of serious accidents, including three fatalities within a single year, led to the NPS's temporary suspension of tours.
  
  
• High-Risk Rating:
  A park service review found the in-park commercial downhill tours, as they were managed before 2007, posed an unacceptably high risk to park visitors.
  
  
• Liability Concerns:
  While not explicitly stated, the risk of accidents and potential lawsuits was a significant consideration for the park service, as it was for local authorities.

Current Status

• Continued Moratorium:
  The initial suspension has remained in effect since 2007 and continues pending a full evaluation of the activity through the park's Commercial Services Plan (CSP).
  
  
• Van Tours:
  Commercial companies are still permitted to operate van tours within the park under Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs).
  
  
• Individual Activity Allowed:
  The NPS ban does not affect individual visitors who choose to ride their own bikes within the park.

Changes and Regulations

• Maui County Ordinance:
  In 2022, Maui County enacted a law regulating commercial downhill tours on roads outside the park, limiting them to 10 riders, requiring a minimum age of 15, and restricting operations to a specific section of Haleakala Crater Road.
  
  
• Ongoing Evaluation:
  The NPS continues to evaluate the impact of commercial bike tours on park operations, resources, and visitor experiences'.

I have done the Waimea Canyon bike tour several times. I feel that tour is much safer than the Haleakala one, and it still has spectacular scenery. There have been no fatalities. There's also less traffic on the road. The trailing van blocks any cars from passing. If it starts to back up, everybody pulls over at the next scenic lookout. There is still some danger involved:

BTW, this has not been photoshoped. T-rex is 6" tall and 12" from the camera. The tour guide took the picture.

 

[geist1223]

What was happening with Haleakala Bike Tours is that many times when people were injured they would sue. They would sue the Bike Tour and because the ride started in the National Park the National Park. The Bike Companies all signed Contracts that said they would assume the liability if any. All the Bike Riders signed a Release acknowledging that the Bike Ride was hazardous that released the National Park from liability. So when a law suit was filed naming the Bike Company and the National Park the US Attorney's Office would file a Motion to have the Park and Federal Government dismissed. It was always granted but it was a time consuming hassle.