latest info on the ban on bike ride tours from the crater?

does anyone know the latest details of the ban on bike tours down from the crater? all posts that i%26#39;ve read have all been in 2007, are there any updates? Also, are there unguided tours that will pick you up from your hotel?

latest info on the ban on bike ride tours from the crater?

the national park has closed the park to both tours and self guided bike trips after some fatalities. The tours now leave the 6000 ft level oitside the parks boundry.

The park is reviweing if they will reopen it...However the NPS feeling is that the bike trips are not in keeping with park polices...and detract from other visitors experience. This is a nationwide trend in all parks

latest info on the ban on bike ride tours from the crater?

Are bikes banned all together? Was thinking biking up--and then down. I know its a hard ride and I have been there before so know about the road, but I ride pretty hard but dont go for fast downhilling.

I checked the park%26#39;s websitr and there is NO indication of any restriction on bicycles. In fact, they say:

Each day a few hardy souls cycle from sealevel to the summit (10,023 feet/3055m). The park roads are open to uphill or downhill cycling 24 hours per day. In planning your trip, please remember:

You will need $5 in cash for a individual/cyclist entrance pass.

It is often very cold, windy, and wet above 5000 ft/1524 m. More...

You are entering a high-elevation environment.

The only pay phone in the summit area of the park is at the Park Headquarters Visitor Center at 7000 ft/2134 m.

There is no bike path. You will be sharing a narrow, winding mountain road with cars and buses.

There are also commercial tours that will drive you to the top of the mountain and provide a bike and safety equipment for a guided trip down. Please contact the Maui Visitor Bureau to learn more about these tours that are not sponsored by the park.

You might want to check for yourself:

nps.gov/hale/…bicyclinginformation.htm

Any thoughts on how we can be sure of what the policy is -- I was planning to bike up and down as well.

THANKS

Updating:

I found the following explanation from a bike rental company:

';';';';';';On October 10th, 2007 Haleakala National Park elimanated the commercial downhill bike tour operations in the National Park. They no longer allow commercial companies to conduct convoyed descents.

If you wish to bike downhill from the summit of Haleakala, off road or on road, then you must rent your own equipment, and take in into the park yourself.

BIKES ARE ALLOWED, JUST NOT COMMERCIAL DOWNHILL TOURS!!!';';';';';';';

That may explain the crossed signals.

The ban is on all commercial bike tours within the park. Commercial unescorted tours were never permitted to operate inside the park and therefore this action has had no real effect on companies like Haleakala Bike Company that offer van tours in the park and then the bike ride starting from just outside the park. The companies that ran the escorted trips do not have van tour permits and are either not operating at this time or operating with the help of companies that offer the van tour for them.