The Maze MTB Tour

The tour is 5 days long with 4 days of cycling and 1 day of hiking.

Food is a big part of the experience. The guides prepare all of your meals on the camping trip. Expect three delicious meals a day consisting entirely of freshly prepared foods. These include fresh organic fruits and vegetables as well as meats. There will also be energy snacks aboard the support vehicles. Don’t be surprised if your guides purchase fresh fruits and healthy snacks throughout the day while you are out riding. They may just show up on the trail with a local treat!

Many guests are vegans or vegetarians, whom the tour operator is more than happy to accommodate. If you have special diet requirements or limitations, just let us know when you sign-up and the tour operator will work with you to meet your needs.

Cell service for this tour is spotty. Verizon is the best service to have for this area.

Camping gear may be rented or you may bring your own. The tour operator's camp gear package includes a three-man tent with ground tarp, sleeping bag, bag liner, full size pillow, raised cot and self-inflating ground pad.

Luggage is limited to one small soft-shelled suitcase or medium/large sized duffel bag (no heavier than 40 pounds). Please ensure your luggage container is water repellant. The tour operator also suggests bringing a hydration daypack or small backpack for valuables.

You will be riding and sleeping at elevations over 4,000 ft. (1219m) for this trip. Weather predictions in this area are often unreliable due to the elevation, so it is best to be prepared for cold evenings and inclement weather.

MOUNTAIN BIKE

For optimal physical preparation, the tour operator recommends that you ride at least several hours per week during the month preceding the tour. During the tour, you will be on your bike every day, and they can assure you that an unprepared bottom is a sore one! If you can’t ride your bike or don’t own one, take a spin class at your local gym a few times a week.

HIKING

To prepare for the tour, the tour operator recommends that you hike, jog or run at least several hours per week during the month preceding the tour. Walk/run in the shoes and sock you are bringing on the trip. This will help prevent blisters and sore feet.

They don’t just preach environmental awareness, they live it. The tour operator recycles 90% of our waste and run their LEED Platinum facilities with solar and wind power. Additionally, their facilities are net-zero energy (they produce more energy than is consumed) which makes them the only commercial outfitter in the world who is net positive energy.

The tour is classified as Fitness and Technical Level 2-3. Day 3 involves easy biking (level 1 plus unmaintained dirt roads/maintained singletrack trail). All other days biking are moderately graded (level 2 plus moderate grades/some unmaintained singletrack).

Yes. Make your trip as comfortable as possible on the body, as simple as possible for travelling, and hassle-free on tour. By choosing to rent a bike, the tour operator will fit you with the newest, highest quality gear in the industry.

The tour operator provides only high-end bicycles from Santa Cruz and Specialised. They replace their rental fleet each season to ensure all rentals meet their high standards. All of the mountain bikes are equipped with full suspension frames and disc brakes designed for a smooth, comfortable ride.

Having custom-made vehicles allows the tour operator to take you to places few other outfitters can, or will go. The tour is accompanied by at least one support vehicle, trailer, and in some cases a second and third transfer van.

After purchase, the tour operator custom engineers their trucks, vans, and trailers by on-staff mechanics to meet the unique needs of different tours. For example, certain trucks are specifically designed for The White Rim and The Maze, while others are designed for The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

Each guide is required to be trained in safe vehicle operation, 4X4 driving, and basic maintenance. The experienced guides make it look easy, transporting you and up to 12 guests, along with bikes, fresh food, camping gear and plenty of drinking water to a remote location.

Confident and Comfortable Travelling
Choosing when you’re ready to travel is different for everyone. The Tour Operator wants you to feel confident and in safe hands travelling with them on a worry-free, fun adventure in the great outdoors. Below you’ll find the additional precautions that have been put in place.

Food Preparation
Trip Leaders have always been trained in food handling safety and will be receiving additional training on CDC and WHO safety guidelines. In addition, they will be wearing face coverings and gloves while preparing your meals.

Inns Tours
Over the past 25+ years gourmet 5-star meals have been cooked for guests on tours. The Tour Operator is taking it back to their roots, where it all started, and will be cooking culinary delights for the inns tours, for the foreseeable future.

Vans and Gear
From bike grips to tents — every piece of gear and equipment that needs it will get a daily cleaning. All common surface areas will be wiped down multiple times a day and vehicles will be fogged between tours.

Preparedness & Support

Staying Educated and Keeping You Informed
The Tour Operator is always monitoring what’s happening and how it impacts the trips and this pandemic is no exception. They are using the latest recommendations from the CDC and WHO, along with consulting local authorities where they travel, to guide the decisions for your tours. You’ll be contacted with any important information related to your departure.

Certified and Trained Trip Leaders
Trip leaders have always been required to go through training to receive their Food Handler Safety Training card. They learn about foodborne illness, risk factors, food hazards and sanitization protocols. Additionally, the Tour Operator are one of the few tour companies to require trip leaders to be WFR (Wilderness First Responder) certified. WFR certification is an intensive 72-80 hour course taught over 8-10 days. Trip Leaders learn how to properly identify and manage life-threatening injuries and illnesses that could appear in a wilderness setting (more than 60 minutes away from definitive care), and also includes a lot of hands-on skill practice, case studies, practical scenarios, evacuation planning and procedures, and other aspects of long-term patient care involving wilderness context and situational awareness.

Arriving Feeling Your Best
Please make sure you are feeling well when you come on your adventure. If you are sick and running a fever, please stay home for your own health and safety of others.

Face Coverings
Guests are recommended to bring their preferred face covering and will be asked to wear them at a minimum, while travelling in the vans. While being outdoors is your choice. The Tour Operator will do their best to have hand sanitizer available, but it’s always good to bring your own.

Safe in the Outdoors

Small Groups
The Tour Operator has always focused on small groups, so this is nothing new for them. They will continue to keep groups small with parties of 7 or less and will be following each state’s guidelines for group capacity, if any.

Outdoor Social Distancing
Itineraries will be adjusted to avoid all visitor’s centers, tourist attractions or other crowded places to avoid crowds. Route options will be modified also to bypass the most “at risk” areas the tours travel through, if necessary.

Private Tours
The idea of taking your friends or family somewhere cool and amazing is actually pretty easy. Tell us what you’re thinking and we’ll make it happen. Any trip on the website can run as a private tour. Private tours allow the ultimate and safe bonding experience.

Culinary Delights Prepared by your Trip Leaders
Preparing all meals for the guests, including those on inns tours, will allow guests to be in an environment away from crowds and will have less concern. The Tour Operator is working with hotel partners to come up with a solution to set up an outdoor kitchen and bring you all their favourite meals.

Trip Transportation
The Tour Operator will make certain you have enough space when taking a lift in the van and the choice to do what you want every day. If necessary, they’ll use even more vans to provide more room between travellers. We know what’s right for one person may not be right for another. On select itineraries, you will have the option to drive your own vehicle on the tour rather than ride in the van.

Travelling Safe and Secure during COVID-19
Updated November 19, 2020

Effective for all trips booked between now and March 31, 2021

Outdoor backcountry travel has never looked better. The Tour Operator has been working hard to bring you the safest possible way to travel. People are moving more from indoor gyms and malls of recycled air to outdoor fresh air freedom. If COVID-19 has a silver lining, it’s seeing all the families, dog-walkers, strollers and kids on bikes enjoying time together outside.

MODIFIED FLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICY FOR TRIP DEPARTURES IN 2021

The Tour Operator is aware that what’s right for one person may not be right for another. Therefore, they’ve adjusted their booking and cancellation policies to allow you more flexibility to make the decision that’s right for you.

If Escape Adventures cancels your trip, you have two options:
1. Receive a full refund
2. Keep your balance on file for a trip in the future with no expiration and receive an additional credit per guest*

The cancellation policy has been modified to provide guests with essential flexibility. The goal is to provide flexibility so that you can have the time and information you need to make the best decision that works for you. The Tour Operator realises how rapidly the situation is changing, so they’re reviewing all of this in real-time.

Less than 60 days prior to your departure date you have two options:
1. Choose another date or destination for your trip with no fees
2. Keep your balance on file for a trip in the future with no expiration and receive an additional credit per guest*

60 days or more prior to your departure you have three options:
1. Cancel your trip and receive a full refund
2. Choose another date or destination for your trip with no fees
3. Keep your balance on file for a trip in the future with no expiration and receive an additional credit per guest*

The Tour Operator has an experienced and devoted team ready to book your next adventure. They want to make sure you still feel confident booking with a tour. The modified cancellation policy outlined above applies to new bookings as well to allow you essential flexibility.

Please understand that the Tour Operator reserves the right to make adjustments to their policies to maintain an adaptable response to unpredictable situations.

*Credit of $150 per person for camping tours and $350 per person for inns tours – valid only on trips with 2021 departure dates