Today we’d like to introduce you to James Miska.
Hi James, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
After being a bicycling tour guide in Alaska for 2 years back in 2011 and 2012, I not only missed my own hometown here, but also realized with newfound perspective how exciting a place it really is, I wanted to give people the opportunity to discover what is so great about Salt Lake, and do so in the same quality way that I had been able to do up in the Last Frontier, on a tour riding around on a bike.
An encouraging friend of mine thought it would fly, but I had my doubts. To test the idea out, I just rented some bikes from Wasatch Touring before July 4th Weekend back in 2013 and took them downtown. I had made a sign that said “Bike Tours”, and held it up until some folks came along to ask me about the sign. and sure enough, after a few minutes, a handful of tourists from Missouri walked up and asked me “How soon is the tour? I said “Right now!”, and after signing a waiver and getting them fitted to a helmet and oriented to the bikes, off we went.
At the time, I figured to myself, Well if I can just go downtown on a holiday weekend and essentially just go fishing for folks looking to explore this city in their free time, and actually find some, then there must be a lot of folks looking around online for things to do ahead of their. If I can find them, then maybe this is a worthwhile pursuit after all.
And so it has been. We’ve been in business for 8 years now, taking thousands of visitors to Salt Lake City on safe, explorative, and engaging rides on bicycles, on walking tours, hiking tours, and more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been a fairly smooth road so far. We are responsible people that look out for our guests, don’t take unnecessary risks, and focus on them, and their desires and needs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Salt Lake Bicycle Tours?
Salt Lake Bicycle Tours offers fun and engaging bike rides to explore around this beautiful city. We have regular pedal bikes, electric bikes too, plus we offer Hiking Tours of the nearby mountains and Walking tours of the Central downtown area. Generally lasting 3 hours, we can cover a lot of ground without wearing you out.
Offered throughout the daylight hours, we can start out in the cool mornings, or watch a sunset from any easily accessible vantage point. We customize each tour to our clients’ needs and areas of interest (our natural history, cultural history, Native American history, geography, modern contemporary life, and more).
Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to never sacrifice quality for quantity. We are a very small company, a handful of dedicated employees, and we do all the work ourselves. Bike Tours are a great way to explore any new city, and if we can get folks to explore our City on a bike, realize how fun it is, then hopefully that encourages them to ride a bike around back in their hometown and keep exploring other great places in the same way.
Pricing:
- Big City Loop Tour. A comprehensive look at the history of our City and what it has to offer. Approx. 3 hours, $59 per person
Contact Info:
- Email: info@saltlakebicycletours.com
- Website: www.saltlakebicycletours.com
- Instagram: @saltlakebicycletours
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltlakebicycletours
- Twitter: @SLbiketours
Image Credits
Tacara De Tevis
