Haiku Stairs & Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe – O’ahu, Hawaii

Haiku Stairs (2,800ft)
aka Stairway To Heaven
Elevation Gain: 2,560ft

Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe (2,820ft)
Elevation Gain: (2,580ft)

Trails: Kamananui Valley Rd, Kulana’ahane Trail
Distance: 8.5 miles
Duration: 6.5 hours (includes stops for breaks along the trail and at summits)
Difficulty: Easy to Very Strenuous
Danger: High (exposed/narrow ridges with steep drop-offs, steep staircase, high winds)

The beauty of lush, tropical ridges and the Haiku Stairs summit in clouds coupled with high winds made this hike both beautiful and amazing! Not only did this hike peak my curiosity, it commanded my respect. A truly unforgettable hike! Shoots, an unforgettable walk from Honolulu to Kaneohe!

My cousin and I joined up with 3 others to hike! Our original plans were to hike all 3 peaks of Olomana but the night before I checked weather reports for rain and it looked like it would be way too slippery for Olomana. We were invited to hike to Haiku Stairs via the Moanalua Middle Ridge from the Moanalua Valley Park. So my cousin and I decided to go for it! 

The Kamananui Valley Road trail is a classic stream hike that took us over several Moanalua Stream crossings. This portion of the hike was easy to navigate as it winds through the lush valley. Shortly before taking the Kulana’ahane trail, we met up with the Hiking Oahu Trailblazers (H.O.T.). My Kahtoola Microspikes got a lot of attention. I didn't realize that I was the only one wearing spikes. Several of the hikers in the HOT group asked me about them. 

From the get-go the Kulana’ahane Trail gains elevation quickly and doesn’t let up. The trail along the lower ridge is overgrown in some spots. Some sections of the trail were board and other sections were narrow with very little or no foliage to offer the hiker a sense of security or grip. As we continued our traverse upwards, there were many long, steep climbs where ropes had been installed. I was so glad for the ropes as the trail got slicker as we gained elevation. I was also glad that I wore my Microspikes!

The higher we hiked the wetter it got and we continued to

slop our way up muddy trails that were just a foot or two wide!
More butt sliding, this time downward (video)

   

 

We finally summited Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe (Kahoe’s fire)! There is a small wooden sign as well as 3 benchmarks to distinguish the summit. We continued on and the winds grew stronger and we were in the clouds more often! :)

Video of the views from the last ascent before reaching the top.

The winds here had to be 25-30 mph!
(Still shots really couldn't capture the magnitude of the winds like a video can!) 

    After 5.5 hours, we reached the CCL (Communications Control Link) building.Now for the fun part, descending Haiku Stairs.....all 3,922 steps!

Haiku Stairs descent (video)

    Warning: Haiku Stairs is officially closed and it is illegal to access the stairs.If you attempt this hike, you do so at your own risk.