Hikers kept climbing Hawaii's 'Stairway to Heaven.' Now it'll be removed.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hikers kept climbing Hawaii’s ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ Now it’ll be removed.

Though the Ha‘ikū Stairs were closed to the public, photos kept surfacing online from people who accessed the stairway to complete the illegal hike

By Praveena Somasundaram
April 16, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT



The view from atop the Ha‘ikū Stairs in 2015. (iStock)

Honolulu’s famous Ha‘ikū Stairs have been closed to the public for decades — but that hasn’t stopped some hikers from trespassing through private properties or skirting security guards to make the illegal trek up the metal stairway. ... Now, the treacherous path, known as the “Stairway to Heaven,” is being removed more than 80 years after the U.S. Navy built it during World War II.

The 3,922 stairs that weave up a steep mountainside have drawn tourists who attempt early-morning hikes, hoping to catch a sunrise from the ridge of the Ko‘olau range, more than 2,800 feet above sea level. Last week, construction workers began the removal process, which is expected to take at least six months. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi called the project “long overdue.” ... “I can promise you that this was not a capricious decision,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

Attempts to complete the forbidden hike have ended in precarious rescue missions.... In September, a woman and her dog had to be airlifted from the perilous trail by a helicopter crew after a 50-foot-fall, Hawaii News Now reported. In 2016, a pair of hikers were stranded for hours in the dark until emergency responders could access the trail in the daylight, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Between January 2022 and February 2024, the Honolulu Fire Department said it responded to five rescue situations on the Ha‘ikū Stairs. Honolulu-based KHON2 reported in October 2022 that the fire department had rescued 118 people on the stairs over the last 12 years. ... Access to the stairway, built to allow military personnel to reach communication facilities on the ridgeline, has been restricted since 1987. The U.S. Coast Guard previously allowed hikers who signed a waiver to use the stairs, but officials later closed them to the public “due to vandalism and liability concerns,” according to the Honolulu City Council.



Hikers climb the Ha‘ikū Stairs in 2019. (iStock) (iStock)

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By Praveena Somasundaram
Praveena Somasundaram is a reporter on The Washington Post's General Assignment desk. She started at The Post as an intern in 2022 and has previously reported at the Dallas Morning News and the Charlotte Observer. Twitter https://twitter.com/praveenavsoma

[irisblue]

1. That is quite a view and I totally understand why it is being closed down

[mahina]

2. People have to go through a residential neighborhood where there is no parking for them, no rubbish cans, no toilets,

and they are an extreme nuisance.

From those pictures, it looks somewhat plausible to hike up there if you're really fit, but let me tell you those mountains vanish in the clouds in a blink. The powerful rains that carved those ridges not to mention the wind that was brought up in the article are some of the risks. Those sheer cliffs look like that, because the soil is crumbly and soft and rained on all the time, and it is not stable to walk on. My Dad used to say never climb those cliffs. Many have tried, many have died, and that is a fact. We don't like them because it seems like they just are breaking the law carelessly and exporting the cost and risk of saving them to us.

I'm no fan of Blangiardi, but I'm glad he's doing this, and I'm glad the city council voted the way they did. We keep having to put our first responders at risk to go scrape their dumbasses off the side of the Ko'olaus. Just last night there was a guy up there with his kids if you can believe that, all he had was headlamps. Then some other jackass on the land below started flashing lasers up at him on the mountain, which was awful too. how do I know? The hiker posted the pics on Facebook yesterday.

[maspaha]

3. Yikes!!

I climbed those stairs in June of 1984 on my first trip to Oahu. I admit it quenched this little Kentucky girl’s thrill seeking thirst. Can’t image what they’d be like 40 years (geez I feel old!) later. I had an expert escort and it was beautiful, but I wouldn’t do it again.