Hiking up the 3,922 Haiku Stairs

This Series Hiking up the 3,922 Haiku Stairs

Today we trudged up the 3,922 steps of the Haiku Stairs.

Due to security patrolling the trailhead, it was imperative to be on the Stairway to Heaven by 6 am. I left Mokuleia at 4:30 am and met up with my sister Robin, her boyfriend Bryan and his two friends Steve and Danny at the Haiku Valley Haleiwa Joe’s. From there we took their car and parked closer to the entrance on Kuneki Place. A sign on the chain-link fence over a cement canal warns that the Haiku Stairs are closed and that trespassers will be prosecuted. Use at your own risk.

Please be quiet in this area since there is much community opposition to public access to the Stairs. Park at least a few blocks away from Kuneki Place.

How to Get There

We slipped around the fence and quietly made our way up the canal until it ends at a trail through the jungle. At another chain-link fence, we took a left and trekked up a short hill and emerged onto the H3 Freeway access road, directly under the towering freeway supports. Take a right on this access road and follow it until the trailhead opens up on the left. If you encounter a security guard, you’ve come too late... Apparently they can arrive as early as 6:30 am.

After a series of dirt steps, the Haiku Stairs starts for real now. This is a great time to do some serious stretching. Calves, hamstrings, quads, et al. Since it’s a steep climb along linked metal steps with handrails, pulling with your arms will help reduce the load on your feet.

What Condition My Condition Was In

I had been up since noon the previous day so I chugged a 5-hour energy drink chock full of B vitamins and caffeine. From the access road our group cruised to the summit at 2,820 feet in about 2 hours.

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Steep Descent...

Trail Features

Hoist House

Along the way are several sturdy platforms and a dilapidated hoist house for the the tram and hoist built in the 1940s to haul equipment and personnel up to the Navy’s Communications Control Link (CCL) station at the summit of Puu Keahiakahoe. The conditions are wet and slippery and the cliffs often drop off thousands of feet on each side. In several sections the stairs actually climb straight up! Please be careful.

The Return Trip

Going up was a tedious slog through a pervasive soaking mist and a furious wind that drove the rain back up against the cliffs and across our path. We were drenched within the first half hour.

The H3 Freeway Tunnels as seen from the Haiku Stairs.

H3 Tunnels

As we descended the rain began to dissipate and the trade winds were now blowing the clouds away to reveal stunning views of Kaneohe and Kailua. Had we stayed a few more hours the weather might have cleared up to afford breathtaking views of the entire southwest chunk of Oahu.

A group photo (except me of course) as we descended the Haiku Stairs.

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Group Photo on the Stairs

Other Exciting Hikes on Oahu

Hikes in Hawaii are usually along ridgelines, up switchback trails or through valleys. Hiking the Haiku Stairs was very similar to scaling Mt. Ka’ala or Olomana.

Tags Hiking, Mountains