Firefighters said that the rivers crossing the trail were at a dangerously high level. My issue is with the multiple bags of rubbish and litter in the valley that I've personally removed. Ensure that your battery is full prior to your hike. Furthermore, Hawaii State Forest Reserves have other rules, such as what time they open and close, yes you read that correctly, Forest Reserves are only legal to hike in 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset. There are many more to check out! It was intense & very rewarding. At another, I cut up my knuckles clawing for exposed roots to keep from tumbling down the rugged spine. The World Travel Guy 2023 As soon as you veer from top of the middle ridge, roughly 2000ft from the top of the stairs, you are trespassing and can be fined for doing so. Can see the water on both sides of the islands the further up you hike. So long as you make the right turn in The Valley you can easily find your way up, assuming youre up to the effort. Please explore other trails nearby. -Dogs and babies not advisable on this trail. I was wondering what hike is the one you took the first picture in!! The Kulana'ahane Trail offers unparalleled hiking through native Hawaiian forest to a scenic overlook. The hike follows the Moanalua Valley Trail before connecting up the Moanalua Middle Ridge, which is the legal 'backway' to the Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs) satellite summit. Your selfish Instagram post is at the expense of destroying the island's fragile eco-diversity. In this web series,we bring you our favorite Oahu trails once a month. No skate shoes.) 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A man who was hiking Hawaii's Olomana Trail reportedly plummeted hundreds of feet to his death on Sunday after he reportedly tried to grab his hat, marking the fourth death linked to the dangerous trail since 2011. Wear spikes if you have them, makes most of the trail up the ridge line easier. However, the whole Haiku valley is surrounded by a residential area with fences, yappy dogs, and a security guard, with only a few possible entrances. The Olomana Trail is strenuous a 4.5-mile rocky path spread across three different mountainous peaks, according toSummitPost.org. Yes the steepest parts have metal railings to hold. Ive lived here for 33 years and yes its fricken ridiculous WHEREVER YOU GO. It's not about the rules and laws I've cited. Still interested? Thanks for looking! Mahalo! A non-profit group called Friends of Haiku Stairs has drawn up some good plans for keeping the staircase and re-opening it with managed access, hiker fees, assumed liability, and minimal disturbance to the local neighborhood. Park off the Old Pali Highway before the lookout in the dirt parking lot. Market data provided by Factset. These people are mad and will make increasing trouble for hikers as time goes by. Hold tight and watch your footing. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Capt. The views are incredible and worth every minute and mile of this trail. INDEFINITE CLOSURE: This trail is closed to the public and violators/trespassers are SUBJECT TO $1000 FINES, COMMUNITY SERVICE, BENCH WARRANTS, AND/OR ARREST. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your Also, more so than the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail, the peak to the radio station is far muddier and much more slippery. This is incorrect. Youll encounter a couple more ropes (as you did during the Moanalua hike) which will be instrumental in getting down some of the slopes. In this blog post, I will share with you all of the details about the Moanalua Valley Trail to Haiku Stairs including distance, elevation, legalities, what to bring, and how to avoid trouble on this route. Although small and unmarked its an obvious trail. Please see J T s comments below before attempting this. I hope you enjoyed this guide to the Moanalua Valley Trail (backway to Stairway to Heaven) and have good luck and good weather on your journey! "One couldnt help but be in a good mood when you were around.". Thank you. I also didnt get enough sleep dont be like me. The trailhead area below the stairs is patrolled by a security guard around the clock, and sometimes the Honolulu police are called. Steep drops on both sides, but the metal Haiku stairs and railings are surprisingly solid. If you think about it there is a large number of people on 24/7 neighborhood watch and some are very angry and extreme. There is no legal way to the stairs. This trail is a national and state treasure, with amazing scenery and a cool bit of history behind it. Gallantry: Biden presents Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroics in Vietnam, US to send bridge-launching vehicles for tank deployments to Ukraine in new $400M aid package, Japan complains to US over Utah senators remarks on imprisoned Navy officer, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Not muddy today. Its absolutely gorgeous. If its handled right, this solution could resolve many of the issues associated with the Stairway To Heaven. IG: @ lis.aloha. The first 2.5ish miles are flat and the next 2 miles are a pretty steep incline. The Kullana'ahane is a better marker. The cause of the airmans death is under investigation. Been there. There is danger involved with traversing a mountain's ridgeback, an absurdly obvious fact that's slightly deceiving during the first leg of this trek, which begins at Moanalua Valley Park, a flat, straightforward 3-mile walk into Kamananui Valley. One way to reach the off-limits Stairway to Heaven is to start on a different trail from Moanalua Valley. (Google Maps calls it Moanalua Valley Trail Start.) Have some light. 12. So windy with no microspikes, gloces. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Ethical? Amazing! Stay hydrated and prepare for the unexpected. Keep your personal fitness and skill levelin mind, and always take proper precautions when venturing off road. Officials said he collapsed while hiking the Moanalua Valley. More advanced hike along the ridge line. Loved every minute of it! The Stairway To Heaven trail is scary, but not very dangerous in my opinion unless you goof off or do something dumb. Once up on the ridge, the view is absolutely incredible! Pass the little sign and stream and itll be on your right. Legal Statement. Polizzi collapsed while hiking the Moanalua Valley trail on Oahu. Moanalua Valley Trail to the Haiku Stairs (Stairway To Heaven) [CLOSED / PRIVATE PROPERTY], https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/document-download?id=11354. a view? Drone shot of the mountain. Dont forget to check out my other Oahu hiking guides and my complete list of the best things to do in Oahu Hawaii! The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation. Not only are the views out of this world, but the whole experience is just beyond awesome and unique. The stairs are hiked by thousands of people every year, but the status of the trail is still in limbo because the state of Hawaii is afraid of liability and cant decide what to do with the stairs. After all, well be inching closer to the sun at an elevation gain of about 2,585 feet from where were currently standing. Well worth that investment of time sweat & tears! and news flash, every part of Hawaii is sacred! If you are interested in climbing the back (legal) way up to the summit you can contact @mike.karas on Instagram and chat with him about when his next tour is running as he hikes the trail most weeks. The trail becomes quite steep from this point on with lots of tree roots to scramble up, boulders to clamber over and small rope sections to navigate. Ownership of the stairs was given to the city of Honolulu, and supposedly they were planning to turn the Haiku Stairs hike into a paid attraction. All anyone posts on here is about hiking the "legal" way, its not. Many people come unprepared for hiking on Oahu and thats why there are so many rescues. That hasnt stopped locals, hikers, and tourists sneaking past a guard who is posted at the bottom of the stairs to experience the thrilling 4000ft long climb along an 18-inch wide staircase reaching heights of above 2000ft. Invalid password or account does not exist. When she willed the entire ahupuaa of Moanalua to Damons father in 1884, the luxurious valley home was built.) People claim the stairs are dangerous but they are a lot safer than climbing the mountains without stairs which is what people are doing to avoid breaking the law (but then they get on the stairs at the top for photos). Moanalua Valley Trail to the Haiku Stairs (Stairway To Heaven) [CLOSED / PRIVATE PROPERTY] Hard 4.7 (2199) Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve Photos (5,275) Directions Print/PDF map Length 10.5 miElevation gain 5,029 ftRoute type Out & back Bummer, this trail is closed. Keep in mind climbing begins over 2 miles from start point. The key in the first part of the hike is to be cognizant of the distance you are covering as the ridge trail is somewhat hidden and can be easily missed. Cool ridge hike, 4hrs at 28 mins moving time. This is classic government stupidity for you tax people to build them, tax more to fix them, then tax to take them out because they are dangerous when actually they are much safer than no stairs. This breathtaking gem was built in 1982 by the US Army Corps of Engineering to prevent flooding. Moanalua Valley is a Forest Reserve. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. The first 2.9 miles are fairly straightforward with only 100ft of elevation each mile. The Moanalua Valley Middle Ridge Trail to the Haiku Stairs is a 10.7 mile (roundtrip) hike along varying terrains with several rope climb sections and very narrow ridge climbing. The last crossing is allll the way at the end, and immediately after that last crossing, it's dense 12ft tall grass and the trail disappears. From plantation towns to planned communities, Central Oahu has its share of secret spots, a bumper crop of bowling alleys and neighborhood eats. As the years have gone by and patience thinned then disappeared completely, hikers have tried to be more stealthy but its a little too late I dont know about you but if all that was happening on a near daily basis to my neighborhood, Id be pretty upset too! He was previously stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy; Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. They are fairly obvious when you cross over them and from the time you start there will be 17 crossings prior to the Middle Ridge Trailhead. Know yourself and what you need, and bring more than that. Anthony J. Polizzi. Be sure youre alright with heights, narrow ridges, and some minor climbing/scrambling. The ground can get dangerously slippery and muddy. The view from the tower is the most spectacular although there will be lookouts before which are gorgeous as well. Please do not bring your babies, this hike is far too dangerous for young children. All water should be . There are dozens of other legal trails that give you a similar view that you can hike. When I did the Haiku Stairs Oahu trek for the first time on my birthday in 2016, the weather started out clear but then some clouds came in. There's also a ton of street parking near by in the neighborhood. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, I was wondering 10.4 miles is it a round trip? The cool, breezy path goes through a lush forest and contains seven bridges with stream fords. Continue on the main trail up and up and up. One of the best experiences I had on Oahu was swimming with the beautiful spinner dolphins on this exact tour. Hawaii, like any other state, has property laws. The valley itself is historical, with the earliest human inhabitants dating back to the 1500s. Copyright Journey Era, 2022 | Sitemap | Privacy Policy. Choose wisely! Im chicken little when it comes to doing anything that is deemed illegal. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Bring some shoes that you don't care about because the trail is muddy and you will definitely get dirty. This hike is just one trail located in the Ewa Forest Preserve. This is the trailhead for the hike and you will follow this path until you reach the middle ridge. ! DIRECTIONS Traveling west on the H-1, take Exit 10 (Pearl city/Waimalu) onto Moanalua Road.