How to Hike Oahu’s Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs) in 2025
People keep asking me about the Haiku stairs. Did they remove the stairway to heaven? Is it illegal? What’s going on?
Before the Haiku stairs became an iconic view point, there was a lot of history. The Haiku stairs were originally built in 1942 to access a top secret radio tower that communicated with submarines in the Pacific. The stairs were rebuilt in the 50s, opened the public, and closed in the 1980s because of lawsuits with the state. The stairs were rebuilt again it the early 2000s with plans top open it to the public, but they’ve since gone the other way and were scheduled to remove them starting in 2024.
Before the removal date everyone wanted to go at once, which caused a lot of negative publicity, citations, and arrests. They had cops stationed at the top for a while. During this whole time there has been a legal backway through Moanalua Valley up the middle ridge, but they even closed the park during this time.
As far as I can tell, in 2025 it’s legal to hike to the Haiku stairs via Moanalua park so long as you enter after 7am and exit before 7pm. Stepping on the stairs is trespassing, but you can go almost all the way to the stairs legally. Some sites are claiming that this trail is closed, but when I recently did this hike I didn’t see any signage indicating that you couldn’t do it. Don’t take this as legal advice, I might be wrong, but I did it recently, felt it was fine, and would take other groups again.
That said, the back way is a very challenging hike! It’s 10 miles round trip, 3000 feet elevation, and includes a rope section that can be pretty gnarly under wet conditions, and it’s often wet conditions. That’s right, it’s 10 miles round trip, so just because you did Diamond Head or do a little bit of hiking doesn’t mean you can easily do this hike. You don’t want to get stuck and have to call a helicopter or be stuck in the park after dark and run into a trespassing citation on your way out. Plan accordingly.
The trail at the top is mostly clay dirt and mud if wet, so many people bring strap on microspikes to get more traction on their shoes. I don’t like doing this as it adds to the erosion of the trail, but it’s your call. I do think it’s worth trying to wait for a drier day if you can. Not only is the hike much easier, but you’re greeted with incredible views at the top instead of a blanket of clouds.
If you want to hire me as a guide to get you to the top of the Stairway to Heaven please email me first so we can coordinate. It’s not for everyone.
