Stairway to heaven hawaii how long

The grass grows high and can overgrow the path, but you will be able to see a direction of where to go. Walk until you see the signs depicted on the picture below. Do NOT continue straight , you will cross the riverbed instead. There might be water flowing depending on which month you are hiking the legal way to the stairway to heaven.

You will make an immediate right after you crossed the riverbed. Look out for signs that are marked on trees after you cross the riverbed. The signs are not obvious. You will start to notice the elevation that does not seem to end.

You will walk through this enchanted forest where you will find guava fruit on trees. Look out for the yellow colored guava, these are delicious! A great power snack to keep you going on the steep mountain. There are lots of roots in this part of the hike, which offer great support sometimes as you climb your way to the top.

On the ridgeline is where you will find the scary parts of this trail. Steep parts with only mud, sand and a rope to hold onto. There can be lots of wind when you walk on the ridgeline. The wind is so strong at times, that you feel like it will blow you off the ridgeline.

We made ourselves small by ducking down when the wind was blowing just a little too hard. There are parts with a steep drop off, but overall the sides of the mountain are covered with plants and trees. If you fall, your fall might be broken by a tree. You will arrive at the same spot as hikers who hike the illegal way, to the top of the mountain and the Haiku stairs.

You will see hikers resting on top of the radio station as well as hikers who decide to walk the stairs down. Beware that you exit at a different spot if you hike down the Haiku stairs. You will not arrive at the entrance of the Moanalua Valley neighborhood park and you will have to find your way to your car Uber? Good shoes! We wear Merrell shoes for hiking, as they also offer minimalist shoes with awesome grip and traction. A lightweight daypack to carry all your essentials. We have an osprey backpack and a REI daypack.

We have seen people wear chains on their shoes to help with traction on the muddy and slippery mountain. They are lightweight and help you feel more stable and secure on your climb. Comfortable clothing. We would recommend long pants, as there are many branches and plants that cut and scrape your legs.

You will be climbing, sliding and pulling on ropes. Wear clothes that allow you the full range of motion on this hike! Let us know if this hike is on your bucket list! Have you ever hiked the stairway to heaven? We would like to know! Hi me and my friend thought this was so helpful!!! We want to do it soon and if you guys are doing it again please let us know!!! Glad it was helpful!! We might do it again, but not sure!

Thanks to your detailed explanation of how to do the legal way and those photos my friends and I were able to get to the top with no issues!! It was beautiful and perfect so thank you so much!!! Good evening! I appreciate the information you have shared here….! We have hiked this trail a while ago. But when I look on the Alltrails website, I do see recent comments of people who have hiked the trail. The top of the trail, being the Haiku stairs is illegal.

Hope this helps!! Hi Nikki! Thank you for the great tips, definitely on my bucket list. 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. We made a false start up a precarious slope and had to go back down and restart closer to the stairs.

The main problem is going through the neighborhood. A guy yelled and cussed at us and sprayed us with water with blue dye. These people are mad and will make increasing trouble for hikers as time goes by.

They have already put up high fences on access points reported online and we were only able to get in through one of the drainage ditches, and that was challenging.

Someone needs to find a better means of access that bypasses the neighborhood totally. I would have liked to investigate an entry from the south if time permitted.

The walk would be a little longer but easy on the flat road. David April 20, am. Deedee October 1, pm. Oh my! Thank you for sharing your experience and pics. Your email address will not be published. Contents hide. History Of The Haiku Stairs. You Might Also Enjoy. Share via: Facebook Twitter Email. Thanks for a great article!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Copy link. Now is also the time to pack high-energy food. You will need it! One thing you MUST also pack is blister plasters!

I highly recommend these Compeed plasters — they act like a second skin and allow you to keep walking even if you have a blister. They have saved my feet many times while out hiking! Ensure you pack some sunscreen too. The Stairway to Heaven Hawaii hike can take up to hours to complete and there is very little shade.

Also make sure you bring a camera and your phone is fully charged- you will want to take many photos. To access the Haiku stairs, you need to sneak in.

Whatever you do, do not walk directly to the entrance. There are police patrolling the road that leads to the entrance, and there is a guard at the entrance also. You will actually meet the stairs a little after they start.

Many people choose to break in as early as 4am in the morning to avoid the guard. The safest way to gain access to the stairway is to go via the drainage ditch see photo below for the exact location. Once you reach the security fence, you will have to climb over. It is marked with barbed wire, however there is a section where the wire has come loose so you can climb over without tearing a hole in your leg.

You will then cross a road into even more bush- be careful when crossing the road. We actually got caught by the police when we were crossing the road. Fortunately, they turned a blind eye when they saw us! This is where it gets more challenging. The steepest part of the hike is at the beginning, so once you get through that it does get a little easier.

Welcome to heaven and hell- for your legs! When you go back down the stairs, you will be able to see the guard and he will be able to see you. Luckily, there is a security fence separating you and the guard. You will want to go the same way out as you came in, just in case. My legs were shaking pretty violently on the descent. The locals living in the neighborhood surrounding the Haiku Stairs really do not like the tourists hiking it.

Do not be surprised if they yell abuse at you- just be polite, and keep walking. It is a privilege to hike the Stairway To Heaven. Lastly, why not make a donation to a place such as the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve?