There are many more to check out! Otherwise, as with many other Hawaiian hikes, closed means be prepared, respectful, and most of all, not stupid, Is anyone interested in doing the hike Tues 11/13 or Wed 11/14? My issue is with the multiple bags of rubbish and litter in the valley that I've personally removed. Definitely dont pay a guide for this hike like some people seem to. Im chicken little when it comes to doing anything that is deemed illegal. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Please explore other trails nearby. In total the hike is 5.2 miles with 2585 ft in elevation gain (basically all of this is condensed into the final 2 miles). It will take you through a creek bed, where the trail is fairly obvious to find. (A proper trail runner or hiking shoe. Just wished the front way was open, For experienced hikers dont do alone unless youre a pro & even then let someone know where you are. it's not. and news flash, every part of Hawaii is sacred! It has about 3 times as much elevation gain and takes at least 3 times as long to climb. Make sure you bring snacks and lots of water. Our biggest priority is taking care of his family and supporting his fellow Wingmen. Make sure you at least have the basics and you will be prepared for bad weather or any mishaps on the trail. Eventually, a sliver of the Pacific Ocean peeks out from the other side of the mountain and, before I know it, were at our destination, rewarded with a panoramic view of the Windward Side. Anthony J. Polizzi, 31. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. He was taken to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, where he was pronounced dead, the Air Force said. This is my Journey Era. Theres also a legal way to reach the top of the mountain by climbing it from the backside via Moanalua Valley trail, which Ill explain in more detail later in this guide. I hope you enjoyed this travel guide for the Stairway to Heaven Hawaii hike. We celebrated National Take a Hike Day (Nov. 17), with a round up of our top picks for the best hikes on the Island. Start at the parking lot at the end of Moanalua Valley Road. ", "You need to have a certain amount of physical conditioning, because you are climbing almost the entire time," Griggs told Hawaii News Now. The time should be posted on the gate. We did this trail in about 6.5 hours (both of us experienced hikers) with stoping for many photos and breaks. It is open 7A-7P but I started my hike at 6:15A and the gate was open. There are dozens of other legal trails that give you a similar view that you can hike. There is a bathroom and water at the park only. Please tag along! Drone shot of the mountain. It was gorgeous & worth all the aches later lol. Also, more so than the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail, the peak to the radio station is far muddier and much more slippery. HONOLULU (KITV4) Honolulu Fire received an emergency 911 call about hikers in distress on the Moanalua Valley Trail on Friday evening. Thanks for looking! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hey there! Cool ridge hike, 4hrs at 28 mins moving time. The cool, breezy path goes through a lush forest and contains seven bridges with stream fords. Lol ALOHAAAAA. Go past it about 20 paces. Yes, technically it is illegal to climb the Oahu Haiku Stairs since theyre closed to the public. After graduating with a journalism degree, I set off to explore the world while creating adventure travel guides featuring hikes, waterfalls, beaches & adrenaline activities. Parking was easy, street parking next to the park and it was very easy to find the green gate. Its not quite the same experience as climbing the stairs from the bottom up, but you can still reach the Hawaii Stairway To Heaven trail at the top and go back down in either direction when youre done. The 31-year-old native of New York was assigned to the 15th Maintenance Group at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the Air Force said in a statement Thursday. 6 rides; 11 miles avg distance; All. Thank for your continued support. At minimum please wear proper hiking footwear and be prepared. Disappointed that I didnt have a chance to make that trek. I appreciate the outpouring of support from our ohana.. As someone who grew up in a nearby neighborhood in the 80s and still has a good family friend that lives IN the Haiku stairs neighborhood Ill tell you one thing hiking blogs and social media posts dont seem to mention the history of bad behavior from young, disrespectful hikers who arrive at 4am, dont even try to keep their noise levels down, cut through the backyards of residents, and use residents hoses to rinse off after hiking the stairway. There are a few rope sections and some very intense drop offs on the sides for lots of the trail, so this is not for the faint of heart. 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Moanalua/Kamananui Valley Trail Hard 4.7 (4054) Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve Photos (5,132) Directions Print/PDF map Length 9.2 miElevation gain 2,998 ftRoute type Out & back Enjoy this 9.2-mile out-and-back trail near Honolulu, Oahu. Although extremely tempting, the hike down the Haiku Stairs is highly illegal and subject to fine, etc. 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. Continue on the main trail up and up and up. Loved every minute of it! Trailhead Coordinates - Latitude: 21.37409 | Longitude: -157.880509. Please be quiet and respectful of the local residents as you are parking, packing, and reaching the trailhead. Pack a long sleeve tee for the top (its chilly). After Kahahana's death, a plot was laid to kill all the chiefs of Maui on the same . 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. Highly recommend, it was one of the best hikes I have ever done. 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. 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. This trail in Oahu, also known as the Haiku Stairs, takes you to the top of the Koolau mountains via 3,922 metal stairs of pure adrenaline and doom. The Moanalua Valley Trail takes you up a steep, strenuous dirt path with ropes and no stairs. Hawaii, like any other state, has property laws. The Olomana Trail is strenuous a 4.5-mile rocky path spread across three different mountainous peaks, according toSummitPost.org. On my hike up the Moanalua Valley Trail, I went halfway down the stairs and back up just to explore and then returned via the Moanalua Valley Trail although I met some people who were going to try and exit via the stairs. If you hike up the Moanalua trail and then down the stairs, youre still risking a fine, because the stairway is not legal. This is a fun hike in central Oahu that leads to multiple water falls! The great part about this trail is that you have incredible views along the way and not just at the summit. Follow a small path in the grass, or walk to the Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden is on my list of the top ten most beautiful nature places you can drive to. Despite the drop-offs, the trail is quite well protected and unless it is a very windy day you should be fine unless you have little experience on ridges or with heights. There are four pieces of gear that I simply never forget when I go on a hike. Know yourself and what you need, and bring more than that. Overall, I think the risk of death on the Stairway To Heaven in Hawaii is greatly overstated, and as long as youre careful you should be fine. All rights reserved. Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest blog posts, tips, & travel guides. Whether climbing Stairway to Heaven illegally or legally via Moanalua Valley Trail, know that this hike is not for the faint of heart. I didnt need spikes but some good traction helps. Fun hike. Three units, staffed with nine personnel arrived on scene at 7:58 p.m. a view? Once you pass the sign and creek crossing go to the right, the trail behind the foliage, not the obvious one on the left. This hike is long, and the weather can change quickly along the trail as you ascend to just shy of 3,000ft elevation. He was previously stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy; Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Overall, AMAZING trail with the BEST views of the island!!! These are four items that I using right now and this list gets updated every year! Legal Statement. 2023 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy. Originally the stairs were built in 1942 by the U.S. Navy as a top-secret facility for transmitting radio signals to ships that were sailing in the Pacific Ocean. A day after announcing his death, officials identified him as New York native and U.S. Air Force Capt. The weather today is just as my friend hoped for; hes been monitoring it daily since a week out to ensure the trail will be dry and moderately windless, opportune conditions for a hike that has us teetering across razor-thin sections with steep drops on either side. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ensure that your battery is full prior to your hike. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Here are my hiking essentials. Trail reports are used to indicate a trails current condition and inform builders and other riders about any issues on a trail. It gave the mountains and everything a surreal touch that made us feel like we were walking up into the heavens. In its original inception, Hawaii's Interstate H3 highway was set to pass through Moanalua Valley, with its tunnel being bored right through Maunakapu, where the burials of some of Oahu's most sacred ali'i were said to be located. Can be very muddy like lots of the ridges out here on island. Try hike the Lanikai pill box brah. -Food. 2023 Stars and Stripes. Watch out for roots as this is the largest risk as you climb. Did this exact hike. The only death Im aware of was caused by a heart attack in a middle aged hiker (that steep ascent to platform one can be strenuous). Thats how it works everywhere else, and its why so many wonderful hiking trails like Angels Landing are still open in the mainland United States after all these years. This was one of my favorite sections of the hike and the backdrop over the shoulder gave great views of the ridge we had just hiked up. There is a little sign right before accession, go to the left and instead of keeping left, take the middle right path up. I was wondering what hike is the one you took the first picture in!! Aloha! Theres a nature trail by the Botanic Library that takes you to a lake. You can read more here: https://www.haikustairs.org/. The view is wonderful worth the hike. Bummer, this trail is closed. Preview trail Basically, when you reach the top of the Moanalua Middle Ridge trail you will have great views and are within a stones throw of the satellite at the summit. Please explore responsibly! Pass the little sign and stream and itll be on your right. IG: @ lis.aloha. In 2015, a man from Florida man died after falling about 200 feet from the trail. Although small and unmarked its an obvious trail. Be prepared for lots of mud! Its Definitely challenging get rest water food. That isnt to say people arent, or should not be super respectful, ie, no trash, tread lightly, be quiet, etc, all that goes with just being a responsible and respectful human being. Many people come unprepared for hiking on Oahu and thats why there are so many rescues. Still interested? Moanalua Valley Trail the legal back way for the Stairway To Heaven. Loving all your content and guidance! Stowell's body was found roughly 400 feet below the third peak of Mount Olomana's hiking trail, officials said. Be careful. The hike is four miles each way, making it just 0.15 miles shorter than the Great Aloha Run. To get to the trailhead, park outside the Moanalua Valley Park and the trail begins just after the green gate. My issue is with the erosion scar that's been exacerbated ten-fold on the middle ridge allowing invasive species to spread further and further to the summit. If you fall at dusk you might very well spend the night in the jungle. Good hike, perfectly legal way. I also didnt get enough sleep dont be like me. Ironically, the general consensus is that the stairs are actually a safer and easier route to the top of the mountain. You need to take the MIDDLE option. Someone needs to find a better means of access that bypasses the neighborhood totally. One of the main challenges of climbing the Hawaii Stairway To Heaven trail is just finding where it starts. The views are incredible and worth every minute and mile of this trail. Wear proper shoes and bring gloves!Quite muddy Puu Keahi a Kahoe is the end of this trail, but symbolically it serves as a beginningit marks the start of the ahupuaa(land division) of Kaneohe. Usually trail run in the valley or hike up the ridge a couple times a week. The first part of the hike takes you through a bamboo forest.