Built during World War II by the US Navy and abandoned shortly there after, the Haiku Stairs on the island of Oahu have become a point of contention between locals and the state officials in the process of having them removed.

Closed to the public in 1987, the 4,000 metal steps that lead to the top of 2,800-foot mountain. Known as “The Stairway To Heaven” the vestige of WW2 have recently regained popularity in the age of social media.

The Honolulu City Council voted to remove the stairs in 2021 but the work has been slow. The stairs can only be removed in sections and then require a helicopter to airlift them off the mountain.

This week 14 hikers were arrested for accessing the stairs and charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor crime punishable with up to 30 days in jail. A local organization named Friends of the Haiku Stairs have mounted a resistance to the stairs demolition and successfully received an injunction pending their ongoing lawsuit.

Friends of the Haiku Stairs view the unique landmark as a “historic monument that island residents have treasured for generations” and quickly point out that there have been zero deaths or serious injuries as a result of a fall and zero lawsuits to the city in its 80 years of existence.

• Zero deaths or serious injuries as a result of a fall
• Zero lawsuits to the City in 80 years

A local group called Friends of the Haiku Stairs is pushing back against the stairs’ removal, arguing that the $2.5 million process is too expensive.

Located in a remote area of Kaneohe, the only way to access the stairs is via a dangerous and unsanctioned hike.

“It’s incredibly disrespectful and self-centered for anyone to be on the Haiku Stairs, or on the Middle Ridge Trail, when it’s been made abundantly clear that these areas are off-limits for safety and natural resource protection reasons,” Jason Redulla, chief of Hawaii’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) said in a statement, which bore the ominous warning that “someone is going to get hurt or killed.”

According to DOCARE, all the people arrested in the past week have been charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor that can result in up to 30 days in jail. Eight of the 14 were arrested on September 3, although it’s not clear if they were hiking together.

“It is dangerous for people to enter the construction zone and dangerous for them to try to descend the ridge. They need to think about the consequences if someone gets hurt, or worse, and needs rescue. It is a difficult place for first responders to reach, which could delay medical treatment,” said Redulla.

The Haiku Stairs, sometimes called the “stairway to heaven,” were closed to the public in 1987. But social media has brought the unlikely destination a degree of fame, with intrepid YouTubers and Instagrammers raving about the gorgeous views from atop the 2,800-foot mountain trail, with the stairs sometimes appearing to disappear into the mist above.

According to DOCARE, the hikers used climbing ropes to get to the staircase.

The stairs’ fame has brought headaches for the local community, including trespassers, added security costs and risky rescues of hikers who have been injured in the remote area.

In 2021, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the Haiku Stairs. The work has been done in pieces, with one section of the stairs at a time detached from the side of the mountain and then removed by helicopter.

A local group called Friends of the Haiku Stairs is pushing back against the stairs’ removal, arguing that the $2.5 million process is too expensive.

Some of the deconstruction work had been completed when the Hawaii Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction earlier this year.

HIKERS ARRESTED AFTER ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO HA‘IKŪ STAIRS CONSTRUCTION ZONE

Officials Fear Someone is Going to Get Hurt or Killed 

(HONOLULU) – 14 hikers have been arrested since last Thursday on the Kāne‘ohe side of the Ha‘ikū Stairs by the Honolulu Police Department, which then alerted the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). Eight of the 14 were arrested this morning. They all face criminal trespassing charges.

HPD informed DLNR that the hikers reached the top of the stairs via the Middle Ridge Trail in the Moanalua Section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve. DLNR on Friday announced the reopening of this section with a warning for people to stay off the Middle Ridge Trail. It is not a state-sanctioned trail and using it to reach the top of the stairs is illegal and dangerous.

While deconstruction of the entire stairs is on hold due to litigation, several modules comprising numerous stair cleats that secure the stair modules to the hillside have already been removed by helicopter. The hikers who were arrested used ropes from the top of the Middle Ridge Trail to get down to where stairs still cling to the side of the mountain.

DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said, “It is dangerous for people to enter the construction zone and dangerous for them to try to descend the ridge. They need to think about the consequences if someone gets hurt, or worse, and needs rescue. It is a difficult place for first responders to reach, which could delay medical treatment. Plus, it’s incredibly disrespectful and self-centered for anyone to be on the Ha‘ikū Stairs, or on the Middle Ridge Trail, when it’s been made abundantly clear that these areas are off-limits for safety and natural resource protection reasons. They fail to consider not only the risks they’re taking, but the risks emergency teams face when having to rescue people who are breaking the law.”

About Friends of the Haiku Stairs:

Our mission is to protect the historic Ha’ikū Stairs for current and future generations. By partnering with local grassroots stakeholders and the community, we can realize a shared vision of stewardship for Ha’ikū Valley through managed access solutions.

We need support, either through donations, signing the petition or volunteering, so the administration will not be able to hide behind backdoor politics and deals. The more voices heard, the stronger the impact. We can make a difference, together.

If you would like to save the Haʻikū Stairs, please consider donating through direct donations, membership or through the purchase of merchandise from our store. All proceeds directly support our mission to halt destruction and are tax deductible.

Why Save Haʻikū Stairs?

• They are an iconic landmark and historic monument that island residents have treasured for generations

• It is one of the safest hikes on the island:
  • Zero deaths or serious injuries as a result of a fall
  • Zero lawsuits to the City in 80 years
• Cost of removal could exceed $10 million with permitting, mitigation and remediation​​​
• Removal could also cause:
  • Serious harm to endangered species living in critical habitats around the Stairs
  • Soil runoff harming the downstream watershed leading into Kāne‘ohe Bay
• Public testimony and opinion polls clearly show the majority of Oʻahu residents support reopening the Stairs under managed access

• Closing the Stairs diverts hikers to the Moanalua “back way,” a dangerous route that has led to several HFD rescues
• People will still climb the ridge even without the Stairs
  • ​The City plans to leave behind support structures which climbers will likely attach ropes to on their way to the summit, increasing safety risks and environmental harm
• Evidence suggests there may be a secret backroom deal to transfer the Stairs to Kualoa Ranch. Don’t let the City give away public property

images from FriendsofHaikuStairs

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