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The Haiku Stairs, also known as the “Stairway to Heaven,” is a steep hiking trail on the island of Oahu. The trail begins as a simple wooden ladder, with steps ascending toward the cliff face south of the Iku Valley. It was constructed during World War II to facilitate the building of a massive radio station, secretly hidden within a long-dormant volcano.
Unlike other radio stations, the U.S. Navy radio station did not use any towers at all. Instead, antenna cables ran along the cliffs in the Iku Valley, along with a building atop the mountain at an altitude of approximately 850 meters, to transmit signals to submarines as far away as Tokyo Bay (Japan) or to establish communication between Wahiawa district and the U.S. Navy station.
In the early 1950s, 3,922 wooden steps were replaced with metal ones to reduce the danger to hikers during persistent rain. The replacement steps were quite narrow, allowing only one-way traffic.
In the late 1960s, the radio station was converted into a navigation system station (OMEGA station), at which point maintenance of the staircase ceased. Under the ravages of nature, the staircase was severely eroded, rusted terribly, and became dangerous. Therefore, the area was officially closed in 1987 to the public and hikers for renovations.
You can see the H3 motorway below, resembling a snake through Kaneohe Bay and gradually disappearing into the Koolau mountain range.
By 2003, the Haiku Staircase had been repaired at a total cost of $875,000. This was a significant amount of money spent by the Honolulu city government, so they had no plans to reopen the staircase to visitors due to concerns about liability.
This is the northern view; you can see the town of Kaawa and Kaneohe Bay. The road going up and down isn't easy, with quite a few steep sections.
In the past, locals used this staircase as an ideal resting point, often climbing to the top steps for a panoramic view of the stunning surrounding landscape. To this day, the staircase remains closed. Some hikers still yearn for the day it reopens, giving them another chance to climb up and admire the breathtaking scenery from above.
