How to Get to the Haiku Stairs (Stairway to Heaven)

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Ah, the Haiku Stairs, every adventurers dream! When we planned our trip to Oahu, Andrew’s thoughts were consumed with how to conquer the Haiku Stairs (Stairway to Heaven). Though the hike up the Haiku Stairs was made illegal in 1987, dozens of people hike these one of a kind stairs everyday. We won’t get into the legal matters of this, but it is absolutely stunning and worth every single step you take!

There are a few ways to go about heading up the Haiku Stairs, the two we debated between were the Moanalua Ridge hike or just sucking it up and climbing the stairs. We chose the latter for a couple of reasons.

1. Moanalua Ridge takes about 7-8 hours
2. The Ridge is a very difficult hike and we only had some old Nike tennis shoes to wear and
3. We found some friends to go up with and they had already chosen the stairs path.

I heard that the Moanalua Ridge is an absolutely gorgeous hike though and if you have 6- 8 hours to spare and the right shoes than it is worth your time! You can even get a great view of the whole staircase and it is perfectly legal. (I recommend the directions in the Oahu Revealed guidebook; he is very detailed in which way to go).

Here’s how we made it to the top of the infamous Haiku Stairs.

What to bring on your hike up the Haiku Stairs:

Water: we brought 5 bottles for both of us and had too much, but it ended up being cooler that morning, I have a feeling if it was hotter we would have flown through it
Snacks: Especially if it’s early in the morning, you’ll need the energy for going back down
Wear layers/bring a raincoat: you can always take off layers, I got really hot going up and was in my tank top, but it was FREEZING cold at the top, I needed even more than I had. You never know what the weather will be like in that high of altitude so be prepared
Headlamp: I recommend this over a flashlight because you will need both hands in some spots.
Camera: didn’t happen if ya don’t have pics 😉

Arriving to the Haiku Stairs (Stairway to Heaven)

We got to the Haiku Stairs at 2am… save yourself, don’t get there that early. There is no point, the guard is now there 24/7 unless they happen to be changing shifts or on some kind of break, then you just got lucky. Going there in the middle of the night will do nothing but ruin the rest of your day due to a long needed nap post stair climb! However, I do recommend climbing the Haiku Stairs before sunrise! It won’t be as hot going up and you’ll have the best view!!! If you want to see sunrise, I would say park at 4am, that way you can get up have some time to rest and head back down after the sun breaks through the clouds.

When arriving and leaving the Haiku Stairs, remember to respect the neighborhood. They don’t want you there, they are one of the main reasons the stairs are closed. Don’t piss them off by being loud, leaving trash or blocking driveways or trashcans, they will call the cops on you.

Detailed Directions: How to get to the Haiku Stairs (Stairway to Heaven):

Park in the Haiku Village neighborhood. The best road we found to park on was Kuneki Pl. Kuneki Way had too many barking dogs in their yards and Kuneki St is where most of the neighbors keep an eye out for hikers coming and going we were told by the locals.

After parking head towards the Haiku Stairs entrance at the corner of Kuneki Street and Makena Street. There will be a tall barbed wire gate, with a lot of warnings to “KEEP OUT” “NO TRESPEASSING”, etc. Look to the right of the fence and you’ll see that some of the hill is dug out. Well, climb up the dirt hill and through the branches and follow the fence for a couple feet until you see a large hole on your left that has not been blocked like the others. Someone put chimes in the bushes so walk through slowly. There are also 2 houses on the other side of these bushes, watch your light and your noise! It’s hard to navigate in the dark, but stay toward the left and you will see a crossing to a paved road. Get on the paved road.

Follow the paved road for a while; you will hit 2 forks in the road; take a left at the first one, and then a right at the next fork. After the second fork in the road you are going to look on the left for a wide dirt trail that will also have a small sign marking it. Walk up the dirt/mud hill, until you come to another linked fence. There should be a hole slightly to your left that you can climb through. When you go through the hole follow the path until you see it split right or left. Go left! Feels like you’re backtracking but you aren’t. You will see the freeway above you; your goal is to get under it.

Keep walking until you see a port a potty on your right (there is not a tarp there anymore, noted in some instructions). This is also going to be where you see the guards car, get ready to put your brave pants on, this is the only scary part of the entire hike. Try and walk around as quietly as possible, don’t shine your light at this part. Some people we met the day before said the guard was asleep. If your lucky some have told us certain guards will direct you toward the safest way up the stairs, some won’t say a thing. If you’re unlucky (like us) you will get a grouchy guard that shouts and tells you to turn back or else! I can honestly see how this would make a lot of people turn around. Turning was not an option for us, we spent an hour looking for this coveted spot, we were going no matter what. She shouted “DO NOT go any further, you will get a $6,000 fine and the cops will be here when you return.” And with the biggest smile we could give at 2:30am and in the politest voice possible we said, “thank you very much m’am.” and we continued walking. Oops.

From here, you start walking up hill and will come up to 2 fences. Go around each fence. There will be holes that you can crawl under but seriously, going around the short fences will be much easier. After the second fence you are at the base of the steps. Now you better be ready because it’s all up hill from here! You have made it to the Haiku Stairs!

Just remember to be aware of your surroundings and keep moving forward and upward, because no matter how tired you start to feel, the view, plus the sense of accomplishment after climbing 3,992 stairs will be indescribable.

All in all, the climb up the Haiku Stairs took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes to climb up with 3 breaks. There are three platforms throughout the hike, we recommend using these as break points. There are handrails in most parts, so use them. Take one step at a time. Don’t rush, there’s no point in that. If the stairs are wet (they were the day we went) be even more cautious. There is a part wrecked by a storm in early 2015, but don’t worry, it’s been cleared of most debris, it is harder to go down that part than up it, but again just watch your footing and take your time. You’ve got this!

Places to watch your footing:

Disclaimer: The Haiku Stairs were made an illegal hike in 1987 due to liability and ownership issues. If you do hike this trail, you are hiking at your own risk!

P.S. As you can see from most of our pictures, we ended up having a cloudy day at the top, but it was still amazing and worth every step. Plus at the top you never know whom you might meet. We met people from Austria, Sweden, Japan, Canada, and even some locals that enjoy hiking up for the view. It really was an incredible feat that will forever be in our memories, and we hope that you can experience it too!