How to get to Haiku Stairs (Stairway to Heaven)

 

Approximate time: 5-6 hours  

For quick tips and things to bring…  

Figuring out the time to go:
The reason folks recommend going super early is to avoid the guard.  I don’t think that getting there at 2am is necessary.  It seems the guard gets there at least by 2 am in the morning in front of the haiku entrance.  So there is no point in trying to beat the guard.  I would recommend arriving to park your car at 3:30 am and if you encounter the guard, just politely acknowledge and keep moving on.  She didn’t call the cops, although she threatened to.

Step by step guide

1.  You can pretty much park anywhere on the streets but this is where we found ample of parking:46-24 Kuneki Pl, Kaneohe, HI 96744.   Needless to say, don’t block people’s drive ways or park in front of fire hydrants!   Be very quiet and don’t use flash lights in the neighborhood or you will risk the consequences of waking up the neighbors.

2.  Walk toward the entrance (5 minutes): https://goo.gl/maps/7omCxkwANx22  (red ping on the image).

3.  You gotta find a way around to climb around the gate from the right side (again, the red ping on the map image).

4.  After passing the gate, start walking, then you will find a split on the road, make a left here.

5.  Make a right at the next fork (left goes towards the school).  You may use your flashlight now.

• Tip: if you encounter a 3rd split on the road, then you have gone too far.

6.  About 10 minutes more of walking, look on the left side for an opening into the woods.  It’ll be a short walk after the KAPU sign. It will be a man-made pathway/trail that cut through big trees. Walk through the dirt path and you’ll eventually get to a fence with the bottom half open, so just duck under it and continue. After 5 minutes you should see a second concrete road.

7.  Go left on the concrete road and walk down until you arrive at the security guard, she was in a car (<5 minutes).  I got this picture of the guard from yelp.  Once you see the guard’s car (it could be a different car) or port-a-potty, take a right and you will see a trail of step leading to the gate to the stairs.

8.  The gate to the stairs.  There will be an opening around the right to get across the gate.  Voila, stairway to HEAVEN!

9.  3, 922 of steps from here, which should take you between 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the pace.  There will be 2 flat areas, where you can rest.

• Tips
  • The first person to go should keep a look out and clear the spider webs.  Maybe use a stick to clear the path ahead.  There could be really huge spiders on the stairs!
  • Respect the neighborhood and be quiet on the way back out too.
  • More tips

At the top, if you have extra time before the sun comes out, there is a little shack where you can rest.

Amazing view during descent

 

Please note that this is an illegal hike and you may be trespassing properties.  This blog post is by no means to encourage people to break laws and disobey authorities.  But if people are going to break laws anyways, this post will help understand how to get to the stairways in a quiet and safe manner without wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood and disturbing the community. Please be respectful of the residents here.  This is just a guide to help you guys out, and we are not responsible for any injuries or problems.