Are the Stairs open? Can I still climb them?

No, the Haʻikū Stairs are currently closed and illegal to access, no matter how you access them. There are no legal tours of the Stairs, or any guides with special permission to hike them. Persons caught attempting to access the Stairs are liable for a trespassing citation and a $1000 fine.

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Why should we try to save the Haʻikū Stairs if the City Council has already approved a budget to remove them?

Removal was estimated to cost $1 million in 2021; it went up to $1.3 million in 2022. The latest projected cost in the Site Plan Permit that DDC submitted to OCCL is now $4.28 million. The City has failed, so far, to provide a fully detailed project budget so taxpayers can see exactly what is covered in their multi-million dollar removal plans.

 

When you add up all the likely costs of removal, permitting, mitigation and remediation, it's easy to get to a figure of $10 million+. The upper bound of removal costs remains unknown because, as we know, public construction projects in Hawaiʻi have a habit of running into overruns and unexpected complexities. Furthermore, the Haʻikū Stairs are situated in a geologically unstable and ecologically sensitive terrain that is prone to extreme weather. It is far from clear that political will exists to fund an endless money pit dedicated to a destructive act that the majority of Oʻahu voters oppose. The City has tried to railroad this process through an undemocratic and nontransparent fashion.  This will come back to bite them.

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Are the Stairs dangerous?

The Haʻikū Stairs are the safest way to climb to the peak of Puʻu Keahiakahoe. There have been 0 deaths or serious injuries from a fall and 0 lawsuits in the 80-year history of the Haʻikū Stairs. Up to 20,000 people per year used to climb the Stairs when they were open legally during the Coast Guard era. There were no injuries, no rescues, and no issues with trespassing. The steel handrails and non-slip steel tread on the steps allow for a safe trip up and back down. The helicopter rescues often reported being from the Stairs are from nearby hikes or trails, like the unsanctioned Moanalua Backway trail (read more about this trail below).

 

What about the people who have gotten lost or went missing trying to hike the Stairs, like Daylenn Pua?

The Stairs have one path up and down the mountain. It is difficult, if not almost impossible, to get lost unless you step off the pathway of the Stairs. Reports of people who have gotten lost are often cited as having happened while hikers tried to hike the Stairs when, oftentimes, they were climbing up the Moanalua Backway. 

 

The disappearance of Daylenn “Moke” Pua was a tragedy that occurred in 2015. The Big Island teen was reported to have gone missing while trying to reach the summit of the Haʻikū Stairs. This story has been widely told and reported, making national news at the time. The circumstances of Daylenn’s disappearance has since been clarified by a thorough investigation, including eye witness reports, cell phone records, and video footage.

 

Daylenn almost certainly died trying to go up the Moanalua Backway. A subsequent police investigation backed by eyewitness accounts and cellphone records have confirmed that Daylenn was aiming for the Middle Ridge Trail, made a wrong turn, and ended up at the top of Kulana'ahane at the saddle. Daylenn sent a photo from there, as documented here. 

 

The Haʻikū Stairs provide a safer path for hikers to explore and appreciate nature. One clear path up and down, non-slip steel steps, and handrails on both sides offer much greater security than most other hikes on the island.

 

Can’t people just hike up the Moanalua Backway instead of the Stairs?

The Moanalua Valley Trail, or Moanalua Backway, is an unsanctioned alternative trail that hikers have been using to climb the mountain, and we do not endorse hiking it. This route is exponentially more dangerous than the Haʻikū Stairs, having been the cause of numerous injuries, lost hikers, helicopter rescues, and at least one probable fatality (see previous story).  Not only is the Moanalua route dangerous for hikers, it causes untold destruction to the land. There is catastrophic erosion on the mountainside as a result of a constant stream of hikers using spikes and ropes to climb their way up the mountain. 

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The Haʻikū Stairs, as they are, cause no damage to the surrounding land. The elevated metal structure keeps hikers from trampling on foliage, and they provide a much safer path to the mountain’s summit. If the Stairs are removed, hikers would likely continue to climb the leftover trail, turning it into an eroded and dangerous route, like the Moanalua Backway.

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​Who would take over management of the Stairs if they were to reopen? 

In 2020, the Caldwell administration put out a request for proposals from groups interested in managing the Stairs. Fourteen different groups expressed interest and submitted detailed proposals (including Kualoa Ranch, Ko‘olau Foundation, Hui Ku Maoli Ola, and our own organization). None of these proposals were acted on before the Mayor's administration ended and the new City Council proposed the destruction of the Stairs. FHS is willing to take over management of the Stairs in cooperation with other local organizations to ensure they are operated in a culturally and environmentally respectful manner that gives back to the immediate community.

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Would removal of the Stairs stop trespassing?

No. Removing the Stairs will not prevent hikers from climbing the southeastern ridge of Haʻikū Valley (Moanalua Valley). Images of the panoramic vistas the Stairs afford are widely promoted on social media, and “the Stairway to Heaven” mystique will continue to stoke demand to visit this place. The City’s proposed partial removal will only eliminate the safe and easy Stairway access toward the summit, as BWS’ 2019 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) admits: Because the City plans to remove only the Stairs modules while leaving the supporting anchor pillars bolted in place, the remnants will function as an attractive nuisance. Climbers will attach ropes to this ready-made scaffolding and scramble up the mountain. Even if fewer hikers attempt this climb, they will do so at greater safety risk, heightened environmental harm (causing erosion, spreading invasive species, trampling endangered native plants) and perpetuating the City’s liability exposure. Already, hikers have been thronging to the far more dangerous Moanalua Middle Trail. This is a much longer route to the Stairs summit with steep drop-offs and badly eroded footing.

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​How much would it cost to reopen and maintain the Stairs?

If the City agreed to reopen the Stairs, FHS would fix them how they always have: through crowdfunding, donated materials, and volunteer labor. FHS was founded as a maintenance group for the Stairs and led volunteer missions to repair the Stairs for decades. We tightened bolts, replaced handrails, hauled out trash, and remove invasive species for decades--continuing to operate with the City's permission even after the Stairs were closed to the public. We have civil and structural engineers on our board and thousands of eager volunteers, ready to help us continue our mission without cost to taxpayers.

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​Who will assume liability for the Stairs, and how will that be managed?

Given management access, Friends of Haʻikū Stairs would assume all liability for the Stairs. In the past we have maintained liability insurance and collected waivers from volunteers, given safety briefings and used spotters to assess rapidly changing weather conditions. We maintain a 100% safety record on our Haʻikū Stairs maintenance days.​

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The City admitted in recent hearings that they have never been sued for an accident or injury on the Haʻikū Stairs in the historic structure's entire 80 year history, reinforcing our claims of safety regarding the Stairs.

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Would managed access actually work for the Stairs?

Managed access already does work at Hanauma Bay and at Lēʻahi (Diamond Head). Managed access to the Haʻikū Stairs would generate revenues to cover costs associated with maintenance and would provide access to the Stairs away from the neighborhood. 

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Under managed access, the Stairs could be traversed by paid guides and overseen by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and environmental experts to ensure a safe, sustainable experience that respects the ʻāina and cultural protocols. Hiring locally would ensure that jobs benefit the community. Surplus revenues would be reinvested in community institutions, environmental restoration, and cultural stewardship to benefit local stakeholders.

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Are the Stairs on sacred land, important to Hawaiians and their culture?

There is nothing sacred about the land on which the Stairs rest that differentiates it from any of the countless hiking trails on O’ahu that ascend to a summit view.  It is true that generally the highest peaks and uninhabited areas of the mountains were considered wao akua or realm of the spirits under the kapu system. The kapu system forbade many things including the ability of men and women to eat the same foods at the same table (ʻai kapu). It was publicly abolished in 1819 by the young Liloliho, son of Kamehameha I, at the behest of high-ranking aliʻi such as Kaʻahumanu and Keōpūolani.

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Isn't the existence of the Stairs a reminder for some native Hawaiians of the current illegal occupation of Hawai’i?

Yes. Much of the ahupuaʻa of Heʻeia, from mauka to makai has been negatively impacted by military occupation or is still under military occupation. An 1851 map detailing the post-māhele lands overseen by Abner Pākī show five kalo loʻi in the ili of Haʻikū that no longer exist. Heiau that existed in the valley were bulldozed during the building of the 1942 telecommunications complex. Jet fuel and gasoline containing PCBs were used to defoliate Haʻikū Valley between 1973 and 1983. That said, many native Hawaiians have come to value the Stairs as a cultural and recreational resource. Cultural practitioners have also taken advantage of the unique access that the Stairs provides to reach native plants for gathering and educational purposes.  A 2022 poll showed that a majority of native Hawaiians favored preserving the Stairs under managed access.

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Don't you think public recreational use is incompatible with a residential neighborhood?

The Stairs are on empty public land, they are surrounded on all sides by empty publicly owned lands. The closest house is about 1/5 mile away. There are roads on both sides that bypass residential neighborhoods and would allow public access without disturbing residents.