Hiking Trails on Oahu

  Bowman to The Haiku Stairs  – July 27, 2012 T his hike was on the preferred list all summer, but we didn’t get to it. Finally at the end of my summer vacation, I finally had an opportunity to hike Bowman to Haiku. Previously, I’ve gotten to the top of the Haiku Stairs via two ways. One way was up the stairs. The second way was doing the Keahi a Kahoe loop. This would be the third and probably best way. There is also the more scary way  which is the Moanalua Saddle. The crew today was made up of Christian from 7D and Ferdinand (Andy). All of us haven’t done Bowman, but we did some research the previous night and all agreed to use our hiking instincts during the hike?! Christian and I parked near the Haiku Stairs trailhead, staged a car there, and drove over to Naai Street in Kalihi. There we met Andy and started walking towards the basketball court. To the left of the courts, there is an obvious trail going up to the crest of the ridge. The climb was stiff...

The Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs) - May 29, 2011 The Haiku Stairs or what people refer to as The Stairway to Heaven is infamous on Oahu. The brief history goes as follows. The steps were built in 1943 by the Navy who needed to set up radio communication.  The trail was open until 1987 when vandals dismantled parts of the stairs. The stairs was closed from then on. The stairs was rebuilt in 2002 costing the state $875.000, however the trail remained closed because legal access to the trailhead had not been agreed upon by all parties involved. To add to this, residents in the Haiku Valley area have fought to prevent hiker's from accessing the trailhead. You can only access the trailhead by going through someone's  property in the Haiku area.  Residents of Haiku feel that hiker's illegally trespass, leave trash, and park irresponsibly. They too are an integral part in the stairs not reopening. The only way to get onto the trail is to sneak in illegally. tr...