Backstage To Heaven

3,922 is the magic number. It’s the number of steps that adorn Hawaii’s most notorious and forbidden hike. You’ve seen the pictures of a mass of green mountain with the stairway that seems to lead usually into a cloud of oblivion. You’ve watched some of the videos on youtube of people braving their way through, selfie stick and all juxtaposed on them brushing through weed and forest, trying to find their way to the stairs.

Well, did you know that there are actually another way to access the stairs? One of them is using your ninja stealth modes to bypass the guard so you can make your way up from the very very bottom first step. The other way? It’s called the Moanalua Valley Ridge Trail. This is the loophole to accessing the very top station of the infamous “Stairway To Heaven”. 

ACCESSING THE TRAIL

The Moanalua Valley Ridge Trail is actually a side trail that stems off of the “Kulana’Alane Trail” in the Moanalua Valley Ridge Park. It is here that the 4-5 hour earthly journey begins. It is best to access the park via a rental car, which you can park outside of the gate which closes around 7 PM at night. Once you walk straight through, with the basketball court to your left and enter through the gate, keep walking straight and keep left at all forks in the road. At one point you will reach what seems to be an open area of field, continue through. You will notice markers (pink, orange, and blue ribbons and strings) left by previous hikers.After that you will reach the sign saying “Kulana’Alane Trail. A little farther up and you will see a tree in which its trunk is shaven. Once you look straight you will see the trail open up into the woods. 

BEFORE THE HIKE

-PACK SMARTLY

-ATLEAST 1.5 Liters Of Water

-Long Sleeve Compression Shirt Or Windbreaker

-Protein packed Snacks/Fruits (Banana,Pineapple)

-Camera(s)

-Hiking Gloves (Optional, I did it without gloves and was fine)

-DO NOT GO ALONE.

I highly suggest finding a partner or a group to go with you. If you can’t find a buddy to go with you, use the “ALLTRAILS” app or post on “ALLTRAILS.com”. This is an awesome tool that helps you connect with other people who may also want to do the hike.

-CONSIDER THE FORECAST.

One of your biggest adversaries in conquering this hike, is Mother Nature. It’s best to try and look ahead into the forecast to see which days have the least amount of precipitation. Try choosing a day that would indicate the weather will be mostly sunny. Also, weather conditions can change as well the higher you climb. Clouds can gather and small bouts of rain can appear at any moment. This has the potential of making the trek a little bit more daunting and difficult. By choosing a day that has the least amount of precipitation, you better your chances of missing out on these weather altering factors.

-CONSIDER YOUR LEVEL OF ACTIVITY

This hike is not for the faint of heart, or health. Please consider any health factors that may be of significance in the trek. Also, this hike requires a good amount of physical endurance and activity. I would suggest you test your level of physical conditioning to know where you are at, because you do not want to give your self a lesser chance of completing the hike due to health or physical issues.

DURING THE HIKE

-TAKE NECESSARY WATER BREAKS.

It’s important to take the small rest periods when you need them, especially when it comes to the portions of the trail where you will be required to hoist yourself up an incline with a rope as your lifeline. Rehydrate when you need to, to replace any lost fluids. Doing so will prevent dehydration and keep you from cramping.

-TEST THE ROPES BEFORE PROCEEDING

It is important to give the ropes a bit of a tug before you go and utilize them. They are connected to sturdy tree trunks, but you would want to find out their stability before you start using them.

-USE MOTHER EARTH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

There will be plenty of times where you will have to use gravity to plant your footing up the muddy trail. It is at these points that you try and use the roots and or branches to help keep you at bay when moving up.

-BE MINDFUL OF THE GROUND

There will be some areas during the trek where the ground will be fragile. It’s important to keep note of your footing and to be careful when stepping near parts of the trail’s edge, as the drop is very steep at many points. Also, there will be parts that may be muddy. Be careful and slide down slowly if needed. 

All in all, the views at the top are absolutely amazing. If it’s gotten cloudy, give it about 15-20 minutes and the grey sheath should reveal an amazing view of Kanoehe and a swirling H3 Highway below you. The damaged section which occurs about 1/3rd of the way from the bottom of the stairs is quite manageable to bypass if you choose to go down the stairs. Going back via the Moanalua Ridge trail can be quite tricky and difficult, so take caution and give yourself ample time to complete the hike. It took my group 5 hours to get to the top and about 1 ½ hour to get back down. From what we were told by the guard, it is a $600 per head if caught by the Honolulu Police Department. So be wise in your decision when choosing which way to go back.

All in all,

BE SMART & BE SAFE!