You’ve probably seen it on the page of a travel influencer — a seemingly endless stretch of nearly 4,000 wooden steps rising into an expanse of green hills, a wide sky and the Pacific Ocean.
Known officially as the Haʻikū Steps but nicknamed “Stairway to Heaven” for the way they rise into the sky, this structure was built by the U.S. military during World War II as a way to transmit signals to and monitor war ships from above. It has never been open to the public but, during peaceful times, its beauty started to tempt tourists to disregard the “no trespassing” signs.
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The rise of social media and travel vlogging exacerbated the issue. High-profile influencers started to post photos of themselves on the trail without specifying that it is not actually legal to hike it as it both an old military zone and not upkept for safe use today.
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While there have not been any major injuries on the hike, people would periodically get arrested and cited for hiking Stairway to Heaven. Local residents would also complain of the environmental degradation caused by frequent visitors and lack of maintenance and, in 2021 and after multiple attempts to transfer over responsibility to the stairs to different branches of government, the Honolulu City Council officially voted to dismantle them.
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‘This decision was long overdue’
Last week, the dismantling process got underway and is expected to be completed in the next six months.
“This was a decision, when we came into office, that was long overdue,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a press statement. “This decision that was made was predicated upon our respect for the people who live in and around the entrance to the stairs, our respect for our aina (land), and our respect for both the future and the past history of the culture of the Haiku community.”
The release put out by the City and County of Honolulu also says that the removal project “prioritizes public safety, seeks to stop illegal trespassing on the stairs and nearby neighbors who have dealt with decades of disruptions and disturbances.”
The stairs have also, over the years, become a significant liability to the city as the structure is steep and old while not being properly maintained.
This is how each of the Stairway to Heaven steps will be removed
The steps making up Stairway to Heaven will be removed one by one while the holes left in their place will be revegetated with native plants. After the steps are removed, the construction workers will also dismantle the steel structure that was used to hold them together.
Local contractor The Nakoa Companies has been charged with the deconstruction process.
The city has also expressed concerns that its announcement of the removal will spur some to try to quickly come over for ones last hike and social media footage and reminded the public that the area is now an active construction zone trespassing into which could lead to even more fines than before it was officially in the process of being dismantled.
