Editor's note: This article is part of a series of end-of-year roundups that Spectrum News Hawaii will publish during the month of December. We hope you enjoy these reflections on local news in 2024.
Throughout the year, Spectrum News Hawaii has been covering the news surrounding the iconic Haiku Stairs, also known as Stairway to Heaven. Prior to this year, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the City Council committed to removing the nearly 4,000 stairs. In April 2024, crews began work to remove Haiku Stairs, but shortly after the nonprofit Friends of Haiku Stairs filed two lawsuits, stalling the removal work. While all of this was going on, adventure seekers started flocking to the trail for one last hike, leading state and county agencies to arrest hikers and close surrounding trails and parks in order to deter them. Here is a look back at some of the biggest stories.
1. Crews begin work to remove Haiku Stairs
The Honolulu City and County announced on April 10, 2024, that crews were preparing to remove the iconic Haiku Stairs, also known as Stairway to Heaven, from the Koolau Mountains.
At the time, the $2.5 million removal project was expected to take six months to complete. The Honolulu City and County contracted The Nakoa Companies Inc. to remove the stairs.
With work on the removal project underway, the Honolulu City and County warned potential trespassers that the stairway was an active work site and considered extremely dangerous.
The Navy originally built the stairs during World War II to ascend to a radio station. In 1987, the stairs were closed. As the stairs' popularity has grown, residents living in Haiku Valley started complaining about hikers trespassing through their properties to access the illegal hike. Dozens of hikers have also needed to be rescued from the hike over the past decade. However, Friends of Haiku Stairs, a group of volunteers, have advocated for managed access to the stairs. In 2021, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the stairs. Along with neighborhood complaints, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi cited safety concerns as a major reason to remove the stairs.
As part of the Haiku Stairs removal project, The Nakoa Companies Inc. plans to remove the narrow metal stair structure while preserving associated structures. The contract requires the company to take direction from a biologist, who will evaluate each section of the stairs prior to and following removal in order to protect native species and prevent erosion. Native flora will be planted when necessary.
2. DLNR closes 'Backside to Stairway' as more hikers use trail to get to Haiku Stairs
On May 9, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced the “Backside to Stairway” would be closed while the removal of Haiku Stairs was ongoing.
The closure comes after an increased number of people started hiking the trail following the City and County of Honolulu's announcement in early April that crews were preparing to remove the Haiku Stairs.
Backside to Stairway, also referred to as the Middle Ridge, is a portion of the Moanalua section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve and an alternative route to access Haiku Stairs.
Honolulu Police Department officers stationed at the bottom of Haiku Stairs on the windward side of the Koolau Mountains have been citing and arresting people attempting to access the closed hike. As a result, people are using the Backside to Stairway to access the summit from the leeward side of the Koolau Mountains, and from there they can descend the Haiku Stairs.
DLNR emphasized the ridgeline part of the Backside to Stairway is an unofficial, unmaintained trail that is dangerous and eroding with the increase of hikers. They also said they are concerned about ecological damage to the native forest.
3. Removal of Haiku Stairs paused temporarily, but city 'expects' to move forward as planned
Friends of Haiku Stairs filed a lawsuit on April 19 against the City and County of Honolulu to block the demolition of the controversial stairs.
“The City has agreed to halt any further demolition work until the Court can hear our evidentiary hearing on Friday, May 10,” the Friends of Haiku Stairs said. “The hearing will determine whether we get a preliminary injunction, hopefully stopping the project pending trial.”
The city is still doing preparatory work in anticipation of completing the demolition, according to Ian Scheuring, Mayor Rick Blangiardi's deputy communications director.
“The City’s project to remove the Haiku Stairs has not been halted, and work preparing the stair modules for removal is ongoing,” Scheuring said. “The City has voluntarily agreed to not physically remove any of the stair modules until the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing on May 10, at which point we expect to move forward with the removal as planned.”
4. City will continue removing Haiku Stairs after judge rules in its favor
On May 13, a district court judge ruled to allow the dismantling of Haiku Stairs to proceed.
Judge Lisa Cataldo denied the Friends of Haiku Stairs’ motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
In her ruling, Cataldo wrote the plaintiffs failed to prove the removal of Haiku Stairs would irreparably harm them, especially because hiking Haiku Stairs has been prohibited since 1987.
“The City appreciates the court’s significant efforts to address this lawsuit quickly, and we will proceed with the removal of the Haiku Stairs as planned,” said City spokesperson Ian Scheuring.
5. Moanalua Valley Park closed to deter hikers from ascending Haiku Stairs
On June 13, state and county agencies decided together to close Moanalua Valley Park and the entire Moanalua section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve while Haiku Stairs is dismantled.
Prior to this, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife closed the “Backside to Stairway,” also referred to as the Middle Ridge.
“Having people on the trails or in the area during this demolition project is extremely unsafe, thus the full closure is necessary, to protect public safety and our natural resources,” said DLNR Chair Dawn Chang in a statement.
The City’s demolition contractor Nakoa Companies started the process of removing the nearly 4,000 stairs in April. However, the news of dismantling led to an increase in people attempting to take one last trek on the illegal hike.
Since then, Honolulu Police Department officers have written 80 citations and arrested 15 people for trespassing into closed areas, according to Capt. Kurt Ng.
Austin Nakoa, president of the Nakoa Companies, said several sections of the stairs are no longer secured to the mountain, which raises the danger for unauthorized hikers and poses a serious risk for deconstruction and helicopter crews.
“The Kamananui Valley Road, which leads to the back of the valley, is very popular for families and residents,” said Marigold Zoll, DOFAW Oahu branch manager. “We had hoped by just closing the Middle Ridge area that people use to access the top of the stairs, would have been enough to deter everyone. That has not happened and we’re sorry that the actions of a few disrespectful individuals are impacting all.”
Officers with HPD and the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement are monitoring the closure area, and military police at Tripler Army Medical Center, another access point, are watching that area.
6. City ordered to partially halt Haiku Stairs dismantling as lawsuit appeal continues
Haiku Stairs will remain standing for at least a couple more months.
On July 3, the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals ordered the City and County of Honolulu to partially stop its dismantling of the stairs.
The city can finish removing stair sections — known as modules — that it already had separated from the mountain, which it said is a public safety hazard for trespassers. But under the court order, it isn’t allowed to dismantle any of the other modules.
As of late June, about 75 modules of more than 600 had been separated from the mountain, primarily near the top.
The city has been dismantling the stairs since April using its contractor, The Nakoa Companies, a move that previous administrations had considered but never implemented.
But Friends of Haiku Stairs alleges that the city didn’t follow the correct procedures.
The group has two ongoing lawsuits against the city. The first is based on environmental laws and the second is related to historic preservation.
In January, a judge decided the first lawsuit against Friends of Haiku Stairs and the group appealed. It requested a preliminary injunction in June asking for the stairs to remain standing until the appeal is decided. The court granted that injunction on July 3 after hearing oral arguments the previous week.
The city’s environmental impact statement from 2020 isn’t sufficient, according to the lawsuit. One big reason is that an alternative “back way” of hiking to the peak has seen much more impact since that EIS was completed, an argument that the court said is credible enough that the group could prevail.
That comes about a month after a judge rejected the group’s request for an injunction based on their other lawsuit.
7. City reopens Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park after community members complain
The City and County of Honolulu announced the reopening of Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park on July 23 after community members complained about the closure.
On June 13, state and county agencies closed Moanalua Valley Park and the entire Moanalua section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve in order to make it easier to stop hikers from illegally accessing Haiku Stairs as it was being dismantled.
The Moanalua section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve, which includes trails that connect to Haiku Stairs, remains closed. Honolulu Police Department officers will continue to be posted near the entrance of Haiku Stairs.
The City and County of Honolulu said in a news release they may reinstate the park closure during active deconstruction if they find the closed trails are being illegally accessed via the park.
“My Moanalua Valley community is close-knit, and while understanding of the necessity of security during deconstruction, strongly voiced the importance of reopening their highly utilized neighborhood park, especially in light of the announcement of the pause in deconstruction activities,” said City Councilmember Radiant Cordero, who represents the area.
On Aug. 30, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife reopened the Moanalua Section of the Honolulu Watershed Reserve as the removal of the Haiku Stairs had stalled because of litigation.
DOFAW closed the Moanalua Section at the request of the City and County of Honolulu on June 12, because of safety concerns related to the dismantling of the Haiku Stairs.
“Now that the project is tied up in litigation, we wanted to restore access to the forest reserve. However, we are asking hikers to avoid ascending Middle Ridge, as hiker activity has created extensive erosion issues that are damaging the native forest,” said DOFAW Oahu Branch Manager Marigold Zoll in a statement.
A team of volunteers worked earlier this month to correct some of the drainage issues on Middle Ridge in an attempt to protect the native forest, according to a news release.
9. 14 hikers arrested for descending Haiku Stairs
In late August, the Honolulu Police Department reported arresting 14 hikers on the Kaneohe side of the Haiku Stairs.
All of the hikers face criminal charges for trespassing.
According to a DLNR news release, the hikers reached the top of Haiku Stairs via the Middle Ridge Trail (also known as the Backside to Stairway) in the Moanalua Section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve.
Although the removal of Haiku Stairs is on hold because of litigation, stair cleats that secure the stair modules to the Moanalua Saddle have already been removed by helicopter.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.