Hawaii concerned about tourists who sneakily climb the 'stairway to the sky': what's wrong with a scenic attraction closed back in the 90s

One of Hawaii's most scenic but also most dangerous attractions, the Haiku Steps, also known as the "stairway to the sky," is of great concern to local authorities. According to law enforcement officials on the island of Oahu, where the mountain trail is located, 14 people were recently arrested after deciding to have an extreme time in a place closed to tourists.

According to CNN, the World War II-era attraction is located in one of the most remote areas of the state, so it can only be reached by unauthorized means. Travelers who decide to illegally penetrate the "stairway to the sky" using climbing ropes could face up to 30 days in jail.

"It's dangerous for people to go into the construction zone and it's dangerous to try to go down the ridge. They need to think about the consequences if someone gets hurt, or worse, and needs rescuing. It's a difficult place for first responders to reach and could delay medical treatment," explained Hawaii Department of Conservation and Resources Supervisor, Jason Redulla.

What's wrong with Haiku's stairs

TheHaiku Steps, a steep mountain trail on the island of Oahu, originally consisted of 3,922 wooden steps that were later replaced with metal steps, and leads to the top of Kula Ridge. "Stairway to Heaven" was built during World War II by the U.S. Navy. The main purpose of creating the route was to conduct a communication cable, which should ensure constant contact between the two territories of the state of Hawaii, located at different altitudes.

On one of the mountain ridge tops, the military installed a radio station whose antennas transmitted low-frequency signals from submarines over long distances. However, the base was decommissioned in the 1950s.

In 1987, local authorities banned tourists from visiting the scenic attraction because its remote location threatened the lives of travelers. Although the Haiku Stairs were renovated in 2003, the state government has not lifted the ban.

Law enforcement agencies quite often record offenders who dare to have an extreme rest on the "stairway to the sky", so in 2021, the idea to dismantle the stairs. The initiative was supported by local authorities, so a small part of the attraction was separated from the mountainside. However, this year the process stopped, because the Court of Appeals of Hawaii issued a temporary ban on the work.

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