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When Honolulu officials began the process of removing the famous Haiku Stairs to prevent hikers from accessing the area back in April, local residents breathed a sigh of relief. The hiking trail, which offers what many consider to be the best view in Hawaii, had brought years of trespassing, vandalism and overcrowding to the area. As it turns out, however, the removal of the stairs was only the beginning of the controversy, which continues as 14 hikers were arrested this week after illegally gaining access to the area.
According to a Facebook post by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the arrests took place on the Kāne‘ohe side of the Ha‘ikū Stairs and all of the hikers now face criminal trespassing charges after using the Middle Ridge Trail.
“It is not a state-sanctioned trail and using it to reach the top of the stairs is illegal and dangerous,” writes the DLNR.
Though demolition of the stairs started back in April, the deconstruction of the entire stairs is currently on hold due to litigation. However, the DLNR explains that several modules that secure the stair modules to the hillside have already been removed by helicopter, making it extremely hazardous to attempt. The arrested hikers had reportedly used ropes to pass that area.
“It is dangerous for people to enter the construction zone and dangerous for them to try to descend the ridge. They need to think about the consequences if someone gets hurt, or worse, and needs rescue,” says DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla, who explains that the area is difficult for teams to reach.
“It’s been made abundantly clear that these areas are off-limits for safety and natural resource protection reasons” Redulla continues.
“They fail to consider not only the risks they’re taking, but the risks emergency teams face when having to rescue people who are breaking the law.”
The hiking trail – often referred to as the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – comprises a steep climb of almost 4,000 steps. It has been off-limits to the public since 1987 due to overcrowding and vandalism. As we’ve previously reported, illegal hiking has continued to be a problem, with hikers, tourists, Instagrammers and Youtubers risking the $1000 fine for trespassing on the land. Trespassing hikers have scaled fences and crossed people’s backyards for access, sometimes leaving trash in their wake.
