This 4,000-Step ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Hike is Epic, But it’s Illegal

Are you up for an adventure? If you’re the kind of lad who prefers great views, tranquillity, long hikes, and a bit of thrill, this is a great place to go to.

The Haiku Stairs on Oahu, Hawaii, otherwise known as “Stairway to Heaven”, is a series of approximately 4,000 steel steps (3,922 to be exact) that climbs 2,800 ft from the Koolau mountain range to the peak of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

The U.S. military primarily installed wooden steps during World War II. They stretched the stairs across the Haiku Valley to obtain the required height for a radio station antenna.

In the 1950s, the U.S. Coast Guard took over and established their navigation station there. They also substituted the wooden stairs with steel.

The antennae used to transmit 200,000-watt radio signals. It enabled the Navy to communicate with submarines as far as Tokyo Bay while they were submerged. The signal even reached India, which is 10,600 km away.