Ha'iku Stairs

A Hawaiian Stairway to Heaven

Category Intriguing Environs, Architectural Oddities

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The Ha'iku Stairs, aptly nicknamed the Stairway to Heaven, is a steep climb on the island of Oahu that seems to disappear into the sky itself.

The trail got its start as a simple wooden ladder attached to the cliff. It was installed during World War II to facilitate the building of a giant VLF transmitter. As opposed to other VLF-transmitters this station did not use any towers, but antenna cables spun between the cliffs above Ha'iku Valley. These, along with a building at the peak, could transmit signals that could reach submarines as far away as Tokyo Bay, even when they were submerged underwater.

At the end of the 1960's the transmitter was transformed into a station for the OMEGA navigation system, which remained until the system was shutdown on September 30th, 1997.

In the 1950s, the wooden stairs were replaced by metal steps and ramps—3,922 steps in all. The trail was officially closed in 1987, but many hikers continue to ignore the "No Trespassing" signs and make the climb for the awe-inspiring view at the top.

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  • Address Kaneohe, Hawaii, United States
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  • & Anonymous January 6, 2012
    I propose not to wait until you earn big sum of money to buy goods! You should take the home loans or car loan and feel free
  • & Anonymous January 6, 2012
    I had got a desire to make my firm, nevertheless I did not have enough amount of cash to do it. Thank goodness my mate advised to take the business loans. Hence I took the secured loan and realized my dream.
  • A Facebook user February 16, 2011
    The stairs are right up against the Pali, which is known for clocking over 100+ mile an hour winds. The kind of winds that you can lean right into and it'll hold you up and blow you over (I used to live on Oahu and trust me, I've done it, It's crazy!) People have died going up these stairs; it's very dangerous. That's why it's closed to the public. Of course, that doesn't stop anyone.
  • A Facebook user March 21, 2010
    I wonder if any of the hikers who went up there ever got hurt or killed. But I don't blame them for ignoring it either. The pictures are beautiful!
  • & Anonymous February 25, 2010
    It is a nice picture! Good luck getting any closer to it than this, though. The approach from the neighborhood to the stairs is fenced off, and on some days an ill-tempteed plainsclothes guard has been know to roam around and intercept hikers at the base of the path in his volkswagen beatle! Tread carefully...
  • & Anonymous February 2, 2010
    wow, very nice picture! they're really disappearing in the sky! Great!Because of the expansion of scopes of the internet you have find more information about The Ha'ik? Stairs . Moreover, you can order <a href="http://customresearchpapers.ws/">custom research paper</a> on them