You have probably heard of the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in Hawaii, but if you haven’t, it’s an infamous hike of mostly stairs to the top of one of Oahu’s tallest mountains. The stairs are now illegal to hike, and if you’re caught trying to go up them, you could be fined up to $1000. That wasn’t a fine we were willing to pay, but the view from the top was something we had to see with our own eyes. So after some research, we found that there was a (legal) back way to the top of the stairs. This hike is called Moanalua Valley Trail, and it is a hike I will never forget.

We knew this hike was going to be a long one, so we packed some food and water and set out early in the morning. The hike started off super easy and then it started to pour rain, which is said to make the hike super dangerous. But since we were at the bottom still, we hoped it would dry up before we got to the difficult parts. Once we finally found the hike we were looking for off the side of the main trail (which we didn’t see the first time we passed it so we walked 2 more miles than we should have), we started up the mountain and began the very long journey.

It started out as a pretty well-kept trail through the trees and bushes, and the incline grew a lot. It definitely wasn’t anything you could do fast; there were many roots and rocks you had to climb up but nothing scary. When we started to make our way up, there would be some viewpoints that would give us just a little taste of what we were going to see once we made it to the top. While we were getting closer, the trees started to become fewer and it started to be more bushes and rocks, which made it super easy to see the views of other mountains around us. When we finally made it to the spine, it was clear that we had just gotten started.

After finally breaking through the trees, we could see what was ahead of us… well, some of it. The hike just got way harder because we could see the incline of the trail a mile ahead of us, and it looked anything but easy. Now that there are no trees to grab onto for support, you are basically just hoping for good footing and all the tiny rocks you’re stepping on to not make you slip. You do have some plants and roots to help, but it’s nothing like it was before. The only bright side to this part is the beautiful view you have all around you already.

Quickly after starting this part of the hike, I was behind Mark going up a hill that was only tiny rocks. I had nothing to grab onto around me, so when I started to slip down this hill, I freaked out a bit because I knew behind me was a drop off the mountain. Luckily, I was able to lay down and stop myself from sliding, but after I made it up that part, I told Mark I wanted to turn around. I was so scared of what almost happened and all I was thinking about was how much harder the rest of the hike would be. Mark calmed me down and convinced me that it would be okay, and I definitely would hate to miss out on what was at the top. And he was right, so I kept going despite my anxiety at this point. And the hike only got harder from here.

Once we were walking across the thin spine, the wind started blowing about 20 mph. It was so hard that I had to army crawl in some places because the wind was moving me so much physically that I was afraid I would get pushed off the side. And on top of this, we kept getting false peaks, so right when we thought we had made it, there would be a whole other mile of trail we could see. After we were finally getting close, we reached a serious incline that you had to use a rope to climb, and this was super difficult. Your hands started to hurt from the rope, but if you let go, you would tumble straight down the rocks. I’ll be sure to add pictures of how crazy this looked. But not long after that, we finally reached the top.

Finally, at the peak of this monstrous mountain, we reached the top of the stairs and got to see the view everyone raved about. It really was worth the 4-hour hike up. We ate our sandwiches at the top to celebrate our victory and took in the amazing view of Oahu, Hawaii. You could see the ocean on opposite sides of the island from there and tons of cities and many more mountains. It felt like a dream to be up there and seeing the world from that perspective. I would definitely recommend this hike for any experienced hikers wanting to see the stairway to heaven. It was more breathtaking than I could have imagined.

Tips I would recommend if you did this hike:

• Wear shoes with good traction; they don’t have to have mini-spikes but definitely not any shoe that’s flat on the bottom. Also, be willing for them to get dirty.
• Pack more water than you think; this hike took us 7 hours, so be prepared.
• Download the trail onto your phone so you don’t miss any turns like we did. You won’t be able to load anything once you’re in there.
• Go with friends! Many people have gotten lost on this trail and some haven’t been found. A guy just recently broke his ankle and luckily he had friends who were able to leave and call 911 to get him airlifted out.
• Be prepared for the weather!