Gaze Upon Oahu’s Majestic Koko Crater Trail | Atlas Obscura
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2019
- In Oahu, a massive mountain looms over the landscape. This is Kohelepelepe, a mountain also known as Koko Crater. During WWII, a railway ran up and down the mountain to cart supplies to a radar station at the summit. Today, the abandoned railway has become an intense, 1,000+ step hike: the Koko Head Crater Trail, or the Pu’u Mai Stairs. But for locals, this Oahu hiking trail is more than just a path-it’s offered them a way to conquer their fears, overcome trauma, or discover their own unique communities. Watch to hear their moving stories.
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I grew up at the base of that mountain in Hawai‘i Kai. As kids we climbed it very often and the view at the top never failed to take my breathe away (it was kinda illegal back then, so there was nobody up there but us, all day). When you go, please respect and preserve a very special place. And most importantly, live Aloha and take care of the people on the trail, if they need help or encouragement, as it is a pretty challenging hike. Mahalo.
I was a kid in Hawaii Kai too, and unfortunately, I was just turning 11 when we moved (to Pupukea) and so I was just under the age to start *really* exploring.
Back in the day all the fun stuff was illegal lol. Like going to Sacred Falls.
Be careful if you want to hike these stairs. They are the second most frequent rescue hike on Oahu. There is no shade and people often don't bring enough water. They risk dehydration, fainting, and falling and hurting themselves because the stairs are not maintained, so it is easy to misstep, especially if you are tired. It is a strenuous hike. Don't undertake it if you are not in good shape.
Great recommendation! Thank you for the sound advice.
@@atlasobscura I 2nd this advice. That end of the island gets really hot, and it's humid. People have trouble with the little hike up to the crest of Diamond Head and this is much more of a hike.
How does it compare to the Incline in Colorado?
Very true... This is actually good advice for Hawaii in general. A lot of people don't realize that with this great beauty comes great danger if you're not careful. I tell all of my visitors when they have planned excursions to always pay attention and be prepared.
I grew up in Kailua (other side of the Pali) and my family would go hiking up there in the 70’s and 80’s. It was fun as a child, and more spiritual as I grew older.
Thank you for featuring this, Atlas Obscura.🌺
Beautiful guys , the cinematography is superb
Thank you! :)
Thank you Atlas Obscura. Well done! And thanks to all of the participants!
you guys always make amazing videos. i love it
Great vid! I feel like a slug sitting here :-) I want to climb that every day!
It seems people have been cleaning it up. When I used to go there was serious problems with parking, no toilet, and trash everywhere. My girlfriend and I would take trash bags back full every weekend.
I remember as a kid, under all the bushes around Kaiser Estate at the end of Portlock Road, were piles and piles of Primo beer bottles.
Yeah, people are nicer about litter these days.
Thank you for caring enough to pick up the trash when you go. I used to work for the Highway Department and later in railroad track maintenance and we would find trash along the roads and along the tracks in the most remote and beautiful places. Too many people are self centered fools who ought to just stay home.
My soul mountain! Hiked it twice this past weekend... so happy it's open again! Malama ‘Aina.
Putting radar stations on high places was very much in fashion in WWII. The "Stairway To Heaven" AKA the Haiku Steps, also went to a radar station. Radar was pretty new and experimental at the time and these sites (and ships and submarines) got the cutting edge stuff.
When I was a kid living on Portlock Road, I could see this crater from my kitchen window, and later I went to high school at Kaiser and late in the day (last period) I'd look up at the base of the crater and how complex the light was, between the greenery and the sun and shadows.
Another fun fact: There's a target range set up inside the crater.
alex carter with it was legal to hike stairway to heaven, I wanted to hike it so bad
so beautiful!!! It's like a magical place !!
Koko head was my favorite hike in Oahu!
I love this video! It made me emotional. I did Koko yesterday for sunset. My fav place.
Imagine doing this everyday just cause you got the time .🙌🏾
Wow! I hope Hawaii see’s this as the treasure it is and makes sure it’s well tended.
So stoke to see my routine hiking rail on this channel. Mahalo!
I will never get over the level of pure art you put out, and yet it is Pewdiepie who has the subscriber count.
No justice in this world, lemme tell ya. No justice at all.
Pewdiepie is a Nazi, and if you don't believe me, I took a little look around some of the semi-hidden subreddits that are hangouts for modern-day Nazis and he's like their prodigal son.
alex carter lol
They should fix the rails and have a fast way down!! Can't believe a train would go uphill like that! Did they have winches to pull it? I drove a small train/shunter at work, the smallest hills would be hard going over especially when it rained or when the rails swets in the morning and night!!
It was a cable railway and was hauled up by a winch. The cart was just big enough to carry men and supplies to the military radar station on the top of the mountain.
@@allenra530 Thank you, very interesting
We’ve been working with the city on getting this fixed. They just approved the measure to release $100k for immediate repairs and hired an engineer firm to come up with the long term solution. It’s moving in the right direction!
Beautiful video.
This is amazingly beautiful, I really want to go there. I have started a list of the hikes I want to take in my life and this is at the top of this list.
Yay! That's amazing! So glad we could help :)
Just go...once in a lifetime
love that channel!
+50 lbs overweight here. Not in shape what so ever. I hiked it during the dry season, so it wasn't all green and luscious. It was all light brown and all dead. We hiked it around 1pm - the worst time. I only brought 1.5 bottles of water and had to share with people who nearly fainted. It's doable, for sure. if a chubby guy like me can do it, you can do it. Take it slowly and steady. It's worth it!
Hey Roberto, thanks for sharing with us your experience! We're glad you made it-we're so proud of you! Thanks for taking care of everyone else around you, too. And good tip about being slow and steady!
I just did this like 3 months ago it's intense and steep at some points we also did diamond head too
The people trying to restore this trail should probably get in touch with "Friends of the incline" in Manitou Springs, Colorado to get some ideas for what can be done in trying to restore it and how to get it done. When they restored part of their train tracks, now hiking trail, that goes up the side side of a mountain, in Colorado helicopters had to be used to replace the old railroad ties. And the trail had to be shut down for several months making lots of locals angry.
so the fat budget idea was a flop...it would be better to have humans carrying in the ties, keeping the people involved and the trail open and best of all. carrying ties up steep hills is a unisex operation as you only need one strong man at the back and a lady thats in shape can handle the ever lighter front as the incline steepens
Man these shots must had been taken super early in the morning, because this trail is always crowded for me
Its only 1000 steps?
Can you do a video about Stair ways to heaven in Honolulu
Crest Saint it’s on someone’s private property and they don’t allows visitors or filmmakers anymore
In my prime I could hike those steps in about 20 minutes from the parking lot. There are people who can do it in about 15 minutes.
Such a beautiful girl in this video (3:53). Got someone her contacts? Friend asking
Anyone need money. Climb up there fall down, and sue. It is an unsafe hike. Bg bucks waiting,
Bad advice. Technically it's not an official trail. There's ongoing discussion about charging individuals for emergency rescues. If the fire department calls in its helicopter, you might wind up paying thousands for the ride.