East Oʻahu
Koko Head Stairs
A punishing climb straight up an old railway track. Over a thousand steps.
Why go
A serious workout with a big reward view at the top.
The catch
This is genuinely hard - relentless uneven steps with a gap section over a gully. No shade. Go at first light or not at all.
- How long
- 1.5-2 hours
- With children
- Not really
- Effort
- Hard
- Cost
- Free
- Parking
- Easy
Getting there
Driving times on real roads, from the same data the trip planner routes on — not straight-line distance.
| From Waikīkī | 27 min | 11.3 miles |
|---|---|---|
| From HNL airport | 55 min | 25.5 miles |
| From Hawai‘i Kai | 11 min | 4.3 miles |
| From Ala Moana | 25 min | 11.8 miles |
Add traffic. These are free-flowing times, and the H1 through town at eight in the morning is not free-flowing.
Hours, fees and access rules have not been checked against a primary source for this entry yet. Confirm before you build a day around it.
See it on the map Build a trip around it
What else is close
Nearest by road, which is not the same as nearest on a map — and not the same as sharing a region either.
- Lanai Lookout2 min awayA pull-off on the southeast coast road where the lava shelf drops straight into the water.
- Koko Crater Botanical Garden5 min awayA dryland garden on the floor of an old crater, with a plumeria grove in the middle.
- Makapu'u Lookout5 min awayThe pull-off at the island corner, looking down on Makapuu Beach and the offshore islands.
- Hanauma Bay6 min awayA protected bay inside an old crater, full of fish and easy to snorkel.
- Makapuu Lighthouse Trail6 min awayA paved uphill walk to a cliff view over the ocean and a red-roofed lighthouse.
- Pahua Heiau7 min awayA small restored heiau on a hillside in a Hawaii Kai subdivision.