Hiking the Koko Crater Stairs on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (Roundtrip): 0.9 mile / 1.4 km
Elevation Gain: ~930 ft. / 283 m
The Koko Head Stairs is a beautiful but steep east Oʻahu hike in Hawaiʻi Kai that climbs the steps of a historic WWII-era tramway built in the early 1940s by the U.S. Army, ultimately ending at the summit of an ancient volcanic crater called Puʻu Mai!
Following its historic past, the Koko Crater Stairs have since become a favorite among both locals and visitors from around the world, with many Oʻahu residents hiking the railway as a quick morning or evening workout, often beginning just before sunrise or sunset.
To that point, I personally only recommend hiking the Koko Crater Stairs for sunrise or sunset, as the steep and challenging trail is nothing to take lightly during the heat of the day!
How Long Does it Take to Hike the Koko Head Stairs?
For most people, hiking Koko Head should take somewhere between 30 minutes - 1 hour.
However, if you hike the stairs without taking any breaks, the whole trail should take under 20 minutes.
What is the Fastest Koko Head Time?
Going off of Strava, the fastest known Koko Head time is 8:32, set by Conrad Newfield, who is also the same Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST) record holder!
This makes my best time at 10:43 look pretty weak!
Koko Head Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Koko Crater Railway Trail is located in the back parking lot of Koko Head District Park in Hawaiʻi Kai.
Before arriving, it’s important to know that toward sunset on any given day of the week, the parking lots around the baseball fields can get busy and even fill completely if there are a lot of games going on within the park.
Hiking the Koko Crater Stairs
Walking to the Trailhead
From the north end of the parking lot, the Koko Head hike begins on the paved path that leads around the baseball fields and toward the mountain, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away.
At this split, go right to walk up the short hill toward Koko Head Park Road.
Koko Head Park Road
Once at the top of the hill, go left to begin walking Koko Head Park Road, which will lead to the start of the hike.
Koko Crater Ridge Trail
When Koko Head Park Road turns to the northwest, the paved path will pass an inconspicuous clearing on the right-hand side.
This is the beginning of the Koko Crater Ridge Trail, an alternate way to hike to the summit of Puʻu Mai.
That said, go straight to continue on the paved path for another 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to find the split that leads to the base of the stairs.
At this split, go right up the path, and the bottom of the stairs will be found just a short distance through the trees.
Koko Crater Stairs Trailhead (Kohelepelepe)
When the short path off the road breaks through the trees, the Koko Crater Stairs open up for the first time!
That said, I think it’s important to highlight the amazing volunteer work that has gone into making the trail we have today!
By this, I mean that in years past, the Koko Crater Stairs were in serious disrepair, and the City and County of Honolulu wasn’t willing to put the money forth to make the necessary repairs the stairs desperately needed.
However, thanks to the Kokonut Koalition stepping up and building an amazing public-private partnership, the Koko Crater Stairs are in better shape than ever, which was all made possible through private donations and tireless, back-breaking work from the folks who love the trail most!
This is all to say that hiking the Koko Head Stairs is now a much better and more enjoyable experience for everyone, and if you want to help contribute to maintaining the stairs, donations are gladly accepted on the official non-profit’s website.
Donate: Kokonut Koalition
For those interested in timing your hike up the stairs, it’s locally accepted that official times begin here, at the start of the rails, and end at the first bunker just below the summit.
This is because this was all that used to exist, prior to the restoration efforts mentioned above.
All that aside, what you see is what you get, meaning there are truly no directions that you would need to know in order to hike the Koko Head Stairs. You simply walk up!
In these beginning sections, the Koko Crater Stairs start off relatively mild, but they only get steeper and more challenging the closer you get to the summit!
For those that are crazy enough to try to run the stairs, I can speak from experience that getting to this point without stopping, where the trail levels out just before the bridge, is incredibly impressive—and even more impressive if you’re able to keep a running pace all the way to the start of the bridge!
Koko Crater Bridge (Murphy’s Bypass)
About halfway up the trail, the Koko Head Stairs reach the infamous Koko Crater Bridge.
If you are coordinated and comfortable with heights, crossing over the bridge can be done fairly quickly, so long as you don’t miss a step!
Alternatively, there is a bypass, known locally as Murphy’s Bypass, on the right-hand side of the stairs that cuts out the bridge altogether.
Warning
Bees have been known to build hives beneath the Koko Crater bridge, and even with constant removal efforts from the city, they always seem to come back.
That said, I have personally never had an issue with them, which I assume is because I usually try to keep moving through this area.
This is the end of the Koko Crater Bridge, and it’s where Murphy’s Bypass rejoins the stairs for the rest of the hike to the summit.
The final ascent immediately following the bridge is generally regarded as the most difficult part of the entire Koko Head hike, as it is the steepest section of all 1,048 steps to the top!
Throughout both the wetter winter months and the drier summer months, ʻAʻaliʻi is generally the most common native Hawaiian plant that can be spotted on the Koko Crater Stairs.
I mention this because the vast majority of the landscape, including all the grasses and trees that surround the stairs, are non-native, invasive species.
As I’m sure it’s obvious, these photos were taken just before sunset, which, again, is when I recommend hiking the stairs to avoid the heat of the day!
This is the top of the main set of steps, and it’s where the Oʻahu hiking community widely agrees that recorded times stop, as the remaining section that continues up to the true summit of Puʻu Mai was formerly overgrown and impassable until the Kokonui Koalition came in and restored it, giving us the final few steps we have today!
Puʻu Mai (Koko Crater Summit)
This is the summit of Koko Crater, traditionally called Puʻu Mai, which is really just one small section of much longer the Koko Crater Rim Trail that begins and ends in the Koko Crater Botanical Garden below.
I mention this because I think it’s worth walking out to the edge of the descent on either the North or the South Rim, with the north side having the best views to see the most challenging sections around the crater below.
Now, I don’t mention this to encourage hiking the Koko Crater Rim if you aren’t prepared for it, as the hike—while short in distance—is very steep, exposed, and traverses many tricky sections that are absolutely no-fall zones.
Take that as you will, but I’m certain that the Koko Crater Rim Trail is not meant for people of all hiking abilities.
Read My Separate Post: Koko Crater Rim Trail
What Islands Can You See from the Top of Koko Crater?
On a clear day, you can see Molokai, Maui, and Lānaʻi from left to right.
That said, a few hikers in the comment section below have mentioned that you can see the Big Island from the summit—but only on the clearest of all days!
However, I am skeptical, as I have yet to see it myself, and I have climbed the Koko Crater Stairs hundreds of times! To add to this, I have very clearly seen both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaiʻi Island from Oʻahu, but only from a very different and much higher vantage point on the clearest day imaginable!
Hiking Down
Since the stairs are so steep, I personally find the hike back down to be worse than the strenuous hike up, which is why some hikers may want to bring trekking poles.
Either way, take it slow, as injuries from falls always seem to be worse going down than those on the hike up—especially on the bridge!
Native Plants on the Koko Crater Stairs
For such a short, low-elevation trail, it feels surprising by Hawaiʻi standards to find a few different native plants along the Koko Crater Stairs, as the entire mountain is dominated by non-native, invasive Koa Haole trees and Fountain Grass.
However, if you look off to the sides of the trail, you may see ʻAʻaliʻi, ʻIlima, and ʻUhaloa growing as you hike up the stairs.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
