Hiking the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail (Back Way to the Stairway to Heaven) on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Distance (RT to the KST—Not Stairway to Heaven): 9.4 miles / 15.1 km
The Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail, also called the Back Way to the Stairway to Heaven and traditionally called Manō Ridge, in central Oʻahu is certainly a trail and a topic of great controversy, depending on who you talk to!
By this, I mean one might say they either love it or hate it, but regardless of all the differing opinions, I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t the preferred Back Way to the Stairway to Heaven (Haʻikū Stairs), because truthfully, it is.
That said, it is not my responsibility to provide step-by-step instructions in order to reach the elusive Moanalua Middle Ridge, which is exactly why I’ve hidden the most crucial information behind a password.
To that point, I am neither suggesting nor recommending the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail as a day hike, and know that your decisions are just that—yours!
Now, you might be wondering why I’ve chosen to cover this topic in such detail in the first place, given my thoughts and the controversy surrounding the Moanalua Middle Ridge, but my answer is very easy.
Hiking in Hawaiʻi is by far the hardest and most challenging in the country, and I want all who decide to venture into the mountains here to have the best and most accurate information in mind, especially given the fact that I unfortunately lost a close friend in these mountains.
With that in mind, the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail is certainly nowhere near the most difficult hike on Oʻahu, but I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as an easy adventure either.
I say this because the erosion on the Middle Ridge is quite severe, and I truly think the degradation of the landscape is a shame—especially when you begin to understand the vital importance that Moanalua Valley plays as an ecosystem, providing refuge to a number of federally listed endangered species.
All of this to say, whether or not you choose to hike the Moanalua Middle Ridge is entirely up to your own choosing, and understand that there may be legal repercussions for venturing up the unmaintained trail.
Hiking the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail
Assuming that you know the correct route to the start of the Moanalua Middle Ridge, this is where the trail continues to the Koʻolau Summit.
Almost immediately after beginning the true Moanalua Middle Ridge, the trail starts climbing and will continue to do so for almost the entire distance to the KST.
In total, the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail gains about 2,025 ft. (617 m) in just 1.9 miles (3.1 km) from the start of the ridge to the Koʻolau Summit.
However, this number does not reflect the total elevation gain from the trailhead, but only the steepest parts of the hike that begin at the bottom of the ridge, which is exactly where this article begins.
For about the first 0.7 miles (1.1 km), views of the summit are very limited on the Moanalua Middle Ridge, as the trail climbs its way through a dense Strawberry Guava-ʻŌhiʻa-Koa forest.
This is what can make the initial climb out of Moanalua Valley feel a bit tedious, but in my opinion, the Moanalua Middle Ridge mentally starts to move much faster once the summit starts to come into view shortly ahead.
If you are lucky, you might spot a Pueo (the native Hawaiian owl) on the hike up Moanalua Middle Ridge, which I have seen myself—not to mention, I know of at least one other firsthand account from someone who has also seen them in Moanalua Valley!
It doesn’t take long for the lowest elevation on the Moanalua Middle Ridge to become dominated by Uluhe, which is why I recommend wearing pants for the somewhat tedious hike up to the summit, especially when the weather is much wetter than is shown here.
On the hike back, Koa trees are always a nice sight, as Koa typically doesn’t grow as high as the Koʻolau Summit but instead thrives at the mid- to lower elevations across Oʻahu.
This means that when Koa starts to dominate the landscape once again, the end of the steep Moanalua Middle Ridge and the valley floor is not far ahead!
This is the first time the KST can be seen from the Moanalua Middle Ridge on a clear day!
After a steep 0.7-mile (1.1 km) hike to get to this point, the Moanalua Middle Ridge finally breaks out of the densest parts of the lower canopy, meaning that from this point on, the views looking toward the summit only become more frequent the higher the trail climbs!
At about 0.8 miles (1.3 km), the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail reaches the first notable eroded section, which is really not all that challenging—at least compared to what’s ahead.
I say this because the higher the trail climbs, the more exposed and eroded the Moanalua Middle Ridge becomes, which is one of the main reasons there is such a big controversy surrounding the Haʻikū Stairs.
After the initial eroded section, the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail continues to climb gradually until it reaches the second, much steeper scrambling section, about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) ahead.
The most defined section of the trail that can be seen far in the distance in the photo below is the steepest, most eroded, and often most dreaded part about hiking the Back Way to Stairway to Heaven.
I mention this because its strikingly clear definition from this far away should show just how eroded the Moanalua Middle Ridge is up ahead, which I talk about in more detail later in this article.
The cool thing about the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail is that all four native ʻŌhiʻa species can be found on the hike up to the summit, notably the three species that are only endemic to the Island of Oʻahu.
That said, this is the most common and widespread ʻŌhiʻa species, known as Metrosideros polymorpha—"polymorpha" meaning many forms.
I mention this because color is a bad indicator when trying to distinguish which ʻŌhiʻa species you are looking at, as Metrosideros polymorpha can display a variety of colors, including red, yellow, orange, pink, and salmon.
However, there is an endemic Oʻahu ʻŌhiʻa species shown later in this article that only has yellow crown flowers, which is why learning the difference between the leaves is truly the only way to tell them apart.
This is where the second notable scrambling section can be seen in the distance for the first time.
It’s worth noting that the Moanalua Middle Ridge did not always look as it does here.
In fact, this is the result of a few different factors that all surround the inherent popularity of the Stairway to Heaven on Oʻahu, including neglect from both city and state agencies to address the traffic—both in terms of enforcement and taking responsibility to invest money in maintaining the Moanalua Middle Ridge.
In my opinion, it’s as if the Hawaiʻi State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) simply throws their hands up and says, "We told you not to go, so it’s not our responsibility," even though it’s land under their jurisdiction and the environment takes the hit as a result.
I don’t know. These are just one person’s thoughts, but there are certainly plenty of other trails across Hawaiʻi under the same scenario—though none are as popular as the Moanalua Middle Ridge here.
After the second steep climb, the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail continues to ascend at a fairly steady grade to the third and most significant eroded section, which can be seen on the ridgeline in the photo below.
This upcoming section is the part most often talked about on the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail because the erosion and steepness combine to make it the most challenging section of the entire hike, especially when the trail is wet!
This next ʻŌhiʻa species is the first of three that is only found on Oʻahu, and it is the one that always has yellow crown flowers.
That said, the best way to distinguish Metrosideros macropus is by its long petioles (the stems on the leaves), as well as the slight yellowish tint to the leaves.
This is where the Moanalua Middle Ridge climbs above most of the overstory ʻŌhiʻa trees, meaning that from this point on, the trail is very exposed.
For this reason, I highly recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt because, as I always say, most hikes that begin from the Moanalua Valley Trailhead mean spending a long day outside!
This is the second Oʻahu endemic ʻŌhiʻa species on the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail, which is fairly widespread across both the Koʻolau and Waiʻanae Mountain Ranges.
This eroded section is not the steepest, most challenging part of the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail that I was referring to above.
Rather, the worst of the erosion on the Moanalua Middle Ridge is the next section immediately following this.
Some hikers may want to carry trekking poles for the steep hike up the Moanalua Middle Ridge, especially after it has been raining across the Koʻolaus.
This is where the worst of the erosion on the Moanalua Middle Ridge really starts to come into view for the first time.
That said, the upcoming section is the part of the trail featured in nearly all viral photos and videos about the Back Way to Stairway because, when it’s wet, it’s quite difficult to scramble up without ropes, given the severity of the erosion.
All of this to say, bringing a rope to leave behind isn’t the worst idea if you have any doubts about this part—especially for those in your group who are not comfortable with steep, moderately exposed scrambling like this.
The erosion in this section is so severe that, on a clear day, the Moanalua Middle Ridge can definitively be seen from as far away the H-1 on-ramp leaving the Honolulu airport!
This is where the steepest parts of the climb begin.
At the top of the steepest section, the most eroded parts of the Moanalua Middle Ridge continue for another 0.1 miles (0.2 km) before the trail levels out.
This is the top of the steepest parts on the Moanalua Middle Ridge, meaning that from this point to the summit, the trail more closely reflects the sections following the lower canopy.
The tallest peak in the center of the photo below is the summit of the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail.
That said, there are only 0.25 miles (0.4 km) from this point at the top of the steepest, most eroded section to the Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST) straight ahead.
This Loulu palm is endemic to the Koʻolau Mountains on Oʻahu and is quite common along the upper elevations of the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail.
I think it’s worth noting that a day this clear in the mid- to late afternoon hours is quite rare this high up in the Koʻolau Mountains.
I say this because, in a typical trade wind weather pattern, clouds build over the mountains in the early afternoon hours, typically sticking around until sunset and dissipating when the land releases heat overnight.
However, I did this hike on a rare winter day when a low-pressure front cut off the typical trade wind flow.
With that in mind, I often believe the clearest and best hiking weather in Hawaiʻi exists on either side of a wet winter storm, as this is when the winds calm down and, as a result, the clouds that normally build over the islands throughout the day don’t ever make it over land.
Moanalua Middle Ridge Summit
This is the summit of the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail, where, on a clear day, views stretch across much of Kailua and Kāneʻohe, including notable places like Puʻu Māʻeliʻeli, Kaʻiwa Ridge and the Lanikai Pillbox Trail, and Mokoliʻi, to truly name only a few notable places!
Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
The summit of the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail is also a small section of the much longer Koʻolau Summit Trail, which spans the Island of Oʻahu from north to south.
I mention this because hiking in any direction on the Koʻolau Summit Trail is almost always more difficult than the ridges that lead up to it, and the same is true for this section between the Moanalua Saddle to the north and the Kalihi Saddle to the south—two of the most challenging sections on the entire cross-island hike.
That said, the next best trail off the summit to the north is the Kulanaʻahane Trail, at the bottom of the most difficult sections on the Moanalua Saddle, and the next best trail to the south is the Tripler Ridge Trail, just before the Kalihi Saddle.
Take all this as you will, but I only write this to say that hiking on the summit is not meant for all people of all abilities.
Read My Separate Post: Koʻolau Summit Trail (KST)
Native Plants on the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail
The Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail is one of the best and most beautiful trails on Oʻahu when it comes to seeing a variety of native Hawaiian plants. However, it’s also quite a shame that the trail is so heavily trafficked, given what that has meant for such a fragile ecosystem.
Nevertheless, there are a ton of different native species to look out for, including various Naupaka species, all three Oʻahu-endemic ʻŌhiʻa species, Hāhā, Kāmakahala, Lapalapa, Kāpana, Kanawao, Kōpiko, ʻIeʻie, ʻĀkia, Koa, Loulu, ʻAʻe, and countless more!
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
