HONOLULU - A portion of the Moanalua Section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve known as “Middle Ridge” will be closed for 90 days, or longer if necessary, during construction work to remove the Ha‘ik? Stairs.

The action, under Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR), closes the portion of the reserve bounded by the Kulana?ahane Trail to the north, the Kamananui Valley Road and an unofficial trail known as Waolani to the south, and the Koolau summit ridgeline to the east.

The closure, authorized by DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, is necessary for protection of biological resources; public health, safety and welfare; protection of property; and for management activities. 

The City and County of Honolulu has jurisdiction over the stairs and since announcing the structure will be dismantled, there has been an uptick in hiker traffic on Middle Ridge. This ridgeline is not an official, maintained state trail and has become eroded and dangerous with the increase in hiker traffic in the last few years. DLNR officials are taking these actions to prevent people from getting injured while attempting to access the stairs from the hazardous ridgeline. Foresters are also concerned about the ecological damage hikers are doing to this sensitive native forest.

The forest reserve is home to irreplaceable cultural and natural resources that are being damaged by this increase in activity. Due to recent citations and arrests of trespassers by Honolulu Police Dept. officers at the base of the stairs on the windward side of the Koolau, people have resorted to using the Middle Ridge Area to access the summit on the leeward side of the Ko‘olau Mountains, driving an unprecedented increase in traffic to this sensitive watershed.

When the City and County of Honolulu begins removing stair modules, there will be increased construction activity, including the use of helicopters, which heightens the risks and dangers to anyone in the area. People caught using the trails during the closure period could be cited. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has posted closure signs for the impacted trails.

The Kulana?ahane Trail and Kamananui Valley Road will remain open. DLNR encourages hikers to use designated N? Ala Hele trails and to be mindful of the impact each one of us has on nature when we choose to recreate in sensitive places.