Night Hiking Koko Crater Stairs – (July 4th, 2011)

After a long day of rock climbing at the Makapuu Crag, a few of us decided to watch the Maunalua Bay fireworks show from Koko Crater. Joined by climbers Jennifer Liu and Lance Fujioka, we set out to tackle the 1024 steps to the summit around 6pm. I noticed that a few others in the parking lot had the same idea, as they carried Manfrotto tripods and supported team Canon… It was a race for the top.

I really shouldn’t have had a couple beers before going up, but I think I still made a decent time of 21 minutes with full camera gear and bunch more boddingtons in pack, lol. Especially since my legs were fatigued from hiking Kamiloiki Ridge to Makapuu Tomtom and Moanalua Saddle to Haiku Stairs two days prior. Lance, being sober, made it up in about 18 minutes. NOTE: Please exercise caution while consuming alcohol on hikes or any other physical activity. Alcohol can dehydrate you and affect your balance, as well as exhibit poor decision making… especially in the dark.

Anyhow, I’m glad Lance was sober, so that he could hold down the front row seating at the top. One of the other photographers, Jason Johnston of Colorado, was pretty fit and made it to the top in ~ 15 minutes with full camera gear. Pretty impressive. The other photographer was not as fit and got a less than optimal location to shoot…

The Maunalua Bay fireworks started around 745pm, where there was still a touch of daylight in the distance…. keeping the sky a rich blue color. We were fortunate enough to watch the Ala Moana and Aloha Tower fireworks sequentially, and even got flashes of the Kaneohe show. Despite this, I realized I was too far away to get the right fireworks effects I was looking for in my photos… But by no means did I regret making the night trek to watch so many shows from one location. Content with having a fun-filled day outside, we headed down the steps around 930 pm.

Since I didn’t get very many shots off tonight, I’ve decided to supplement this entry with a few moonlit photos I took earlier this year fro the same location.

They deserve an a place in this entry despite being slightly dated. Enjoy.

If you decide to night hike the Koko Crater steps, make sure first of all that someone else knows you’re up there. In addition to the gear you would take up there during the day, make sure to have a headlamp. I tend not to use it on the way up since the city lights are usually bright enough to illuminate the steps… and along with a full moon, the ambient light is perfect. Make sure to take warm clothes to the top if you are going to loiter there to appreciate the 360 city light view. On the way down, use your headlamp and a walking stick will also help. The parking lot closes at 11pm, but I’d suggest you leave the summit early so you don’t encounter the 5-0. In my opinion, it’s no more difficult physically during the day… and actually may be even easier because it’s much cooler. However, please stay safe if you attempt this… hiking at night is not for everyone. If you’d like to attempt a more challenging day hike than the steps, try checking out Koko Crater Rim – Loop Trail.

To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts or “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery.