Haiku Valley
Encyclopedia
Haikū Valley is an amphitheater-shaped valley on the windward side of the Koolau Range
behind Kāneohe, Oahu
in the Hawaiian Islands
. The valley was the site of a United States Navy
radio transmitting station (later taken over by the Coast Guard
as an OMEGA Navigation System
station) and is part of the route of Hawaii's Interstate H-3
.
The valley is most noteworthy today for the recently refurbished Haikū Stairs (also known as "Stairway to Heaven"), a foot trail of 3,922 metal stairs that ascends to Puu Keahiakahoe, a 2800 feet (853.4 m) peak above the east valley wall. The stairs were originally constructed as a means of reaching the radio antenna attachment points high on the surrounding ridgeline. The trail starts at an elevation of 480 feet (146.3 m) and covers an approximate horizontal distance of 4500 feet (1,371.6 m) for an average slope of about 30 degrees (however, some sections are nearly vertical).
The Haikū Stairs are currently closed to the public, although people still trespass to experience the nearly two hour climb.
The facility initially was built following the attack on Pearl Harbor
as a means of communicating with U.S. Navy ships as far away as Tokyo Bay
. The facility had a massive antenna
system consisting of five massive cable antennas draped from atop one mountain ridge, and across the mountain valley to the top of the other ridge. The ridges formed a horseshoe shape around the valley. The natural height of the mountain ridges made for an excellent means of having an elevated antenna system.
The construction and use of the facility was initially a classified military secret.
The walls of the main building were over 5 feet (1.5 m) thick and made of concrete
. The building was designed to withstand a 500 lb. bomb being dropped on the top of the building, allowing people inside to survive.
Koolau Range
Koolau Range is a name given to the fragmented remnant of the eastern or windward shield volcano of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single mountain called Koolau Volcano...
behind Kāneohe, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. The valley was the site of a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
radio transmitting station (later taken over by the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
as an OMEGA Navigation System
OMEGA Navigation System
OMEGA was the first truly global radio navigation system for aircraft, operated by the United States in cooperation with six partner nations.-History:OMEGA was originally developed by the United States Navy for military aviation users...
station) and is part of the route of Hawaii's Interstate H-3
Interstate H-3
Interstate H-3 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located on the island of O'ahu in the state of Hawai'i in the United States. H-3 is also known as the John A. Burns Freeway...
.
The valley is most noteworthy today for the recently refurbished Haikū Stairs (also known as "Stairway to Heaven"), a foot trail of 3,922 metal stairs that ascends to Puu Keahiakahoe, a 2800 feet (853.4 m) peak above the east valley wall. The stairs were originally constructed as a means of reaching the radio antenna attachment points high on the surrounding ridgeline. The trail starts at an elevation of 480 feet (146.3 m) and covers an approximate horizontal distance of 4500 feet (1,371.6 m) for an average slope of about 30 degrees (however, some sections are nearly vertical).
The Haikū Stairs are currently closed to the public, although people still trespass to experience the nearly two hour climb.
The facility initially was built following the attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
as a means of communicating with U.S. Navy ships as far away as Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. The facility had a massive antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
system consisting of five massive cable antennas draped from atop one mountain ridge, and across the mountain valley to the top of the other ridge. The ridges formed a horseshoe shape around the valley. The natural height of the mountain ridges made for an excellent means of having an elevated antenna system.
The construction and use of the facility was initially a classified military secret.
The walls of the main building were over 5 feet (1.5 m) thick and made of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. The building was designed to withstand a 500 lb. bomb being dropped on the top of the building, allowing people inside to survive.
External links
- http://www.friendsofhaikustairs.org/ The friends of Haikū Stairs website
- http://www.haikuvalley.com/ Dave's Photo History of Haikū Valley