The Hike Up Koko Head Crater
Out of all the incredible hikes I have done during my time on Oahu, Koko Head remains my absolute favorite. Located on the southeastern side of the island near Maunalua Bay, the hike is relatively short in distance, but don’t let that fool you. The climb follows more than 1,000 old railway ties straight up the side of Koko Crater, creating a steep ascent that will definitely test your endurance.
But what makes Koko Head especially fascinating—beyond the spectacular views—is the history beneath your feet. During World War II, the U.S. military constructed facilities at the summit and built an inclined railway to haul personnel, equipment, and supplies up the mountainside. After the U.S. Air Force became a separate military service in 1947, the installation became known as Koko Crater Air Force Station.
Koko Crater Air Force Station atop Koko Head, with its AN/CPS-1 radar installation and railway system. Historical image from HANG 25, History of the Hawaii Air National Guard, 4 November 1946–3 November 1971, Col. Walter F. Judd, 1971.
Long before hikers began climbing the old railway ties for the view, this was a working military installation. The steep railway served a practical purpose, hauling personnel, equipment, and supplies to facilities high above southeastern Oahu. At the summit, radar equipment such as the AN/CPS-1 helped transform Koko Head into an important early-warning and surveillance site. Today, much of that infrastructure has disappeared, but the railway remains—turning a piece of Hawaii’s military history into one of the island’s most memorable hikes.
Crossing the old railway trestle on the climb up Koko Head, where the original military tramway becomes considerably more intimidating.
This section of the trail provides a vivid reminder that these old railway ties were never intended to be hiking stairs. The tracks once carried a tram hauling men and equipment up the mountainside, but today hikers follow the same steep route on foot. Here, the ground drops away beneath the weathered trestle, adding another challenge to an already demanding climb.
Mess Hall at Koko Crater Air Force Station, photographed during the site’s years as an active military installation.
Koko Crater once contained far more than the radar facilities perched near its summit. Buildings within the crater supported the personnel stationed here, including this mess hall. Like much of the former installation, the building pictured here is no longer part of the Koko Head landscape, leaving photographs such as this as a record of how extensive the military presence once was.
Sunrise from the summit of Koko Head, as hikers gather along the crater rim to watch the first light break through the clouds over the Pacific.
Reaching the summit is rewarding at any time of day, but sunrise makes the climb something entirely different. After the long ascent up the railway ties, hikers spread out along the crater rim as the sky begins to change. On this morning, heavy clouds opened just enough for the rising sun to illuminate the ocean below—a pretty spectacular payoff for climbing more than 1,000 steps before most people had finished their first cup of coffee.
A passing rain shower sweeps across the Pacific as the view from Koko Head opens toward Hanauma Bay and the southeastern coast of Oahu.
The weather on Koko Head can change the view from one minute to the next. From high on the crater, we could actually watch a curtain of rain moving across the ocean while sunshine illuminated the coastline beyond it. Scenes like this were a good excuse to stop, catch our breath, and remember that the climb wasn’t only about reaching the summit.
A radar antenna at Koko Head Station, photographed on July 28, 1949, overlooking the southeastern coast of Oahu. The original military photograph is marked “CONFIDENTIAL.”
By the late 1940s, Koko Head had become part of the new Air Force’s radar network in Hawaii. Towers such as this supported the equipment used to watch the skies and surrounding approaches to Oahu. The handwritten identification and original security classification make this photograph especially interesting—it captures Koko Head not as the popular hiking destination we know today, but as an operational military site during the early years of the Cold War.
Looking down the Koko Head railway toward Hanauma Bay, with hikers making their way along the steep wooden ties.
he higher you climb, the more spectacular the view becomes—and the easier it is to appreciate just how steep this old railway really is. From here, Hanauma Bay dominates the landscape while the abandoned military track seems to plunge straight toward the valley below. It is one of those views that makes you forget, at least temporarily, how many railway ties you still have to deal with.
The old Koko Head railway disappears down the mountainside, with the southeastern coast of Oahu and the Pacific stretching out below.
Looking back down the tracks gives you perhaps the best sense of what you have actually climbed. The railway seems to fall almost straight through the vegetation toward the neighborhoods far below, while patches of sunlight and passing showers constantly change the landscape. It is beautiful—but looking down those tracks also makes one thing painfully obvious: eventually, you have to climb all the way back down.
Air Force personnel operate the steep railway tram at Koko Crater Air Force Station, hauling men and supplies up the mountainside. The archival photograph was originally marked “SECRET.”
This photograph puts the old railway into perspective better than almost any other. What thousands of hikers now climb on foot was once a working military transportation system, with a small tram carrying personnel and equipment up Koko Head’s punishing grade. Seeing men actually riding the railway makes it much easier to understand why those familiar wooden “stairs” are there in the first place.
Looking straight down the old Koko Head railway toward the neighborhoods of Hawaii Kai, with Hanauma Bay tucked beneath the crater ridge.
From near the top, the railway seems to stretch endlessly down the mountainside. This view really puts the climb into perspective: the wooden ties disappear through the vegetation toward the valley floor while Hanauma Bay and the Pacific spread out beyond. After climbing this far, looking back is equal parts satisfying and slightly terrifying.
The Koko Head railway in 1954, with the tram visible on the tracks and a far less developed southeastern Oahu stretching out below.
This 1954 military photograph makes for a fascinating comparison with the view hikers see today. The railway is immediately recognizable, but the landscape beyond it is dramatically different. Much of what is now densely developed Hawaii Kai was still open land, while the tram itself remained part of the military installation. Nearly three-quarters of a century later, hikers climb essentially the same route—only now we have to provide our own horsepower.
A traffic jam, Koko Head style—the narrow railway creates a bottleneck as hikers heading up and down try to squeeze past one another.
he climb can become surprisingly crowded, particularly where the old railway narrows and there is little room to pass. Here, hikers traveling in both directions had backed up along the tracks, creating a bottleneck on the mountainside. It provided a welcome excuse to stop and catch our breath—but also a reminder that Koko Head’s popularity can sometimes make the trail itself part of the challenge.
My wife, Rebecca, and our son Jonah flashing the shaka as they make their way up the old Koko Head railway.
Rebecca was in great shape and still all smiles as we climbed, even taking a moment to throw a shaka for the camera. Jonah joined in beside her as we continued toward the summit. For all the talk about Koko Head being a grueling climb, this photo captures the other side of it perfectly—it was reallyjust another fun family adventure in Hawaii.
rainbow breaks through the rain over Hawaii Kai—a fitting final reward from the slopes of Koko Head.
There could hardly have been a better way to end our climb. After more than a thousand railway ties, steep sections, bottlenecks, changing weather, and plenty of stops to take in the view, a passing shower gave us one final surprise—a brilliant rainbow dropping from the clouds toward the Pacific.
Koko Head is not a long hike, but it is one you earn. What makes it special to me, though, isn’t simply the workout or even the spectacular views. Every step follows a piece of Oahu’s military history, along a railway once used to carry American servicemen and equipment up the same mountainside.
Today the tram is gone, the military installation has largely disappeared, and hikers have inherited the tracks. But the mountain still tells its story.
And on this particular day, Koko Head even provided the perfect ending.
I hope you enjoyed my pos about the Hoko Head Trail. If you are ever in Oahu, this is one hike that you really must do. Please feel free to explore more of my site, Big John’s Adventures in Travel, post a comment, and maybe even show me some love on social media.
Mahalo and happy travels,
Big John
Posted in Adventure Fitness, Adventurous Places, Hawaii, North America and tagged Hawaii, Hiking in Hawaii, Koko Crater, Koko Crater Railway, Koko Head, Koko Head Crater Trail, Koko Head Stairs, Oahu, Oahu Hiking
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