How the Kokonut Koalition is Working to Save Koko Crater Trail

After years of neglect and erosion, avid hikers of the Koko Crater Trail are working to restore their favorite trek.

If you’ve ever hiked Koko Crater Trail, you have probably seen the wear and tear the trail is going through. Many of the stair treads, which are actually the remains of a long abandoned tramway, are rotting away, and volunteers have even replaced some with bricks and stone slabs. Seeing hundreds of hikers a day, the trail is being loved to death, however the Kokonut Koalition, a community organization formed by Koko Crater Trail hikers, has a plan.

Some of these “urgently needed temporary repairs” include stabilizing the remaining crossties, improving on the ad hoc work done by volunteers, installing safety equipment at the midway point of the trail and positioning water diverters to help control naturally caused erosion. Additionally, the money raised will also be used as startup expenses so the Kokonut Koalition can become a nonprofit organization, which would allow it to apply for grants and accept tax-deductible donations. 

“For us kokonuts, it’s our regular workout. Some of us have been hiking the stairs for over 20 years, many for a decade or more. I’ve been hiking it regularly for four years, usually four times a week and often three trips per session. It has become a habit that sustains me,” a Kokonut Koalition member says on the organization’s GoFundMe page. “All of us regular hikers feel this way. I greet the day with this hike. Others enjoy a sunset hike and still others like to broil themselves under the midday heat of the Hawaiian sun. We feel a deep attachment to this trail and passionately believe that it deserves better treatment than it has received.”

If you’d like to help support the Kokonut Koalition’s cause, visit its GoFundMe page, or reach out through Facebook.