Kalalau Trail

Hello,

I will be visiting Kauai from April 30 To May 7 th. I was wondering about the Kalalau Trail. I don%26#39;t want to miss out on one of the world%26#39;s best hiking trails..but at the same time, I am not up for doing anything really dangerous and risky. Can anyone give me some perspective on this trail? Is it really dangerous, or just really long? Is it worth trying to do the trail on an 8 day vacation?

Thank you Kindly,

Michelle

Kalalau Trail

Well for starters don%26#39;t even think about doing the whole trail unless you plan to go camping and get a permit. To hike beyond Hanakapiai you%26#39;ll need a permit, but you won%26#39;t need to go beyond that beach/valley anyway, bc the 2 miles to that beach from Ke%26#39;e (the trailhead) is awesome. For more adventure you can head inland another two miles to Hanakapiai Falls, but that is a rough ';trail'; and I use that term loosely.

But Kalalau for that first two miles seemed as safe as most any other trail to me. The first half mile up the steep slope near the trailhead was the hardest part IMHO. If you do Hanakapiai Trail though it%26#39;s a lot harder, especially if it rains. It poured on us and the stream literally could be seen rising.

Here%26#39;s a great gallery of both the trail to the beach and the hike into Hanakapiai:

hawaiianstylephotos.com/Kauai/…index.html

Kalalau Trail

I also meant to say, this is my favorite hike in all of Hawaii, not just Kauai, but all of Hawaii.

The first two miles to Hanakapiai Beach is a fantastic hike, one not to be missed. Unbelievable scenery in any direction you look.

When we hiked, I didn%26#39;t consider any part of it dangerous or risky. Some slippery spots, puddles, etc., but nothing too bad. With all the rain they%26#39;ve had lately I%26#39;d like to hear what shape the trail is currently in. I%26#39;d agree with pelekai that the first part is the most difficult. Kauai Revealed describes the beginning as ';paved with rocks';, which sounds like a cobblestone road. It%26#39;s not, you%26#39;ll be hiking on a trail of loosely placed rocks which can make the going slow. After that, the trail is mostly dirt and much easier walking. (again, we went during a fairly dry time.)

I%26#39;d suggest wearing some sturdy sneakers or hiking shoes. We saw some girls in flip-flops and sandals, I can%26#39;t imagine walking on all the rocks wearing those.

Ditto on the hiking boots. A good collapseable hiking pole also helps. But the scenery, even up to the half mile point (where it starts to get easier from that point forward) is awesome.

At that ridge you can see forward down Na Pali and back behind you is Ke%26#39;e Beach.

I also agree that if it%26#39;s rained, this trail can be a mess. I%26#39;ve heard horror stories about the mud. We also hiked it during a dry time, minus the heavy shower in Hanakapiai Valley.

over to the beach is an hour to 1.5 hrs so 2-3 hr round trip. If you do the side trip up to Hanakapia falls, then you%26#39;ve got a long day. I%26#39;ve never gone past the day use point so no comment on the rest of the trail.

I%26#39;ve done those first 2 legs in a drizzle and had a long hard day. It was still fun to see the waterfall booming, but the walk out was a grind with a heavy wet pack (had too much water along as the time before we didn%26#39;t have enough).

The risk is, with the current situation, any rainfall can make the creek rise in minutes. To get to the falls you cross the stream a number of times. If it floods, You can get trapped up the stream and have to be helicoptered out or have to sit in the rain all night. Not good. I just watched my yard go from seemingly dry to flooded with 20 min of hard rain. There is no absorption capacity left.

The first leg to Hanakapia beach can be muddy but not all that tough or scary. The beach itself is dangerous. Has a nasty undertow and numerous drownings over the years. be safe.

Last time I hiked it there was actually a sign erected near the beach showing all the folks who%26#39;d died at the beach from the undertow. It got the message across, though several local boys came and swam, but hey, they know the surf.

I agree that right now I%26#39;d be especially hesitant about hiking up to Hanakapiai falls. We busted our butts (running) heading out of that valley bc of the torrential rain and the stream got higher and faster as we got out. We saw a few folks slip in the stream, though luckily no one was hurt. And it was during a very dry time we hiked it, so I cannot even imagine what would happen now.

One last thing to note. The Kalalau trail has become an increasingly popular day hike. We STARTED it at about 7am and it took us around 2 hours for each leg... to the beach, up to the falls, back to the beach, and back to the trailhead at Ke%26#39;e. But we took our time (except for our mad dash our of the valley). If you wait until 10-11am to start this hike, expect a lot of company. We passed a ton of folks heading in when we were coming out. And I%26#39;m sure dozens more that day came and went while we were in the valley. Start early to avoid the crowds.

Thank you so much for all your replies. Very helpful info. So what I%26#39;m understanding is that to hike the entire 11 miles with permit to Kalalau beach is not really necessary to experience the beauty of the Na Pali coast because the first couple of miles offers both the scenery and the challenege....with additional side hike to the falls if I want more.

Is this basically correct?

Thank you Kindly,

Michelle

Sounds like you got it. :)

If in the future you can do the whole trek, probably would be worth your time; one of the best hikes on earth I%26#39;m sure. It%26#39;s a bit rough after Hanakapia%26#39;ai though, especially some of the trail skirting the edge of cliffs.

I think you%26#39;ll have a blast on the trail, there%26#39;s nothing else quite like it.

The reward for going to the end is a wide sand beach, a cave in the cliff, a huge valley, and a short swim to the next valley. I did this in 1970 (are the hippies still there?) with a full back pack with my high school counter culture english class and killed myself going in. The trail is 11 miles, but it goes down into a valley, over a stream, then slightly up and around the next ridge, over and over again. I am in better shape now. The red soil can be slick when wet and loose when dry. I slipped with one leg off a loose edge of eroded red dirt but you just have to be carefull through eroded slide areas.

I started the trail barefoot but sliced the bottoms of my feet open (no blood but what a pain when filled with sand) on Lau Hala leaves, the long thorn edged leaves of the paintbrush tree. Wear shoes.

If you go to the end you should do it one day in and one day out. It is not an 11 mile walk in the park. All that said I would do it again.

We started the Kalalau Trail this time of year in 2004.

We had intended to do the whole trail but got turned around at the 2 mile mark at Hanakapei(sp?) because the stream was a torrential river. We helped a local (as in lives in the valley) hippy guy guide two hikers over the river on a rope tied from a tree on one side to a sign on our side. Needless to say, those hikers were pretty stressed out.

We were bummed that we couldn%26#39;t do the rest, but we turned back, headed to the county office, got a permit for Waimea Canyon and hike down into that. Coming back out was possibly the most energy I%26#39;ve ever exerted in my life. Just attempting any of the trails on Kauai is worth it. I hope to go back someday and get to Kalalau Valley by foot.

The point is, as long as you are careful, have water and follow your gut if you feel an uncomfortable situation developing, you should attempt to see as many beautiful things as you can.

dog