The Kalalau Trail is a strenuous 11-mile hike along the Na Pali coast with steep climbs, narrow paths and multiple switchbacks. This trail is the only land access to see the amazing views of the Na Pali coast--velvet green cliffs, cascading waterfalls and lush valleys. In fact, Na Pali means "The Cliffs", and while it's one of the fastest eroding places on the Earth, it is also a place that has mostly been left untouched by man.
By no means did we hike all 11-miles. For one, those who do so need to get a permit and often hike in and camp overnight before making the 11-mile trek back out. And no, the Kalalau Trail does not connect to roads on the western side of Kauai. We did hike the 2-miles to Hanakapi'ai Beach from Ke'e Beach, which has steep climbs that are still rewarded with beautiful views of the Na Pali coast. This is the portion that many people hike along the North Shore. Then, we hiked 2-miles in to see the majestic Hanakapi'ai Falls, named after a Menehune Princess.
Entrance to the Kalalau trail is only from Ke'e Beach (end of Highway 50). Parking can be difficult and people end up making parking wherever you can. Be mindful of the "No Parking" signs though... as we got a parking ticket 30-mins before we got back. Do'h!
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| Wild Spearmint Smells |
Upon entering from Ke'e Beach we were warned by the following sign. "Falling rocks and steep drop off along cliffside trail from here to Kalalau." Whoa! But at the same time, that is the beauty of the Na Pali coast... the cliffs. The path from Ke'e to the beach (first 2-miles) was well maintained. You can easily fit foot traffic going in each direction if you're careful. The climb is strenuous because of the steep hike up and semi-rocky terrain. You are rewarded, however, with a beautiful view of the Na Pali coast within the first 1/2-mile. Breathtaking!
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| Na Pali Coastline @ about 3/4-mile hike. |
As you continue climbing up, you come to another open lookout of the coastline. This lookout can get extremely windy, so hold on to your hats! You can see Ke'e Beach, where you started, look out into the vast Pacific Ocean (and so blue!), the expansive coral reef dotted along the coast below, and of course, the majestic Na Pali cliffs in front. Besides the coastal view, you also hike into the valley jungles. The smells along the path is so relaxing... spearmint! I love nature! Finally, you start heading back down the mountain towards the beach. We had left in the late morning, so we past people hiking back. They were out of breath and reminded us to save some energy for the hike back.
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| Coral reefs below |
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| View of Ke'e Beach |
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| View of Hanakapi'ai Beach |
To get to the beach, you come to your first stream crossing. No rocks to hop across, so off come the socks and shoes and into the stream we go. That day, the stream was flowing nicely and up to our knees. It was quite refreshing. But sometimes the currents can be very strong during times of heavy rain, so be careful. While we were crossing, we got a passing light tropical rain. Once on the other side, I realized we left our walking sticks on the other bank. Naturally, I wade back through stream for them and Matt took pictures. The rain sprinkling past quickly and we were able to sit on large rocks near the beach, looking out to the ocean for lunch. Just watch out for the few feral cats eying your food. We had to move once to keep them away. (this leg of the trip took us about 1hr & 45 mins w/ a quick lunch break).
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| Hanakapi'ai Beach (notice the sea caves in the cliffs) |
After half our sandwich, which we got a the local supermarket in Princeville, we headed out towards Hanakapi'ai Falls, another 2-mile hike. Shortly into the hike we were greeted with a small clearing surrounded by circles of bamboo, the kind good for building shelter. In the midst of one of the circles, the bamboo was cleared away and you could see remnants of a campfire. Continuing a little further, the path gets narrow and very muddy when wet. At first we tried our best to avoid the muddy spots, but after awhile, it was near pointless. Just watch your step, especially when there's people coming from the other direction. There are many areas where you can not cross simultaneously.
One of the tough parts of this trail is the stream crossings. We stopped and took off our shoes every time. In one of them, Matt slipped and fell partially in. Thankfully, there was a person standing close to him at the time and grabbed the camera bag, preventing our new camera from getting wet. (yea, I know... priorities!) Matt was fine and ended up changing into his water shoes, taking each remaining stream crossing head on. Once across the stream, sometimes it can be hard to find the path since there are no trail blazers. One time we ended up on the wrong path... we were on the bottom near the stream and there were some people towering above us. So we had to back track before continuing on. Eventually, we noticed some "markers," such a pink flag tied on a branch or a rusty tin can, that helped to mark the trail path on the other side of the river. Another tough part was areas where water flowed down slightly rocky cliffs. One of those things, where when dry, it wouldn't be so bad, but with the water, you really didn't want to slip!
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| Sweet mountain apples |
Other things to look forward to are the mountain apples! While I wouldn't dare try to eat one, but the ripe ones on the ground just smell so sweet and delicious. The nice part is that there aren't excessive bugs flying round them either, so you could enjoy the sweetness of the apples as you are hiking through.
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| Hanakapi'ai Falls |
Finally, we came to a clearing on the river where we could see our goal, Hanakapi'ai Falls. It was so close, yet still a little ways away. A few pictures later, we hurried (as much as we could) along the path until we reach the falls. There Hanakapi'ai falls stood a towering 410 ft above us with mountain cliffs surrounding the valley.
At the base of the falls was a nice swimming hole where people took a dip after their hike. It looked like you could climb to a small path along the wall of the falls, but I'm not sure if you can go behind the waterfall. We found some nice boulders to rest on and enjoy the remainder of our lunch. The valley was tranquil and lush. Definitely worth the muddy 2-mile hike there (this was about a 2-hr hike).
On the way back to the beach, the trail wasn't so bad and seem to go quickly. It helped that the muddy areas had dried a little. Back at the beach we visited some of the sea caves and enjoyed watching the sun hover lower in the sky. We let our feet soak in the water a bit, but didn't go in the ocean. We were told the rip currents at this beach can be very dangerous! Before the sun set too much, we headed back onto the trail. I would not want to get caught hiking down the cliff in the dark! The hike up from the beach was very tiring, especially already hiking 6-miles. We sat at the outlooks and enjoyed more of the sunset and the coastline before we got back to the parking lot. An 8-mile hike in under 7-hrs, including lunch breaks. We were very proud of our accomplishment that day and enjoyed the rest of the sunset near our Princeville resort.
It was this hike that inspired me to start my blog. I needed some way to capture the experience I had today--the wind blowing in my hair, the smell of spearmint and ripe mountain apples in the air and the beauty of the Na Pali coast. So pardon my wordiness, but there was so much I wanted to capture on this posting. Thus far, Hawaii has been such a magical place to spend our honeymoon.
For more information:
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/html/sites/hanakapiai_falls.html
By no means did we hike all 11-miles. For one, those who do so need to get a permit and often hike in and camp overnight before making the 11-mile trek back out. And no, the Kalalau Trail does not connect to roads on the western side of Kauai. We did hike the 2-miles to Hanakapi'ai Beach from Ke'e Beach, which has steep climbs that are still rewarded with beautiful views of the Na Pali coast. This is the portion that many people hike along the North Shore. Then, we hiked 2-miles in to see the majestic Hanakapi'ai Falls, named after a Menehune Princess. 
Upon entering from Ke'e Beach we were warned by the following sign. "Falling rocks and steep drop off along cliffside trail from here to Kalalau." Whoa! But at the same time, that is the beauty of the Na Pali coast... the cliffs. The path from Ke'e to the beach (first 2-miles) was well maintained. You can easily fit foot traffic going in each direction if you're careful. The climb is strenuous because of the steep hike up and semi-rocky terrain. You are rewarded, however, with a beautiful view of the Na Pali coast within the first 1/2-mile. Breathtaking!
To get to the beach, you come to your first stream crossing. No rocks to hop across, so off come the socks and shoes and into the stream we go. That day, the stream was flowing nicely and up to our knees. It was quite refreshing. But sometimes the currents can be very strong during times of heavy rain, so be careful. While we were crossing, we got a passing light tropical rain. Once on the other side, I realized we left our walking sticks on the other bank. Naturally, I wade back through stream for them and Matt took pictures. The rain sprinkling past quickly and we were able to sit on large rocks near the beach, looking out to the ocean for lunch. Just watch out for the few feral cats eying your food. We had to move once to keep them away. (this leg of the trip took us about 1hr & 45 mins w/ a quick lunch break).
After half our sandwich, which we got a the local supermarket in Princeville, we headed out towards Hanakapi'ai Falls, another 2-mile hike. Shortly into the hike we were greeted with a small clearing surrounded by circles of bamboo, the kind good for building shelter. In the midst of one of the circles, the bamboo was cleared away and you could see remnants of a campfire. Continuing a little further, the path gets narrow and very muddy when wet. At first we tried our best to avoid the muddy spots, but after awhile, it was near pointless. Just watch your step, especially when there's people coming from the other direction. There are many areas where you can not cross simultaneously. 
One of the tough parts of this trail is the stream crossings. We stopped and took off our shoes every time. In one of them, Matt slipped and fell partially in. Thankfully, there was a person standing close to him at the time and grabbed the camera bag, preventing our new camera from getting wet. (yea, I know... priorities!) Matt was fine and ended up changing into his water shoes, taking each remaining stream crossing head on. Once across the stream, sometimes it can be hard to find the path since there are no trail blazers. One time we ended up on the wrong path... we were on the bottom near the stream and there were some people towering above us. So we had to back track before continuing on. Eventually, we noticed some "markers," such a pink flag tied on a branch or a rusty tin can, that helped to mark the trail path on the other side of the river. Another tough part was areas where water flowed down slightly rocky cliffs. One of those things, where when dry, it wouldn't be so bad, but with the water, you really didn't want to slip!
At the base of the falls was a nice swimming hole where people took a dip after their hike. It looked like you could climb to a small path along the wall of the falls, but I'm not sure if you can go behind the waterfall. We found some nice boulders to rest on and enjoy the remainder of our lunch. The valley was tranquil and lush. Definitely worth the muddy 2-mile hike there (this was about a 2-hr hike).
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