The Kalalau Trail - Na Pali Coast
When taking a trip to Hawai’i the first task at hand is deciding which island to go to. Oahu has miles of golden beaches and historic Pearl Harbor. The big island has some insane volcanoes and gorgeous resorts. Maui has massive forested mountains and some of the best surfing in the world. Then we came across the lesser known Kauai, a small island at the western end of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s known as the Garden Isle of the Hawaiian islands, largely because of the other-worldly landscape on the west side of the island known as the Na Pali Coast. Every blog and review of Kauai raved about this long stretch of uninhabited Hawaiian coastline home to maybe the most awe-inspiring scenery on the planet. The area boasts pristine untouched beaches, unique geological formations, towering cliffs dropping into crystal blue water, and the crown jewel: the Kalalau trail.
Pretty much every Kalalau trail blog started with some version of “it’s the most dangerous hike in the world”. But if you continue reading they all end with something along the lines of “but its so worth it”. If all of these people survived to tell the tale then it couldn’t be that bad, right?
Despite the potential danger, this island had us hooked. Kauai was our choice. And we were determined to hike the Kalalau Trail. The trail itself is 18 kilometers long, starting at Ke’e Beach and ending at Kalalau Beach. It traverses a series of lush valleys and scales rocky ocean cliffs that tower above the ocean. Kalalau Beach is only accessible via the trail, so you have to hike all the way back out the same way. Some hardos hike the whole 36 kilometer round trip in a single day, but most camp a night or two at Kalalau beach. There is also a halfway camp, Hanakoa Valley, but it’s deep in the rainforest with no views and lots of bugs. We decided to hike out and stay two nights at the beach, so we’d have a full day to explore and relax before making the return trek.
The hike requires reservations which can be made 90 days in advance of your start date here: camping.ehawaii.gov. Permits sell out quickly as there are only 60 people allowed on the trail at a time. Along with reserving your camping permits, you’ll need to figure out how to get to the trailhead. There is some overnight parking at the trailhead, but many hikers report cars being vandalized there. The other option is the Go Haena shuttle. It makes a series of stops in Princeville, Hanalei and Wainiha to pick up hikers and can be reserved at gohaena.com 30 days in advance. We decided to park our car at Wainiha Country Market while we were on the hike. You can email the owner at [email protected] to reserve a spot for your car and they will arrange for the shuttle to pick you up at the market the morning of your hike!
We’d booked the hike towards the end of our stay on Kauai. To see some other fun things we did on the island check out this post:
The morning of the hike we were up early to pack up our Air Bnb in Princeville. We grabbed some coffees at the Princeville grocery store before heading towards Wainiha. It was pouring rain. Not a great omen, but to be fair it rains nearly every day in Hawaii, and it never lasts long. By the time we dropped our rental car at Wainiha Country Market the rain had stopped and the sun was rising. The shuttle picked us up around 7am and started towards the trailhead. After a short but beautiful drive around the beaches of northwestern Kauai we reached the our stop.
From the parking lot you’ll start on a little boardwalk that leads to a bathroom and water station next to Ke’e Beach. After that, the incline starts. The trail is wide and a bit muddy as it switches back and forth up the heavily treed ridge. We saw some pineapple trees early on and soon reached the top of the first climb where we were rewarded with a stunning view of the Na Pali Coast.
The trail then descends rapidly to Hanakapei beach. Most day hikers stop here, or take the side trail up to Hanakapei Falls. Either way, there would be way less people on the remainder of the trail, as only those with a permit for Kalalau can continue past this point. We hopped over the Hanakapei River, took a quick look at the beach and carried on.
Hanakapei beach, like many beaches on the island, has very dangerous surf. Swimming is not recommended due to the powerful shore break and riptides. Past the beach the trail was a lot quieter. The only sound was our labored breathing as we struggled up the steep switchbacks out of Hanakapei Valley. Flat areas are hard to come by on this trail. Each direction there’s an elevation gain of about 1000 meters. The whole hike you’re climbing up out of valleys then descending down into the next one. But at the top of each climb there’s typically a gorgeous viewpoint that makes you forget about the grind you just endured.
After traversing a few valleys we entered Hanakoa Valley. A very wide, forested valley surrounded by towering mountains. We stopped at the Hanakoa camping area for a snack and to fill up our waters in the river. We’d already gone through a combined 4 liters in the first 10 kilometers. The heat and humidity combo was killing us. It only 27 degrees Celcius, but with a humidity of 80%! As a couple of Canadians used to winter temperatures we were sweating buckets. Luckily, up to this point the trail had been mostly forested. The last 8 kilometers would be much more exposed.
Heat had never been this big of a factor in our previous adventures, but splashing around in the creek reinvigorated us. Now onto the most challenging and sketchy part of the hike. The next few kilometers would be very exposed as the trail meanders around rocky ledges with nothing in between us and a 200 foot drop to the thundering waves below. Up to this point there had been some vegetation between us and the water. As it disappeared and the trail turned to loose dirt that slanted toward the ocean, it was slightly unsettling.
As we cautiously progressed up and down some exposed ridges we approached a section known as Crawlers Ledge. We had heard a lot about the ledge leading up to this hike. It’s generally regarded as the most dangerous section of the trail. At about kilometer 11 there is a short but narrow stretch of path that leads around the corner of a rocky peninsula, and directly to your right is a straight drop to the ocean. That alone isn’t anything out of the ordinary for this trail, but the kicker is that some points are only a foot wide and there is a rock wall on your left, forcing hikers to walk extremely close to the edge. Many will lean or cling onto the rock wall for safety. And judging by the name I’d guess that some people feel more comfortable crawling across it.
While it was a little nerve-wracking, it was a bit overhyped. The sections of loose dirt certainly posed more danger than the ledge. At least the footholds were solid, and you can lean on the rock wall if needed. Past the ledge there is quite of bit of exposed hiking on the coastal cliffs, but I think we’d gotten used to it at this point as we were flying along. That or we were so overheated that we didn’t have the mental energy to be afraid. As the sky became more overcast we were greatly appreciative.
As we saw the recognizable peaks and spires of the Kalalau Valley in the distance we knew we were getting close. We soon crested a mound known as Red Hill. It’s rusty red soil marks the beginning of the descent into Kalalau Valley, the last stretch before making it to our destination. The mountain and ocean views from this descent are astounding and definitely put a spring in our step.
The end was in sight. The beach is about a mile long and there are campsites scattered along the entire length of it. However, the closest freshwater source is a waterfall on the far end of the beach. So we chose a site closer to that end under a nice canopy of trees.
After setting up the site we took off to the waterfall to cool off and filter some more drinking water. It’s not right on the beach, but close enough. We passed by some mountain goats on the way. The freezing water felt fantastic after a long day.
After a refreshing shower and crushing some delicious dehydrated mac and cheese with ground beef, we took a walk on Kalalau Beach to take in the sights.
The beach and the views of the mountains are absolutely breathtaking. The surf here is also pretty dangerous and was not suitable for swimming. But it was fun to watch the swells rise and crash into the coast. Sometimes the massive waves came over the first mound of sand and settled in a lower area which created a shallow river flowing down the beach. As the sun set lower the views got even more impressive.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, a rainbow appeared on the north end of the beach. We also spotted some humpback whales breaching in the distance. Kalalau was pulling out all the stops.
Our first day of this adventure was intense, but the reward was so worth it. We woke the next morning a little more relaxed, knowing we could spend the entire day chilling on the beach before making the return trek the next day. We spotted some whales and dolphins jumping around off shore as we enjoyed morning coffee. Then wandered down the beach as the sun started peaking over the ridgeline.
So many waves had crashed over the first bar of sand on the beach that the small stream that formed yesterday had expanded into a strong river. It split the beach in half creating a sort of island. We waded across the river to walk along it on our way back to camp.
Herds of mountain goats kept coming down off the mountains to the beach to graze on vegetation. They weren’t bothered by our presence at all.
On the south end of the beach, past the waterfall, there’s a sea cave. We spent some time in the afternoon exploring it.
As the sun sank a little lower it looked like we were getting blessed with another phenomenal Na Pali Coast sunset on our last night here. And this one turned out to be even more special than the previous night…
The next morning we woke early to pack up our site. We wanted to get the more exposed hiking done before the sun came over the mountains. We bid farewell to one of the coolest campsites ever, strapped on our packs, and hit the trail. The ascent up to Red Hill right after rolling out of bed was challenging, but the views at the top eased the pain significantly.
We sailed by the exposed sections of trail. The elevation changes weren’t as drastic at this point, and the early morning temperature was comfortable, so we made good time.
Approaching Crawlers Ledge for the second time was much less tense. Just don’t look down the cliff at the water and focus on your steps!
The trail headed back into the forest, undulating up and down beautiful valleys. The rest of the hike included some tough elevation. We tried to get all the way back without refilling our waters because we didn’t want to take the time to stop and filter. As the afternoon sun beat down on us and we started to feel the dehydration coming on, we realized this was a mistake. So a stop at Hanakapei was needed to fill up our bottles before the final few kilometers to Ke’e Beach. We reached the parking lot in good time and grabbed a shuttle back to our rental car at Wainiha Market. We were exhausted but extremely satisfied with how well this trip went. Time for a seafood feast and a cold beer!
According to my watch, the out-and-back trek was 35.5 kilometers, with 2000 meters of elevation gain, taking about 12 hours (6 hours each direction). Here’s a map of where we went:
Would highly recommend this trail for those with some hiking experience, and no fear of heights. There are some areas that are a little nerve-wracking, but if you’re pretty surefooted and wearing proper hiking footwear you should be fine. Lots of people had poles which could help as well. All in all, Kalalau Beach is worth the risk. If you’re on the island of Kauai and looking for adventure this is a must!
Check out some of our other trips or leave a comment below: