Kalalau Trail, Kauai Hawaii
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 9.66 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,307 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Very difficult
- Elevation loss
- 3,228 ft
- Max elevation
- 799 ft
- TrailRank
- 53
- Min elevation
- 59 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 9 hours 33 minutes
- Coordinates
- 3550
- Uploaded
- January 1, 2012
- Recorded
- September 2009
near Hā‘ena, Hawaii (United States)
Viewed 5238 times, downloaded 132 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Kalalau Trail is the world famous, ultimate Kauai hike that everyone talks about and would like to accomplish if they had the time. It generally takes you a couple of days to complete the round trip hike. Most people that do the complete 11 miles, either get picked up at Kalalau Beach, or spend the night on the beach then return hike the following day.
The hike begins at the end of the road at Kee Beach on the North Shore. Pick up a good hiking stick at the trail check-in station. From the beginning you start an incline, which seems to be a vertical rock streambed. The first ¾ of a mile is fairly steep and rocky and can be muddy, but 25 minutes into your hike you get a great overlook of Kee Beach. If you don’t have much time at least hike up to the overlook, it’s worth the trip up. Stop and take photos of your first view of the Na Pali Coastline and Kee Beach.
Continuing on the trail switches back and forth following the coastline as you continue to climb. Occasionally you get viewpoints of the incredible coastline. The last half a mile to the Hanakapi’ai Beach is slow going back down hill and is steep and muddy as the trail crosses several small streams. 2 miles from the start you reach Hanakapi’ai Beach. You have to cross a pretty fast moving stream by hopping boulders. The reward is a beautiful beach that has rock caves carved out of the cliffs. Many people stop here and make this their final destination before their return. The views back are just as amazing. In the winter months there may not be a beach at all, just rocks, but it still definitely worth the trip.
All My Condos in Kauai
The hike begins at the end of the road at Kee Beach on the North Shore. Pick up a good hiking stick at the trail check-in station. From the beginning you start an incline, which seems to be a vertical rock streambed. The first ¾ of a mile is fairly steep and rocky and can be muddy, but 25 minutes into your hike you get a great overlook of Kee Beach. If you don’t have much time at least hike up to the overlook, it’s worth the trip up. Stop and take photos of your first view of the Na Pali Coastline and Kee Beach.
Continuing on the trail switches back and forth following the coastline as you continue to climb. Occasionally you get viewpoints of the incredible coastline. The last half a mile to the Hanakapi’ai Beach is slow going back down hill and is steep and muddy as the trail crosses several small streams. 2 miles from the start you reach Hanakapi’ai Beach. You have to cross a pretty fast moving stream by hopping boulders. The reward is a beautiful beach that has rock caves carved out of the cliffs. Many people stop here and make this their final destination before their return. The views back are just as amazing. In the winter months there may not be a beach at all, just rocks, but it still definitely worth the trip.
All My Condos in Kauai
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