Kauai

[cloudust]

Hi! I am headed to Kauai in October. Any firsthand hiking knowledge would be greatly appreciated - best trails, precautions, etc. Thank you in advance for all your help and insight.

[screeman57]

This website lists most of the possible hikes:

http://www.kauai.com/hikes

In particular, I recommend the Kalalau trail on the Na Pali coast (also possible to sea kayak this coastline--definitely worth looking into as the trail can be mobbed with muddy tourists), Waimea Canyon (actually a network of trails here), and Waipoo falls.

This book also has some good info:

http://www.amazon.com/Day-Hikes-Kauai-R ... s+on+kauai

[Tigerbear]

Napali Coast rail a must. spectacular!

[WarDamnPanic]

Kayak the Napali coast, one of my most enjoyable days in the outdoors. There is also great hiking in the canyon. Bring a solid rain jacket as it rains a bunch there, also check wind forecast as normally you have a tail wind heading from Princeville to Polihale Beach. It took us about 8 hours to kayak the entire coast in a head wind. Enjoy!

[flagship47]

My favorite hike there was to the Hanakapai'ai Falls. It is an 8 mile RT hike that starts from Ke'e Beach (Kalalau Trail) and does not require a permit. 2 miles along the Na Pali coast and then you cut south in to some lush jungle and get some good elevation gain up to the Falls.

http://kalalautrail.com/kauai/wp-conten ... au-Map.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Waimea Canyon is an absolute must see.

Wear clothes that are either darker or you don't mind getting stained as the soil in Kauai has a lot of iron in it and if dirt gets on you clothes it could be permanent. Be cautious around any fresh water as there is Leptospirosis present on the island of Kauai. I did not swim in the pool under the Falls for this reason, but saw plenty of other people who were.

Truly a beautiful island. Have a blast.

[marklemmons]

There is a guy with a business there called "hike kauai with me" - he has a facebook page and often posts great info, and you can hire him as a guide. My favorite hikes include the alakai swamp and all the trails to the napali from Kokee park.
http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/hiking_kau ... i_hike.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also a pretty incredible hike to an old irrigation tunnel(s) that is quite an adventure, detailed in some versions of the ultimate kauai guidebook.

I agree that the kalaulau is amazing, but I'd rather see that from the coast, and hike the tops of Napali from Kokee.
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=35719" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It has been closed recently on and off due to some recent mudslides, so check conditions.

[colokeith]

kalaulau was amazing. We also did several pretty good hikes in Wiamea canyon. I don't recall the names of the trails. One of them was at the top of the canyon overlooking the valley where the kalaulau trail ends.

[painless4u2]

This info is incredibly timely, as my wife and I are soon leaving for Kauai for our 39th anniversary. We definately plan on doing some of these hikes. As far as kayaking the coastline, how experienced should one be before attempting this?
PS: Who would of thought of getting this kind of info on a 14ers site? Cool.

[Johnnyringo]

My wife and I kayaked the Napali coast a few years ago. Amazing. As for experience, I'd say you should be comfortable in a kayak in open water, willing to swim and ready for a fairly long day. I whitewater kayaked for years on rivers in Colorado, thinking the ocean would be a cakewalk and super mellow. Wrong. My landlocked Colorado ass got tossed out of the kayak into the ocean within the first 2 minutes. With that said, one of the coolest things you will ever do.

[Gruff]

Our family just made a trip to Kauai from June 16 to June 27. AMAZING…especially the hiking trails. I found that Kauai provides a great balance for the beach lover and the hiker…tons of options. My primary hiking objective for the trip was the Kalalau Trail with one catch. Most people make it a multi-day backpacking trip to Kalalau Beach. I had 1 day and wanted to go all the way to the beach and back. I'm hoping to find time to post up a trip report here this week. This is a must do hike even if you only do part of it. I will second the recommendations on Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park. Another great trip for us was the kayak/hike to Secret Falls. About 4 miles of easy river kayaking and 3 miles of muddy hiking to an amazing waterfall. Here are a few pictures from our trip to get you psyched. If you have any specific questions on Kalalau trail let me know.

[img]IMG_1139.jpg[/img]

[img]DSC03124.jpg[/img]

[img]DSC03145.jpg[/img]

[cloudust]

Thank you everyone for your input! I very much appreciate the help. -beth

[mattpayne11]

I went there a couple years ago - such an awesome place! I loved it. For sure check out the Kalalau Trail and the waterfalls there. Hanalei is good as is Kalalau Valley.
Here's some shots I took there:

http://www.mattpaynephotography.com/blo ... d-of-kauai