The Kalalau Trail - Na Pali Coast

The Kalalau Trail
submitted by Salil Wilson
Distance: 22 miles
Terrain: Steep Undulating
Highlights:
Fabulous ocean views,
Incredible Coastline,
Hawaiian Weather

When I first heard about the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast in Kauai Hawaii I was immediately inspired to visit it. A big fan of trail running, especially in scenic places, it sounded unbelievable.

I went to the trail twice, the first time to check it out and do a four miles round trip to Hanakapi'ai Beach just to get a feel for it. It is incredibly beautiful, really breathtaking, up there with the Grand Canyon. The trail is narrow and quite steep in places but fairly well maintained as many people hike to Hanakapi'ai Beach.

The second time I went to the Kalalau Trail I was going to go all the way to Kalalau Beach,  11 miles away and return the same day, a total of 22 miles. Once you get to the end of Kalalau Beach your path is blocked by sheer, spectacular, fluted pali. Along the way however you pass some of the most spectacular coastline in the world.

The official Mawaii State Park web site says "The 11-mile trail is graded but almost never level as it crosses above towering sea cliffs and through lush valleys." The never level part is true but it is hardly graded and sometimes a misstep could see you plummet hundreds of feet into the beautiful azure waters of the Pacific Ocean

Tirandaj, my hiking partner and a veteran of numerous mountain climbs, and I left the hotel at about 5.30 am. It was dark but very mild weather.  As we drove about 20 miles to the trail-head I was feeling a mix of excitement, trepidation and anticipation. I had an idea of the splendor of this trail but you never know until you go.

We parked the car and began making last minute preparations, ensuring we had everything.  Water purifying tablets are an absolute must on this trail.  There is plenty of streams along the way to get water and you just can't carry enough to last you the 22 miles.  In fact, I carried 2 litres of water and ended up drinking about 7 litres.

Once we were sure we had everything we said a quick prayer to the God's of the trail and headed off.  It was just becoming light and it was drizzling as we began.

The first two miles went by fairly quickly as I had done them a few days previously.  We got to the first beach and it was now quite warm.  We sat down, hot and sweaty and then discovered a very nice stream that came down the mountain and into the ocean. We lay down in this, cooled off and replenished our water bottles.

Leaving the first beach there is a marked drop off in trail quality.  From here on the trail is a lot less traveled, it is thinner and far less maintained.  However, it is still a trail and you would have to be a complete moron to get lost.

The views seem to become more spectacular the further you go. There are lost of turns and blind corners, that when you come around a bend, another incredible vista presents itself. I think the photos tell the story better than I ever could so enjoy looking at them.

Once we left the first beach we met less than 10 people going either way so there are not any problems with over use.  A couple of the people we saw were real back to nature guys with no back pack and bare feet. 

When you get close to Kalalau beach you are presented with some really incredible views of this unique fluted lava.  We made our way onto this fabulously secluded beach and one of the first things you notice is the absence of any foot prints.  The beach is about 700 metres long and there are almost no foot prints.

I had a swim and then went to this really mice water fall and enjoyed a refreshing shower.  Meanwhile, Tirandaj was trying to capture the natural splendor with his wide angle SLR camera with varying degrees of success.

We had lunch and then decided to head back.  Many people who come out to Kalalau beach spend a few days camping and it looks like a great idea.  If you do plan to spend a few days then you have to get a permit  from The Na Pali Coast State Park.

As we had 11 miles to go to get home and didn't want to be doing it in the dark we took to jogging and walking.  This is really exciting as you have to be totally focused and takes a lot of concentration.

We would stop regularly to replenish our water supplies and we really needed it.  The weather is almost always warm and dehydration is a constant concern.  Coming back to the first beach we didn't stop but plowed on through.

With about one and a half miles to go I came across a number of friends who were heading to Hanakapi'ai beach.  I said some brief hello's and kept going with Ke'e Beach firmly in my sights.  This is a beautiful beach right at the trail head, it is sheltered from the surf by a reef and is a wonderful place to refresh after a 22 mile run/hike.

By the time I arrived Tirandaj was making his way to the beach ready a good soaking. I quickly headed in that direction and began recuperating in the cooling embrace of the Pacific Ocean looking up at the fabulous landscape where we had been fortunate to tread.

Sitting back in the car heading home ensconced in the warm glow that comes with self-transcendence we stopped at a roadside smoothie seller and I had one of the most delicious mango, pineapple, papaya smoothies known to humanity. What a way to finish the day. By the way that's me at Ke'e Beach.