Kauai has many amazing and unique trails to explore ranging from deep tropical forest hiking to high mountain swamp trails all the way back to rugged coastal walks with cliffs that drop strait into the Pacific! We spent three days exploring three different hikes on three sides of the Island.
East Side Hike- The Kuilau Ride Trail and Moalepe Trail
East side hikes ascend into Kauai's tropical jungle interior. This hike starts near the town of Wailua where you turn off the main road and drive up into the mountains. You pass Opaeka'a Falls as you drive deeper and deeper into the mountains. At the end of the road you start hiking up this ridge and then traverse the knife like ridge for several miles with views of the ocean to your right and Kauai's mountainous misty interior to your left. Also, to your left is where Jurassic Park was filmed!!! All in all an easy but rewarding hike
North Shore Hikes- The Napali Coast and Hanakapi'ai Falls Trail
The North Shore of of Kauai is literally the end of the road. Here Kauai's main road ends and the rugged and remote Na Pali coast begins with its trails, secluded beaches, and waterfalls. People often hike the entire coast camping along the way but we decided to just hike two miles down the coast and then another three miles from there inland to Hanakapi'ai Falls.
The first two miles we hiked along rugged coastline with steep 1000 foot moutains rising strait from the water and the trail just barely hanging onto the side of these slopes. The view of the turquoise waters below was spectacular.
At the end of this stretch is isolated Hanakapi'ai Beach where most other people turn around and head back. This is a white sandy beach where the Hanakapi'ai river drains into the ocean that is surrounded by towering lava rock cliffs.
From here we hiked inland along the Hanakapi'ai river where the trail quickly turned super muddy. It was cool hiking among towering bamboo forests and ancient dinosaur trees!
The trail continued to ascend up the river until we reached the 100 foot waterfall with accompanying swimming hole. The water was freezing but I had to take a dip in the fresh mountain water!
The hike felt much longer than the 10 miles that it was, but was well worth it. I recomend it to anyone who is visiting Kauai. And at the end of the hike was Ke'e beach a perfect white sandy beach where we rested out trail worn bodies in the warm sand and clear ocean water!
West Side Hike- Alaka'i Swamp Trail
The drive to this trail was spectacular. We drove all the way from our place on the North Shore around the southern part of the island to the West Shore of the island and then up the rugged Waimea Canyon, considered the 'grand canyon' of the Pacific, to the end of the road up at over 4,000 feet in elevation at the Pu'u o Kila lookout and the start of our hike. From up here we could see the edge of the North Shore and the end of the Na Pali coast far below as we skirted the edge of the mountainous ridge while we hiked.
Then we entered the Alaka'i swamp, the second wettest place in the world! I have never hiked in a swamp before and it was a new experience for me. The mud would be ankle deep at times and the steeper parts felt like you were hiking on ice! It was so slippery. Travis "ate" it once onto his back and butt... and was covered in mud.
Luckily once we entered deeper into the swamp there was an elevated wooden platform trail that kept us out of the mud and made for some fast hiking.
We hiked all the way through the swamp and to the Kilohana lookout where we could look straight down on Princeville, the town where we were staying on the north shore. It was one of the most amazing views I had ever seen, but unfortunately we broke our camera so couldn't take any pictures of it! Another fun hike!
