Kalalau trail is also called Napali hiking trail or Napali trail. By hiking the hiking trail, you can explore the wilderness and beauty of the Napali coast state park.
Coming to Kauai in 2020,first time Hawaii visitors in 2020 will be planning their days staying next to beach for swimming and snorkelling activities. Not many are aware of the fact that when you are first time in Kauai, a must do thing is to hike Na pali coast.
Napali Coast view from Helicopter, Kauai
Kauai Visitors planning Kalalau trail hike must follow these tips.
Tips for hiking for first two miles of Trail.
- You have to make a reservation (900 per day limit) at Haena State Park (within 30 days of your visit).
- Parking reservations(70 spots at a time for visitors) are available for morning, afternoon and evening times. (https://www.gohaena.com/ )
Tips for hiking complete Kalalau trail
- You have to make a reservation(900 per day limit) at Haena State Park (within 30 days of your visit).
- Parking reservations (70 at a time for visitors)are available for morning, afternoon and evening times. (https://www.gohaena.com/ )
- Special Kalalau trail permit to hike the whole trail (11 miles), irrespective of the fact you want to camp or not. (https://camping.ehawaii.gov/camping/welcome.html)
- Make sure to buy the permit online 30 days before your trip.
Kalalau trail update after COVID-19
If you plan backpacking the na pali coast after COVID-19, it is essential to know following update for your hiking trip.
Due to COVID-19, the trail was closed in March 2020 and re-opened in May for only first 2 miles out of the 11 miles. The good news is that, whole trail has been opened for everyone (June 18,2020).
There are certain rules and regulations for hiking the trail after COVID-19. The key highlights of the rules are
- It is not allowed to hike the trail in a group of more than 2, unless the hikers are living together under one roof.
- A minimum distance of 20 feet is to be kept between groups Hiking the trail.
- Hiking the trail is permit free until Hanakapiai Valley/Hanakapiai Beach.
- You must buy the Kalalau trail permit if you plan backpacking the 11 mile Na pali trail and do camping on the way.
- Permits for trail are valid only for 30 days. Make sure to buy it within 30 days of your Hawaii trip.
- Currently, only 60 permits for hiking Na pali trail are allowed for one time.
- Cost of Na pali coast trail permit for single person per day is 20 dollars.
- Reservations for the camping permit can be obtained from https://camping.ehawaii.gov/camping/welcome.html by selecting Kauai, and Napali Coast State Wilderness Park.
Kalalau Trail view of Napali Coast Kauai
What is it like to hike Kalalau Trail as beginner
If you are a beginner planning to hike Kalalau trail, you must be aware of certain facts. It requires good stamina and serious footwork for 11 mile hike which passes through the Napali Coast. Despite its scenic beauty, hiking the trail is strenuous.
The Napali trail is quite wide but comes with its highs and lows. Its an impossible task to complete the 22 miles return journey in one day through the trail. Depending upon the weather, trail hike can be steep and uneasy. In case you are planning to camp during the trail hike in Kauai, you must arrange for Kalalau trail camping permits.
Kee Beach to Hanakapiai Beach
Kalalau trail can be split into two parts depending upon the permit situation of the visitors. First part is between Kee beach to Hanakapiai Beach. Other part of the trail is from Hanakapiai beach to the Kalalau beach. Kee Beach, located at north short of Kauai, is the starting point for Napali coast hike. Make sure you carry your backpack with necessary items like water, snacks, mosquito repellent and sunscreen cream. The first well-deserved checkpoint on the trail is Hanakapiai beach.
You can rest after hiking for 2 miles at the Hanakapiai beach. Hanakapiai beach is always crowded with visitors. This is the spot where most decide to come back, either they are tired, or they don’t have permits.
Despite being the famous trails in Kauai, the journey of the trail is quite dangerous at some places with mud among the dark forest of the trail. Specially in winters when the rainy season is making it almost impossible to hike Napali coast trail due to muddy environment. Other challenges for hiking the trail involve dealing with bugs and mosquitoes.
Cautions for hiking Kalalau trail in Kauai
Hiking the trail will take you through beautiful landscape views, high waterfalls and green pointy cliffs from Napali coast. You must be careful not to drink water from waterfalls and carry your own bottle of water while hiking Na pali coast. Also considering the hiking challenges at Na pali trail, bring a walking stick too.
Hanakapiai beach to Kalalau beach
After Hanakapiai beach on Kalalau trail hike ,next destination is Hanakapiai falls. If you keep moving on, you will pass through some small streams and see some breath-taking views of the landscapes.
From Hanakapiai valley, after walking for 2 hours, you will arrive to Hanakoa valley. From Hanakoa valley, you can take a one hour walk towards Kalalau stream where you can do camping.
If you don’t want to visit Kalalau stream, you can move forward to the end of the Napali coast trail which is Kalalau beach. The Beach presents you with a lovely sunset view. Adventurous journey from Kee beach towards Kalalau Beach is a daunting task with its special moments.
One disappointment at the beach is that it has very strong currents and its not advised to go into water as there are no coastal guards here. Max days to camp at the beach is 5 days but you can check while getting Kalalau trail permits online about latest information.
After camping at the beach for the allowed number of days, you can come back using the same trail to the Kee beach. In rainy season, your hiking boots will get so much muddy that you either would want to throw them away.
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