In fact, given that experience comes with age, you see lots of old backpackers on trails all over the country. You can do it in 3 minutes and still taking your time to step carefully. This is a great day hike while staying at the beach. As I mentioned, you should find a club or friends who backpack to help you learn about preparing, packing, hiking and camping safely. Join us for two days on the Kalalau Trail and a full day in Kalalau Valley on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. required, never displayed). Ithaca, New York. Best of luck, Janis, whatever you decide. #ThankYouLord! #PraiseGod! I forgot my hat (mistake), and we both used a lot of sunscreen (for the exposed parts, mostly the last 5 miles of the trail). Also, what is the best way to overcome a possible fear of exposure on the cliff sections? Since you’ve already considered this, I’m going to assume you’re not in the last category. Kalalau Trail: Difficult 4 mile hike but worth it! Required fields are marked *. Rebecca Riggins . Any suggestions other than “don’t do it”? The guide should be able to provide most of the equipment, and then probably carry most of it so you only need a full day-pack instead of a backpack. I helped my Dad hike the Kalalau trail when he was 65, and there are plenty of people of all ages hiking in Kalalau. Take the hiking poles to give you more confidence. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Kalalau Valley Trail – Mile 11 4 miles round trip The Kalalau Valley is at mile 11, just before arriving at Kalalau Beach. Whoa. The trail is well maintained and the out and back can be completed in under 2 hours. We recommend taking the Alakai Swamp trail to the end of the boardwalk (which will feel like a lot further than it is) to the Kilohana lookout. Backpacking is a great way to explore the natural beauty of Kaua’i, the mainland, and all over the world. Next 4 miles weren’t too bad, a lot of up and down, but almost all covered. We were planning to head up North early on the Friday of that week to attempt the first 2 miles of Kalalau as I never did this before. After that, there was more exposure, but that’s when my wife started having trouble. Next month will be my 40 trip back to Kalalau on the Na Pali trail. Arrived at 8:05, started hiking the trail at 8:20am (there’s a half mile hike to the trail head). We are in our upper 50’s, in relatively good shape, but have never backpacked before. Hi Doug. Because you say you’ve never been backpacking, you need to start light and go for a short distance for a single night. Thank ConnoisseurCharlotte . The Kalalau trail does have some areas that I imagine will trigger a response in people who have fear of heights to some degree. I try to answer all emails, and if it has a wide appeal, I’ll just publish the answer here. Provided to KalalauTrail.com by Kevin Krile, Your email address will not be published. And it is probably expensive, but it may be a good way for you to “do” Kalalau, and you’d also be learning backpacking skills that would help you go other places on your own. The Kalalau trail has over 2500 feet of elevation gain over 11 miles. Share. Waipo’o Falls Trail is a great way to experience the Waimea Canyon on one of the best easy hikes on Kauai. We also had a few leftover Ritz cracker sleeves. For Kalalau, you will need to bring the following with you on the airplane: None of this needs to be expensive, but you should have good quality equipment that fits well and that you’ve practiced packing, carrying, and using. The trail dives into the Alakai Swamp, and eventually intersects the Alakai Swamp Trail. Here is an informative tour with helpful captions, of the Kalalau trail, Kauai Hawaii. Hiking the Kalalau Trail should not be a last minute decision, especially when planning to hike the trail in its entirety. Other sections of the trail aren’t so bad, but there are erosion and overgrowth right next to steep and long slopes that go very far down to the ocean. There is also the issue of sleeping outdoors in a tent or hammock—some people have no problem with it, others will put up with it to be in Kalalau, and yet others just aren’t comfortable with it. You must be prepared to drink more, stay cool, and avoid over-exertion. It is now on my bucket list. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The side of the trail looks steep, but it’s not actually dangerous. Shuttle came about half an hour later, and it was just my wife, me, and another guy riding back. Napali-Coast, 22-Miles, extremely hard but a… Rebecca Riggins. This video is of mine (The Boomer) and Lexie's (The Millennial) hike on the Kalalau Trail. Hi Ron, it’s longer than that, mabye 150 yards altogether, but with different conditions along the way. E-mail ( Gear: Tent, 2 sleeping pads, 2 sleeping pillows, 2 light/medium (normal) blankets, 1 queen sized fitted sheet (we put the 2 sleeping pads inside it). Practice setting up camp and making your water and food. Because you say you’ve never been backpacking, you need to start light and go for a short distance for a single night. Janis sent me a question, and I think the answer may interest a lot of people: My husband and I just returned from a trip to Kauai and we just loved everything about it. :)#GodIsGood! There is a trail that follows the stream up into the valley where there are several swimming holes to enjoy, including one with a rope swing. They have to keep this section open otherwise the whole trail is impassible. You have 100 yards on packed dirt, more or less flat. Hiking the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Beach and Falls. The Kalalau Trail has 3 main landmarks / stopping points / segments: Trailhead to Hanakapi’ai Beach (Mile 0-2) A popular day hike suitable for any level hiker, this segment of the trail is slippery and muddy (particularly in winter). No dirt, good footing (not really climbing, still just hiking), just super exposed. This KalalauTrail.com website is primarily designed to provide general. I had a 50L camping backpack, she had a 30-40L backpack (normal school backpack size), though hers also had a strap to clip between the shoulder straps to hold them together. If done again, we’d take a hammock instead. Having never backpacked before, you need some equipment and skills. In some places, the trail is eroded or sloping sideways, but the dirt is not particularly slippery when dry and it’s passable. I have a package to send him but lost his address. The fear of heights (acrophobia) is going to be an issue you should consider before you make all this investment in time and equipment. June 16, 2015. Last day we got up at 4:00am and packed up the tent in the dark (I had a headlight). It was a bit windy, though the wind was pushing us towards the cliff. ha. Janis, I think backpacking in general is not a question of age but of experience. Also, apparently Mark Zuckerberg was on the trail when we were (we saw his pictures), but we didn’t see/recognize him. Your email address will not be published. Such beautiful scenery and met some truly wonderful people on the trail! Once you have borrowed, rented, or bought this equipment, you need practice carrying it long distances and using it. I’m trying to get in touch with anyone on Kauai that can give me a mailing address for Alakai, [a local who hikes a lot in Kalalau]. Jilly Ryan. Lightweight sleep sack (you don’t need the heavier sleeping bag that’s necessary the mainland, so unless you can afford a down bag, a separate fleece sleep sack is lighter and smaller to pack). Here are the most relevant articles I’ve posted, to cover some of what I mention above: There are now tons of videos of the Kalalau trail on YouTube. We got to Hanakapiai beach around 9:45, but ended up staying there about 30 minutes (it took a while to find a good place to cross – I jumped the rocks, but my wife went to the beach, took her shoes off and crossed there). This guide will cover the easiest part of the famous NaPali Coast trail. Jilly Ryan. But she pressed through (praying the entire time we hiked back those 5 miles), and we made it back to Hanakoa around maybe 2:30pm. The Kalalau Trail is a trail along Nā Pali Coast of the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. Powered by WordPress. Related Articles. R755 theme designed by varometro. Rugged, rugged, rugged. This entry was posted on Thank you. We also brought a tarp that ended up being useless (it wasn’t wet where we camped). Not for beginners or acrophobes! 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