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Author	Topic: Kauai - Kalalau trail
Twister TUG Member Posts: 33 From: Bowling Green, KY, USA Registered: JAN 2001	posted 01-11-2003 16:43 My parents are experienced hikers and they would love to hike this trail (11 miles). Is it possible to finish this trail in one day? Is there a tour that offers a day hike (I am sure it will start very early)?
drhallenbeck TUG Member Posts: 97 From: W.Lafayette, IN, USA Registered: JUL 2001	posted 01-11-2003 20:16 If you plan to continue on the trail beyond the beach (2 mile mark) you need permits. And you had better request them well in advance of your visit. We were very fortunate to get ours 10 months in advance - only 5 days throughout the month were available, and two fell within our vacation time. Hiking the front end of the trail in to the beach followed by the side spur in to the falls (another 2 miles) is a great day hike. And if you take the road about as far as you can go in the other direction, there are numerous excellent trails in Kokee State Park (none of which require permits).
Makai Guy Administrator TUG Volunteer Posts: 5396 From: Aiken, SC Prefer to be: Hawaii Registered: DEC 2000	posted 01-12-2003 10:22 Personal opinion follows The Kalalau is difficult and challenging. Portions are characterized by slippery conditions or otherwise poor footing and generally are pretty slow going. The scenery is spectacular, when you can take your eyes off your feet to look around. There are interesting and challenging side canyons to explore. Experienced and capable hikers in good condition probably could get to the end of the trail in one day, but all they will have done is "made miles" when they should have been "making memories". The Hiking the Kalalau portion of my Kauai website tells a little about the front end of the hike and provides some other links to explore for further information. ------------------ Doug Wilson, "The Makai Guy" TUG Volunteer Coordinator / BBS Administrator / Hawaii Review Manager Click here for my email address -- You might enjoy a visit to my North Shore Kauai website
JACKC TUG Member Posts: 1234 From: Bloomsburg, PA Registered: MAR 2001	posted 01-12-2003 18:31 Ah, you snagged my memories. I hiked the trail in '59 when permits were non-existent and other hikers rare. We took 2 days in, 2 days there and 2 days back out. This was before the days of boat and 'copter rides to the valley. We hiked up the valley, ate mangos, guavas and avocados freely, scouted the remains of the early Hawaiian village and terraces, slept in the large beach cave, and watched the sun set over the ocean. We sampled wild goat given to us by a hunter we encountered. What I wouldn't give to repeat that marvelous hike! Jack
carolinept TUG Member Posts: 297 From: PA Owner: Marriott's Waiohai Resort, HI Registered: JUL 2002	posted 01-13-2003 06:30 This is also just my opinion... I am 26 and I am in good physical shape and a fairly experienced hiker, especially the Hawaiian trails. I don't think that the Kalalau trail should be done in one day, and I know that I personally would not attempt to do it. I think that it would be absolutely exhausting, and your parents would be rushed to make it in a day instead of taking in the views. It is not an easy course to hike, with several points where you are downright climbing. Your parents may want to consider doing more of the course than the average person (most want to do the first two miles and then turn around). There is a hiking guide to Kauai that explains the course in greater detail. You might want to consider looking at that. There are guided tours, but those that cover the whole course I believe are all overnighters-but I'm not 100% sure of that.
travelnut TUG Member Posts: 729 From: Fremont, CA, USA Pono Kai, Kauai Beach Villas, Riviera Oaks (MGV pts.) Registered: DEC 2000	posted 01-17-2003 01:08 about 15 yrs. ago,a group of friends of mine, all experienced, older Sierra Club hikers, took this trail. One, with a history of bone loss, fell and broke her leg. She spent the night in the rain lying on the trail, because it was too narrow to get off. Her friends covered her with a tarp. Finally some pig hunters came by in the early morning hours and sent for a helicopter for her. She was flown to Oahu at no expense (they had a budget allocated for rescues each month and hadn't used it yet), and then was sent Stateside to have it set. Her leg ended up about 1 inch shorter than the other. HIking in Kauai is all about very very slippery mud. You have to watch each and every step. It becomes mentally tiring and you miss out on the scenery along the way. I wore aqua socks that had diamond studded tread for shorter hikes, and hikes into the Alaki Swamp - don't know if I could go 11 miles in them, though.
tiger TUG Member Posts: 392 From: add another 300 posts Schenectady, NY,USA Lawai Beach Resort registered Dec. 2000 Registered: APR 2002	posted 01-17-2003 06:24 The Alaka'i swamp trail is improved and now has boardwalks. When wet Kauai mud is like grease. So for wet conditions you really need good footwear and a colapsible hiking stick.
snelson TUG Volunteer Posts: 6520 From: Belly-View, WA. Owner: Embassy Poipu (floating); Winners Circle (Week 52), Raintree Vacation Club; Club Regina Registered: DEC 2000	posted 01-17-2003 07:35 Also be aware of the weather. I have a friend who hiked the Kalalau trail a couple of years ago, and was stranded for five days at one of the stream crossings due to flooding. They could not land helicopters, but were dropping supplies to people stranded at the crossings. On the fifth day the weather improved enough to land the choppers, and start getting people out. ------------------ Steve Nelson ** Old enough to remember when getting a tattoo was an act of rebellion, not conformity. - Wiley Miller
Twister TUG Member Posts: 33 From: Bowling Green, KY, USA Registered: JAN 2001	posted 01-17-2003 08:09 Everyone, Thank you for your concerns and wise comments. They have decided to take it easy and enjoy the beatiful view.
Makai Guy Administrator TUG Volunteer Posts: 5396 From: Aiken, SC Prefer to be: Hawaii Registered: DEC 2000	posted 01-17-2003 15:26 Very wise. But they should at least do the first half mile or so to where the trail rounds the headlands and give you the first view down the NaPali -- truly spectacular. And if they hike to the first beach, Hanakapaie, and then up the side canyon to the falls (tough trail with a little bushwhacking necessary when I was there last) and back, they'll have an eight mile excursion that I guarantee they'll find challenging enough for one day. ------------------ Doug Wilson, "The Makai Guy" TUG Volunteer Coordinator / BBS Administrator / Hawaii Review Manager Click here for my email address -- You might enjoy a visit to my North Shore Kauai website

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