pinnacle

We will be in Kauai in October, and plan to do some hiking there. I have the blue book, and another hiking book. The hikes we are thinking of doing are the Waimea Canyon Vista and Kukui combined together, Okolehao on the north shore, and Nu'alolo Trail/
Awa'awapuhi Grand Loop. I was wondering if anyone out there has done any of these hikes, and if so, what did you think of them? I am not afraid of hard work, but I am concerned about my comfort level if the hiking is dangerous. I would appreciate it if you could share your experiences, especially as it relates to areas that might be scary? Thanks so much.

anita

I did the Nu'alolo/Awa'awaphui Loop.
It was amazing. It was the most awesome thing I have ever done. Not only because it was beautiful but as a non-hiker I actually did the whole hike and lived to tell about it. We were actually up in the clouds.

We started out at 10 am. It took us about 6 1/2 hours to do it. It rained before we started and also on & off during the hike. The trails were very slippery in spots. The walking sticks we found along the way quickly became my best friend. There's no way I would have been able to do it without the stick. There was a lot of going up and down. My knee was a little sore after we were done.

There were a few tense moments. One was because it was slippery and I couldn't get good footing so I literally slid down the trail on my butt. That was probably more out of frustration than fear. The second spot that I was really terrified at was on the Nu'alolo Cliff Trail. It was a section that can get washed out. It wasn't when we were there but the trail was so narrow that we were literally on the edge. One of those spots you don't look down on. If you were to fall the only way would be over the edge because there was a cliff wall on the other side. I was tempted to turn back but I think we were already 4-5 miles into the hike. After that part the rest of the trail was a piece of cake.

We had two cars so we were able to park one at the end of the trail as the blue book suggested. I really appreciated not having to walk that extra 1 1/2 miles when we were done.

We took backpacks with water,lunch, and mosquito spray which to my surprise we didn't need. The one thing I wish we would have brought would have been a panoramic camera. We had our regular one which took good pictures but the cliffs and valleys are so huge that it was hard to capture it all. The helicopters that flew in and out of the area looked like birds compared to the landscape.

If you are physically able to I would definately recommend this hike. It was the highlight of my trip. I would like to do it again under drier conditions.
I would also suggest checking the weather condition prior to going. Not only for the rain but if it is cloudy you may not see anything.

A few days prior to this hike we did the first 2 miles of the Kalalau Trail at Kee'e Park. As far as hiking goes this wasn't too bad. There were some good views but nothing compared to Nu'alolo. Again it had rained so we needed the walking stick.

pinnacle

Hi Anita! Thanks for your lengthy info. I appreciate it. With the hiking on the Nu'alolo Cliff Trail, how far do you have to go with it precarious like that? Also, do you remember how wide the ledge is that you are hiking on? Thanks so much for your reply.

jordogross

We got back two days ago. I am not much of a hiker but my wife raved about an hour hike she made. She started out from the public parking lot which adjoins the beach at the Hyatt hotel in Poipu (near the cliff where divers jump off...I think it's called Breckenridge Point...there's a photo in the Ultimate Kauai blue book). At first, the scenery was similar...until the cliffs led down to a deserted part of the ocean where she spotted a solitary monk seal! She said the hike was one of her trip's highlights. Waimea Canyon is also gorgeous.

anita

There was a signed that said next the .25 mile may become washed out. I would say the part that I thought was scary was only about about 10-12 feet. It was probably about the width of both feet.

jordogross

I believe the trail near the Hyatt starts at Shipwreck Beach (where the cliff divers jump in the Ultimate Kauai Revealed blue book). I mentioned earlier that it was called Breckenridge and that is wrong.

pdxgirl

We did the Nu'alolo/Awa'awaphi loop and it was the most incredible hike EVER. It is not strenuous, except for the last couple of miles. Bring water! There are a few scary bits where the trail is narrow and the drop off is severe. In some places, you can see the sightseeing helicopters flying BELOW you!

WishIwasthere

Hi Pinnacle,
I too have been investigating various hikes in Kauai. What is the second hiking book to which you refer? Is it Kathy Morey's books? Do you recommend it? I have been gleening all of my info from Fodors and the Blue Guide. Thanks.

Nancy03

Anita: So you would suggest the Awa'awapuhi Trail over the Ke'e Napali (Nu'alolo Trail?).

For beauty of scenery - from 1-10 please rate these 2 hikes.

anita

Nancy, I'm not sure if this is the answer to your question. We began the Grand Loop hike on the Nu'alolo Trail proceeeding to the Nu'alolo Cliff Trail and finishing off on the Awa'awapuhi Trail. In my opinion this hike was a "10" for beauty. One minute you're walking in the jungle with beautiful koa trees and the next you're looking at these amazing cliffs and valleys with the ocean in the background. If time permits I would suggest doing the loop versus just doing one of the trails. All I can say is awesome and not everyone has the opportunity to do it.

The Ke'e hike is the Kalalua Trail which is past Haena on the north shore.
We only did the first 2 miles so it's hard to compare the two. At the end of the two miles it was nice to hang out at the river and Hanakapi'ai beach. Its not swimmable but it was pretty. I would give this an 8.

hulahoop

Hi Nancy,

I did the Kalalau trail (first two miles)as my first hike on Kauai. I too am afraid of heights and was worried about this one. It was quite slippery (from previous day's rain) but mostly at the beginning. It was absolutely beautiful.

However, it did not compare with the Awa'awapuhi/Nu'alolo hike. This is the most incredibly beautiful thing I have every seen. Because we could not manage the two-car thing and because of my having read that the Nu'alolo was the scary part, we started at the Awa'awapuhi end, hiked to the lookout and turned around and went back the same way. Because it was so spectacular we did the hike again, this time going beyond the lookout and onto the Nu'alolo portion. When we got to the section that has been described above (narrow and dropping off), I turned around and my husband went on a bit further. He said that we had seen the best part already, but we can't be sure since we didn't make it to the end of the Nu-alolo end.

I would say that if you are seriously worried about being frightened, you should consider doing it the way we did so that you can turn back when you get uncomfortable.

Another place for a beautiful view of the Kalalau valley is the Pihea Lookout, accessed from the very end of the Waimea Canyon Road.

Oh how I envy you!

Nancy03

anita: If we got to the difficult part and decided it was too scary to go on, which side of the loop would you start at. We will try to do the whole thing, but my fiance is not good with heights so if we had to turn around, we'd want to make sure we got at least the best part of the hike.

Hulahoop: How long did the hike take you and what time of the day did you get started?

Thanks.

pinnacle

Hi wishIwasthere! We have been using the blue book for info, Fodors, as well as The Hikers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands, by Stuart M. Ball. I got in on Amazon. It has a lot of detail in it as far as following a trail - turn at this corner, walk down this ravine, climb up this hill, reach a junction, switchback here, etc. We haven't actually put it to the test, but it seems very detailed. Best of luck! I will be sure to post when we get back, but we aren't going until the fall.

anita

Nancy, I agree with hulahoop. If you think you may not do the whole hike start at Awa'awapuhi. I thought the condition of this trail was better than the other.

Both of these trails go down so you know what that means. If they are wet I would rather go back up the Awa'awapuhi than the Nu'alolo. It was going down the Nu'alolo that I slid down on my behind because it was so slippery. I couldn't get any traction. I can't imagine how I would have gotten back up that way.

Please let us know what you thought of the hike when you get back.